A civil society organization led by former bureaucrats, Nepal Nagarik Samaj (Nenas), began a three-day relay hunger strike at Shanti Batika in the capital demanding that the government revoke its decision. [break]
Nenas also submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the chief district officers of all 75 districts on Thursday, asking the prime minister to scrap the decision.
Talking to Republica, Nenas General Secretary D P Aryal said a poor country like Nepal can´t afford to provide such huge perks and benefits to former VIPs. "We will be forced to start stringent protests if the government did not heed our demand till Saturday," he said.
Those staging hunger strikes and expressing solidarity with the protests argue that the govenrment decision to hand out huge benefits state coffers is arbitrary and wrongful as the nation has many other priorities such as providing basic health facilities and education to the common people.
A large number of people from different walks of life including university teachers, journalists, lawyers, former bureaucrats and Shiva Sena had reached Shanti Batika to express solidarity with Nenas protest.
There are a total 42 former VIPs including former prime ministers, chief justices, speakers and home ministers who will benefit from the newly-announced perks and benefits.
In a notice published recently in the Nepal Gazette, the government said it will provide various facilities including residential apartments, vehicles, fuel and personal secretariat employees to former presidents, vice presidents and prime ministers. They will each receive Rs 50,000 a month as apartment allowance until the government provides them with a residential building.
Former presidents, vice presidents, prime ministers, chief justices and speakers after 1990 political change will get a vehicle worth Rs 5 million and Rs 50,000 a year as maintenance cost for the vehicle. Former presidents, vice presidents, prime ministers and former chief justices and speakers are also entitled to 200, 175, 150 and 100 liters of petrol a month, respectively.
Likewise, the government has made a provision to separately allocate Rs 50,000 a year to former president and vice president each and Rs 40,000 a year to former prime minister for hospitality expenses.
Additionally, the government will provide four employees including one gazetted third class officer for the personal secretariat of a former president and two employees including one third-class gazetted officer for the personal secretariat of a former vice president or prime minister.
Former PM Nepal and former Speaker Paudel return vehicles
Amid criticism from various quarters, former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal returned the state-owned vehicle that he had been using as a former executive head, to the government on Thursday.
In a statement, Nepal said he had not taken any facility from the state except for the vehicle and he decided to return it to respect public opinion. Nepal also said the government move to issue the ordinance on state facilities has increased the risk of diverting attention elsewhere and undermining the consensus-building process.
Likewise, NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel also returned the vehicle he was using in his capacity as a former speaker. According to his personal aide Chiranjivi Adhikari, he returned his Scorpio jeep to Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire Thursday in view of criticism from various quarters.
Adhikari said Paudel had not taken other state facilities except for the vehicle.
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