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Administrative and financial operations in Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality have been at a standstill since mid-July after the position of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) remained vacant. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration had transferred two officials—Dan Bahadur Shahi and Nain Singh Budha—to the municipality, but neither reported for duty, leaving daily operations blocked.

Complicating matters further, the ministry removed Subas Rawal, an eighth-level education officer who had been handling financial responsibilities until the end of June. Although two administrative officers were assigned in succession, the municipality has effectively been without a CAO since July.

Rural Municipality Chair Chhirang Kyapne Lama said he and his team visited the ministry several times requesting the appointment of a CAO, but the matter remains unresolved. “We formally asked the ministry to allow education officer Rawal to serve as acting CAO with financial authority, but they declined. The officials posted to our municipality are not willing to come,” Lama said.

Rawal is currently in Kathmandu for in-service training, further weakening the municipality’s leadership. The local government has again requested the ministry to temporarily appoint seventh-level engineer Hemanta Neupane as acting CAO with financial authority. “The ministry must either assign Engineer Hemanta as recommended or send a new CAO immediately,” Lama added.

The absence of a CAO has stalled project agreements, budget implementation, procurement processes, and all financial transactions. Employees have not received salaries and allowances since Dashain, and the distribution of social security allowances has also stopped, according to the municipality.

Lama said development projects, service delivery, and financial operations have been disrupted for three months. Without an urgent alternative arrangement from the ministry, he warned, all municipal functions could come to a complete halt.

A large number of temporary migrant workers from India are entering Jhapa with their families to work in chimney brick industries, but local authorities lack verified data on their arrival. The absence of reliable records has raised concerns that Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals could also enter Nepal through the same channels.

The Armed Police Force (APF) has increased surveillance along border points in the district, citing the possibility of Bangladeshi and Rohingya citizens illegally crossing into Nepal from West Bengal. However, security officials say the lack of proper documentation and identity checks for Indian workers entering through Bhadrapur and Kakarbhitta has created operational challenges. Many workers reportedly arrive by reserved buses and proceed directly to brick kilns without undergoing verification.

APF SP Tul Bahadur Bhandari, chief of Battalion Headquarters-2 in Jhapa, said the authorities have begun collecting details of Indian migrant workers and their families employed in brick factories.

A recent district security meeting also discussed the possibility that brick kilns could be the first destination for individuals entering illegally. SP Bhandari said coordination is underway with the Jhapa Brick Industries Association to address this risk.

According to officials, Bangladeshi and Rohingya individuals in India often possess Indian Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID cards, making identification more difficult. “Those working in brick factories may also hold Indian documents, but without accurate data on how many workers have arrived, verification becomes challenging,” SP Bhandari said.

Nepal Police is also assisting in the data collection process.

Jhapa Brick Industries Association secretary Bishnu Prasad Ghimire said 24 chimney brick industries are currently operating in the district. Most workers come from Cooch Behar and Mathabhanga areas of West Bengal, he said, adding that his factory maintains updated identity records of Indian workers, though he was unsure about practices at other factories. Each kiln employs between 50 and 200 workers, and the total number increases when children accompanying families are counted. Most of these workers, who are Bengali-speaking and predominantly Muslim, arrive between mid-November and late March.

Indian authorities have recently launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal and 12 other states. Following the start of the SIR, many Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals who had been living secretly in West Bengal—some with illegally obtained Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID cards—have reportedly begun leaving India out of fear of being unable to present valid documents during verification.

The Yomari Punhi or Yomari Poornima, and Udhauli festivals are being observed across the country today.

The Yomari Poornima is a festival observed especially by the Newar community of the Valley and is believed to have started 400 years ago. 

A special delicacy made of rice flour and molasses called Yomari is the major attraction of this festival.

The day is also observed as Jyapu Day.

Meanwhile, people from the Kirant community are observing Udhauli festival today. 

This festival is observed wishing for a good harvest by worshipping the soil and nature. 

People from the Rai, Limbu, Sunuwar and Yakhya ethnicities observe this festival. 

The federal government has also announced a public holiday in the country today.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Director General Pradeep Adhikari has been arrested on Wednesday.

A team of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority arrested Adhikari this afternoon.

The anti-corruption watchdog is preparing to file a case against him in the special court today itself.