Some outgoing ministers in search of residence
Ishwor Aryal
Kathmandu, 22 November (2019) - Some outgoing ministers relieved of their duties on Wednesday have returned home while some others are facing difficulties in finding a room.
Reshuffling the Cabinet, PM KP Sharma Oli sacked six ministers and three ministers of state and appointed new faces Wednesday.
Outgoing ministers are scrambling to find residence.
Lal Babu Pandit worked as Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration for 20 months. He has not left ministers' quarters at Pulchowk, Lalitpur.
Talking with Lokantar, Pandit said that he could find a room to rent.
"I don't have a personal vehicle, so I want to rent a room near parliament building in New Baneshwar," Pandit said. "We have been searching for rooms from morning to evening."
Long before Office of the President published the names of new ministers, outgoing Minister Matrika Yadav had made up his mind to leave ministers' quarters.
His assistant Santosh Bista informed Lokantar that the minister returned all the belongings in the ministers' quarter on Wednesday and left the quarter.
Yadav has gone to his previously rented room in Thimi, Bhaktapur.
"He used to live there before becoming minister," Bista said. "I had taken all the personal possessions of the minister to the room on Wednesday."
Given his acid tongue, Yadav tussled with the PM on many occasions. Therefore, his name featured in the sack list long before it happened.
Another outgoing Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Tham Maya Magar said that she is about to go to her daughter's house.
"My daughter Bijaya's house is in Tokha, I'll start living there from Monday," Magar told Lokantar.
Outgoing Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista has his own house in Samakhushi, Kathmandu.
Bista has gone home on Thursday.
Outgoing Minister of Agriculture Chakra Pani Khanal is staying in his brother's house in Satungal, Kathmandu. Khanal's Press Advisor Bom Lal Giri informed that Khanal had gone to Satungal on Thursday.
"He is searching for a room," Giri told Lokantar. "He will transfer to a room in some days."
Outgoing Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth appeared to be the wealthiest minister when assets of the ministers were published on June.
Mahaesth owns a huge bungalow in Nakkhu, Lalitpur. He owns plenty of lands.
Generally, ministers are kept in the quarters due to security reasons.
But Minister of Communication and Information Technology stays outside ministers' quarters. He lives in PM KP Sharma Oli's personal residence in Balkot, Bhaktapur.
Department of Urban Development and Building Construction looks after the management of ministers' quarters.
Newly appointed ministers have to take their own utensils, clothes, bedding items and other personal belongings to the quarter and take their possessions away after stepping down from the post.
The ministers are provided bed, furniture and computer for use during their tenure.
Goods provided as facilities in the ministers' quarters cannot be taken away after the minister is relieved from their duties.
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