The locals of Lapchi say that 112 metric tons of rice grains provided by the Tibet government for the people in Lamabagar, Aalamp and Gaurishankar VDCs of Dolakha, which are adjacent to China, in the last two years have been distributed elsewhere under the influence of local politicians. [break]
Seeking rice-grains meant from them, the people from Lapchi village, which is a settlement of around 100 people in Lamabagar VDC, have come to the district headquarters of Dolakha. They have warned of protests if the District Development Office (DDC) of Dolakha failed to provide them with their rice-grains.
“We will be forced to announce a series of protest programs if we do not get rice-grains,” said Karma Sherpa, one of 20 villagers from Lapchi who reached the district headquarters seeking rice-grains. The villager say the Tibet government has sent rice grains worth Rs 9 million so far to them.
However, Local Development Officer (LDO) of Dolakhaa Tubraj Pokharel has refuted the allegation of misuse of rice-grains. “It is not misuse,” said Pokharel. “We just used rice-grains for other purposes as we could not afford high transportation costs to supply rice-grains to border villages.”
Lapchi, which is located on the northern edge of Dolakha district, is a two-day walk from Lamabagar valley, 68 kilometers away from Charikot, the district headquarters of Dolakha.
Instead of rice grains, LDO Pokharel has assured thatbudget for two suspension bridges in Lapchi village would be allocated in the next fiscal year. “I think bridges are more important in Lapchi rather than rice-grains,” said he. The locals from border villages are yet to comment on LDO Pokharel´s proposal.
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