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By Our Reporter

When the House of Representatives have been obstructed for weeks over the visit visa scam, another scandal relating to alternation of cooling-off period in Civil Service Bill has surfaced.

The State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, after a hectic exercise amid protest from the Chief Secretary and other secretaries, had managed to pass the provision of a cooling-off period for the retired secretaries and joint secretaries. But when the House of Representatives passed it, the provision was nullified by inserting a clause. When the media reported on it, the lawmakers of the State Affairs Committee as well as other lawmakers, were shocked.

It is believed that the clause was inserted in the final draft of the Bill by the civil servants, as they had been against the provision.

This is a sheer example of how undisciplined the civil servants are in Nepal and how they undermined the parliament elected by the people.   Now, the Bill has reached the National Assembly from the House of Representatives, and the State Affairs Committee has requested its correction.

Meanwhile, Speaker Devraj Ghimire on Monday announced the formation of a seven-member committee led by NC’s Jivan Pariyar to study the alternation of a cooling-off period.

The committee formed under Rule 180 of the House of Representatives Regulations, has been given 21 days to submit the report.

The seven-member panel comprises two lawmakers each from the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, and one each from the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

Accordingly, Pariyar and Sushila Thing will represent Congress, Narayan Prasad Acharya and Ishwari Gharti will represent UML and Madhav Sapkota will represent Maoist Centre in the committee. Ganesh Parajuli of RSP and Roshan Karki of RPP are other members of the panel.