The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has received numerous complaints against staffers and people's representatives of local units in Madhesh Province.

The Bardibas-based regional office of CIAA has jurisdiction over Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, and Sarlahi of Madhesh Province; Okhaldhunga, Khotang, and Solukhumbu of Koshi Province; and Sindhuli and Ramechhap of Bagmati Province.

According to the office, it has received 442 from Dhanusha district which is the highest in Madhesh Province. Most of the complaints are related to irregularities in Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City. Similarly, it has received 295 complaints from Siraha, 240 from Mahottari, and 236 from Sarlahi.

The majority of the complaints are against irregularities in local units. In fiscal year 2022/23 and the first month of 2023/24, a total of 1,145 complaints were received against local units. Of these, 65 have been resolved, while the remaining 1,080 are under investigation, according to the office.

Data from the regional office reveals that most of the complaints are related to irregularities in public procurement and construction, often involving collusion between staffers and elected people's representatives. “Preparing wrong estimates and specifications, splitting projects to favor contractors, making unnecessary procurements, subpar construction work, and the misuse of consumer committees to bypass laws and regulations are among the common issues mentioned in the complaints,” said Sunil Chaurasiya, a section officer at the regional office.

Additionally, there are complaints about administrative misconduct, corruption in training and capacity development, irregularities in service delivery, the use of counterfeit educational certificates and licenses, revenue leakage, and irregularities in the distribution of social security allowances, among other issues, Chaurasiya added.

Officials acknowledge that the regional office has been facing challenges in resolving cases promptly due to a backlog of cases. “Concerned offices often delay registration of our letters and take a significant amount of time to provide supporting documents. In some cases, they fail to submit any documents at all. These actions significantly impact our work,” Chaurasiya added. “When we attempt to contact the heads of the relevant offices by phone, they often do not respond.”

Chaurasiya said that investigations won’t not gain momentum if the constitutional anti-graft body does not receive the necessary support from public offices.