According to the DDC´s accounts section, between the month of Shrawan to Paush, fuel expenses reached a whooping Rs 650,000. The DDC paid Rs 550,000 to the oil store in Charikot which supplied it fuel. When the oil store stopped supplying fuel citing delay in payments, the DDC cleared the remaining balance of Rs 110,000 a few days ago. [break]
The vehicles owned by Dolakha DDC -- a Mahindra Bolero and a Nissan pickup -- are also used by Rural Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Sector Development Program (RRRSDP).
According to the DDC, fuel expenses have risen due to misuse by political leaders. Moreover, the DDC was forced to pay for trips made by visiting politicians and bureaucrats. An employee at the DDC office said the amount spent on fuel annually would have been enough to purchase a new vehicle.
Some politicians, however, denied the accusation. UML district head Parvat Gurung said he neither misused the DDC´s vehicles nor misappropriated its petrol.
RPP´s Nar Bahadur Pakhrin, however, said that it was the bigger parties which misused the resources.
Claiming that the resources have not been misused, Local Development Officer Shankar Bahadur Thapa said fuel expenses had risen because the vehicles were in regular use for project and field work. As Dolakha is a mountainous district and most of its roads rough, it is natural for the vehicles to burn more fuel, Thapa argued.
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