KALIKOT, Nov 22: In Kalikot, ten government offices operate under the Karnali Province government—but more than half of them are running without a single dedicated accountant.
In an unusual and troubling arrangement, the Provincial Accounts Unit Office (PAUO) has placed the financial responsibilities of six offices on the shoulders of just one person.
Bishwamitra Upadhyay, the lone Accounts Officer, is currently responsible for managing accounts of the Division Forest Office, Social Development Office, Agriculture Development Office, PAUO, Industry and Consumer Protection Office, and the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Office. The workload, he says, has become overwhelming.
Nothing lovely about love (handles)
Locals complain that Upadhyay is rarely present in the offices he is assigned to. During a meeting of office heads on Tuesday, journalist Ratna Karki openly questioned which legal provision allows a single accountant to manage six government offices.
Upadhyay defends his situation, saying the provincial government has failed to post accountants as per sanctioned positions. “I am overburdened,” he said. “There are no accountants in the offices, and those appointed do not want to come to remote areas.”
Assistant Chief District Officer Janak Sharma said such arrangements raise questions about possible vested interests between accountants and office heads. He added that service delivery has repeatedly suffered because many offices have not even requested separate accounting positions.
Upadhyay is also responsible for internal audits and budget releases for all six offices.
Ramdatta Devkota, chief of the PAUO, said the shortage of staff has left them with no choice but to assign multiple offices to a single accountant. He denied allegations of vested interests and said Upadhyay receives TA-DA based on the workload. In Kalikot, one accountant is also managing the accounts of the Health Service Office and the District Ayurveda Office.
The PAUO currently has only four accountants. Locals say the lack of dedicated accountants has been a persistent issue, and accuse the PAUO of failing to request additional accounting positions for several key government offices.
