Dharan and Itahari sub-metropolitan cities in Sunsari district are currently functioning without approved budgets due to internal conflicts.
Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City failed to present its budget due to disputes between Mayor Harka Sampang and Deputy Mayor Aindra Bikram Begha. The Chief Administrative Officer, Ambika Prasad Chaulagai, stated that the municipality has no budget to spend currently but is collecting revenue at last year’s rates. They expect to pass the budget within 10–15 days.
Meanwhile, Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City presented a budget of Rs 2.55 billion on Ashar 10 but failed to get it approved. The delay occurred because the schedules for the financial bill and appropriation bill were not published, leading to objections from the majority CPN-UML representatives. Deputy Mayor Sangitakumari Chaudhary said the lack of these schedules caused disputes, and several members refused to attend the meeting demanding the schedules.
As a result, Mayor Hemkarna Paudel suspended the municipal assembly indefinitely and went on leave starting Friday, handing over acting responsibilities to Deputy Mayor Chaudhary. The leave duration has not been specified but is expected to last several days for personal reasons.
The budget deadline requires presentation by Ashar 10 and approval by the end of Ashar, with implementation beginning Shrawan 1. Dharan has faced similar delays before, passing its last budget on Shrawan 6. The current budget issues stem from disputes escalating over payments related to labor contributions, which even led to physical clashes between the mayor and deputy mayor on Asar 2 and 3.
