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Pokhara, Aug 11: The Gandaki Province government is set to carry out a major administrative restructuring. Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey said the decision will be made in the cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday.

“A round of discussions has taken place, and we have also received the experts’ report,” Pandey said. “The restructuring will be done scientifically.”

According to sources, all seven existing provincial directorates are set to be scrapped. In the districts, some offices such as the Social Development Office, Health Office, and Tourism Office will be closed, while others will be merged and operated together. Changes are also planned in the Irrigation, Water Supply, and Infrastructure Development Offices. The Chief Minister’s Office said around 150 staff positions will be cut as a result.

The government had formed an expert committee for the restructuring. Led by former secretary Sharad Chandra Paudel, the committee’s report recommended closing more than 50 offices. Paudel said the offices with low workloads or those unable to justify their existence could be shut down or merged.

The committee submitted its report in mid-June. Another committee, led by the Chief Secretary, studied the report further and presented a revised version to the government.

However, employees have expressed opposition, saying the restructuring will obstruct their career development. Local employee unions have jointly submitted a statement urging the government not to take steps that would weaken federalism in the name of restructuring.

At present, the province has 2,679 sanctioned staff positions, out of which around 150 are set to be cut. Implementation of Paudel’s recommendations in full could save the province an estimated 4 billion rupees. The report, however, has not yet been made public. Employees have demanded it be released and discussed openly before a final decision is made.

People’s News Monitoring Service