Dharan elected him after being fed up with old political parties and bureaucrats but the new mayor’s list of misdeeds is racking up, left, right and centre.
Gopal Dahal | CIJ Nepal
Dharan, which has cultivated an image of a rebellious city, elected independent candidate Harka Raj Sampang as its mayor in the last local elections two years ago. But Sampang, who committed to addressing past irregularities by political parties has himself upended the city into chaos and unrest in less than half of his term.
The latest example of this is his visit to the UK in October. Before he left, Sampang delegated the responsibility of acting mayor to Lokendra Fago, ward chair of Dharan-11 and more importantly, Sampang’s uncle-in-law. According to the Local Government Operation Act 2017, this responsibility should have been given to the deputy mayor.
The letter handing over acting right to the ward chair, the court order, and Harka Sampang’s response on Facebook.
Following this, deputy mayor Aindra Bikram Begha went to the High Court against Sampang’s action. But after the court ruled in Begha’s favour, Sampang who was still in the UK took to Facebook to fire back: ‘I was not elected by any court, … Whoever I gave the authority to is the acting mayor! Don’t argue! Don’t make me hurl expletives!’
This statement, directed at the court, is a clear indication of his disregard for the law and order.
Park in the River
Shram Sanskriti Park on the banks of the Sardu River in Dharan was built under the leadership of Mayor Sampang. Upon entering the park after paying Rs 15 in ticket, visitors are immediately greeted by signboards featuring mayor’s words and images. His songs constantly play on speakers.
But the very existence of this park is illegal. There were no discussions in the municipal executive committee about building this park or was an environmental impact assessment carried out. Moreover, the park is built on a watershed and forestland where no such construction is allowed.
Alongside this park, groups supporting Sampang, such as the Swatantra Nagarik Samaj, Shachet Dharan Group and Swatantra Didi Bahini have also constructed theirs. Built on encroached riverbank land, none of these parks were developed under any plan or had permission of the metropolitan city.
Illegally built Shram Sanskriti Park on the banks of the Sardu River. Photos: Gopal Dahal/Himalkhabar
Subsection 2(cha) of Section 24 of the Local Government Operation Act 2017, stipulates that when formulating plans, the municipality must prepare a feasibility study, a forecast of resources, prioritisation of projects, a project implementation schedule, and a monitoring and evaluation plan.
According to Section 74 of the Act, public bodies must also comply with the Federal Public Procurement Act when carrying out such work. The act stipulates that specifications, plans, maps, design, special requirements and other details related to the construction work must be prepared and approved before the work is carried out.
None of these procedures were undertaken while building these parks. Furthermore, people can build pavilions or other structures in memory of relatives inside these parks essentially built on public land if they pay a specified amount to Sampang’s cadres.
And even as Sampang promoted these parks to have been built with labour donations ‘shram dan’, according to the Auditor General’s report, Rs 11 million 9 thousand was spent during construction in a rather opaque manner. The Accountant General has declared the amount undeclared.
Surya Bahadur Bhattarai, ward chair of Dharan-17 and spokesperson of the sub-metropolitan city, confirms that there was no discussion in the executive meetings about the parks. “If we try to advise the mayor against something, we are reprimanded. What can anyone do if they don’t follow the rules and regulations? We don’t even know where the money raised from those parks goes. They are working illegally,” he adds.
Subsection 2(nga) of the Forest Act 1993, states that vacant or abandoned land adjacent to forests, and roads, ponds, lakes, rivers, and barren land within forests, fall within the national forest area. As such, the riverbed where the park was constructed also falls within the national forest. Whereby those parks were built by encroaching even on the Sardu River.
Not coincidently, these expensive parks built without any study or risk assessment were damaged by the September floods. And yet, the mayor and his supporters are still working to further constrict and obstruct the river calling it ‘shram dan’.
The park area falls within the Sardu watershed which is the source of drinking water for people in Dharan. Pipes have been laid about 200 metres below the park and there is also an open water tank near the park. Hundreds of people visit the park daily leading to contamination of water sources. In 2007, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conducted a study on the Sardu watershed and recommended that no human activities be carried out around the water source.
According to the law, it is not permissible to fragment, cultivate, or occupy forestland or construct houses or sheds on such a land. It is also prohibited to extract stones, gravel, sand or soil from forest areas. However, the opposite seems to be true for Sampang and his inner circle who have constructed parks in such area using stones, gravel, and sand extracted from the very river. Given such indiscriminate extraction of stones and gravel, the river has started changing its course. The extraction of stones and gravel has also deepened the river which has in turn compromised the safety of the bridge.
Sampang doesn’t adhere to mere rules and regulations. He took to the social media to write as much: ‘We can achieve development without a budget if only a few laws can be repealed. I know how to do this but we have idiotic laws everywhere which pisses me off.’
The Sardu watershed area has been in dispute for a long time. A joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Dr. Anand Mohan Bhattarai and Sushmalata Mathema, on 10 February 2023, issued an interim order in the name of government offices and local levels to maintain the status quo of lands within the Sardu watershed area, prohibiting any division, transfer, mapping, or change in form.
As such, mayor Sampang is defying the court order, and leading the charge in distorting the watershed area.
River money down the river
Hark Sampang after being arrested for vandalising the drinking water source in 2020.
A Rs 2.19 billion project, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was launched to address Dharan’s long-standing drinking water problem. Sampang was among those who opposed the project, which began construction in 2015. Alleging corruption in the project and demanding an investigation, he vandalised the water source. As a result, the police arrested Sampang on 4 August 2020, and filed a case with the District Administration Office. He was later released after paying a fine of Rs 2,000.
Sampang, who also committed to providing adequate water to the people of Dharan during his election campaign, has arbitrarily declared himself the chair of the Dharan Drinking Water Board and has been hiring employees and making unilateral decisions.
But he has nothing to show when it comes to investigation, which he himself had previously demanded. Nor has he worked to expand the water source through the board. Instead, he has solicited donations from his supporters at home and abroad, and initiated projects to bring water from the Sardu Khola, Pakuwa Khola, and Kokah Khola rivers, often through ‘shram dan’.
However, these projects are not officially sanctioned by the sub-metropolitan city but are being spearheaded by Sampang and his group. And despite the significant funds raised, the city’s water supply remains inadequate at best.
According to a member of Dharan metropolitan Dinesh Gajmer, Sampang proposed bringing water from the Kokah River in the third executive meeting. The meeting agreed to the proposal and decided that the donations should be deposited in the sub-metropolitan city’s bank account. However, later, when the decision was typed and verified, the proposal was removed.
“When I asked the staff, I found out that it was removed on the instructions of the mayor. After that, he and his group started receiving money directly,” recalls Gajmer. “Now the sub-metropolitan city does not have any data on how much money was raised to bring water from Kokah and other rivers, and where it was spent.”
Next, Sampang started posting on his Facebook daily about receiving hundreds of thousands in donations from home and abroad. Sampang and his co received millions but the sub-metropolitan city or the drinking water board has no role in collecting or spending the money, everything was done by his group.
Kokah drinking water expenditure details released by Sampang’s group.
Datt Kumar Limbu, who had contested for deputy mayor from Sampang’s group and lost, was tasked with collecting donations in cash. No receipts or vouchers were given to the donors. When questioned about the transparency of the funds raised, instead of making the accounts public, Limbu reprimanded them: “The river’s money went into the river, who cares?”
A video of his statement went viral on social media, and there was widespread protest, following which Sampang’s group was forced to make the accounts of the Kokah drinking water campaign public.
The income and expenditure statement, which was made public without an audit, is different and unusual compared to what was publicised. As per the statement, Rs 6 million, 6 hundred and 51 thousand of the Drinking Water Board was spent without due process. According to the Public Procurement Act, spending money like this is corruption.
According to the public accounts, a total of Rs 70 million, 4 hundred and 18 thousand was collected during the campaign out of which Rs 5 million was spent on snacks, food, and water while Rs 2.701 million was paid as wages even as the group had earlier claimed of labour donation ‘shram dan’. Similarly, survey expenses was Rs 167,000 and repair expenses Rs 137,000. More than 30 million was spent on purchasing pipes.
Raju Pokhrel, the Executive Director of the Dharan Drinking Water Management Board, says that the Rs 70 million project would add 700,000 litres of water to Dharan on a daily basis. He further adds that they could have constructed at least five large deep boring with the same amount and added whopping 10 million litres per day instead.
Says former mayor of Dharan Manoj Kumar Menyagbo, “If the money spent on Kokah had been used for deep boring, the drinking water problem would have been solved, but what they did is akin to trying to grow a bushel from a quart.”
Local leaders and activists of 10 political parties protesting against the illegal increase in water tariffs by Sampang.
Dharan has a daily demand of 30 million litres of water. Although water is sufficient during monsoon, from February to May, the sources of Sardu and Khardu dry up, resulting in only 4 million litres of water. During this time, 17 million litres of water is supplied from a deep boring in the Charkose jungle.
According to a study conducted by the Newar Ekta Samaj Dharan in 2079, each well yields 1.5-2.2 million litres of water daily. Says Mahesh Shrestha, president of the society involved in the study, “If the bore wells in the jungle are repaired, we can get 20 million litres of water daily. Instead of repairing the existing infrastructure, unnecessary expenses are being incurred in the name of the campaign.”
Moreover, the water pipes from Kokah were brought above ground in an unsecured manner, making them vulnerable to damage from forest fires, as happened this time. Not only Kokah, but the construction of water tanks and the pipelines from Sardu, Pakuwa, and Nisane rivers lack long-term planning. Neither has the expenditure been audited nor the quality measured.
Letter by the Drinking Water and Sanitation Fee Determination Commission addressing the increase in water tariff without any process and Sampang’s response.
Say former mayor Menyagbo, “After having spent so much money, the water problem remains the same. It’s like the money spent on the river has gone down the river.”
Despite previously demanding free water for Dharan residents, Sampang himself increased the water tariff and connection fees by more than 300% without following the proper procedures. For instance, the connection fee for a one-inch pipe was increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 75,000. Subsequently, on 26 July, ten political parties and social organisations launched a joint protest.
On 18 August, the High Court of Biratnagar issued an interim order to maintain the old rates. However, the board has not refunded the excess fees collected. Instead, they have arbitrarily increased the water conservation fee from Rs 5 to Rs 20 per household. This fee was also determined unilaterally without a board meeting.
Plotting in the name of the Gods
There is an old Tamang settlement near Chinde Danda in Dharan-20. This is also a popular destination for hikers. Mayor Sampang is collecting donations from Nepalis around the world to build a statue of Sumnima-Paruhang, the creator deity worshipped by the Rai community, on this very hill.
To those suggesting him not to spend too much in unproductive things, he fired back via social media. “Who said it would require a huge investment? It is a statue of Sumnima-Paruhang. If we could make it out of gold, that would be even better, why be greedy?”
A notice about the land plotting being carried out by Sampang’s group to build Sumnima-Paruhang statue, the condition of the land during the plotting, and Harka Sampang’s response on Facebook.
Sampang had brought a proposal to the executive meeting regarding the construction of the statue. The meeting also formed a five-member study committee under Sampang’s chairmanship, including executive members Bikas Bhatti, Savitra Pariyar, and chairs of ward 20 and 4. However, the committee did not conduct any study but Sampang himself, as the chairman, registered an organisation called Sumnima-Paruhang Foundation Nepal.
After that, donations from home and abroad for the construction of the statue were deposited in Himalayan Bank account number 01521553060013 belonging to Sampang and his associates. Sampang said that more than Rs 40 million have been deposited in this account so far. He has even made public the screenshots of the expenses and the current balance in the bank through Facebook.
Details of the cash and the amount deposited into a personal bank account for the construction of the Sumnima-Paruhang statue, made public after the controversy.
Funds continue to be collected through various groups formed domestically and internationally. Two musical events were organised in Dharan which raised millions. Supporters have revealed that the foundation’s president and mayor Sampang traveled to the UK and collected more than Rs 50 million. Even though millions are being collected to construct Sumnima-Paruhang statue under the leadership of the mayor, neither the local government nor the project has control over these funds.
According to Rajendra Rai, the vice-chairman of the statue construction committee, the construction of the statue and park will need approximately 1.5 hectares of land which could come to Rs 200 million at the prevailing rate. It is estimated that more than Rs 500 million will be spent on building the statue and other structures.
There is a vacant piece of land belonging to the sub-metropolis in Baghkhop, slightly above Chinde Danda. Although local residents have suggested it as an alternative to avoid purchasing land, Mayor Sampang is adamant about building the statue and the park in Chinde Danda.
The reason behind — no rewards for guessing – real estate.
Nepalis in the UK supporting Sampang for his campaigns.
Individuals collecting donations for Sampang’s statue project are also involved in land plotting near Chinde Danda. Datt Kumar Limbu, who contested for deputy mayor from Sampang’s group and lost has been leading all of mayor Sampang’s campaigns. He recently posted a map of a land on Facebook, writing, ‘Satya Real Estate Company Pvt. Ltd. plot for sale, 500 metres from Paruhang statue in Sumnima, Chindedanda…’
Limbu also had his contact number with the post. But after some time, he removed it from social media. He says, “That land belongs to my nephew and friends. I posted it on Facebook at their request.”
Currently, bulldozers are clawing away at the hills to develop plots near the proposed site for the statue.
On the one hand, the mayor and his group are collecting money for the construction of the statue, while on the other hand, they are behind land transactions. It is clear for everyone to see the direct conflict of interest in the mayor opening an NGO to collect donations while his group engaging in land deals.
Tilok Rai, the former central president of Kirat Rai Yayokkha, a Rai ethnic organisation, says, “Building a statue of Sumnima-Paruhang is not a bad thing, but the activities and processes surrounding it are all wrong.”
From a fake Maoist to the Mayor
Sampang has received donations worth millions from supporters at home and abroad, believing him to be honest. However, his financial past is anything but clean. To understand this, we must look into an incident that took place about a decade and a half ago.
In 2005, a gang was going around in Dharan collecting donations calling themselves Maoists. But even after the peace accord was signed in 2006, the extortion didn’t stop. As such, the Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of the Maoists, launched a campaign to take action against those who demanding donations, looting, and using drugs using the Maoist name.
Mayor Sampang removed the photos of the President and Prime Minister from his office and replaced them with a picture of the Kirati King Yalamber.
During that time, Pravesh Rai, the then-in-charge of the Maoist party, received a tip that a fake Maoist group was demanding donations. As per Pravesh’s plan, the person demanding the donation was called to Banijya Bank in Dharan to collect the money. The guy who came to collect the money riding a yellow and white Karizma motorcycle was none other than Harka Samapang himself.
After the YCL arrested Sampang, he was paraded around Bhanuchok and taken to a camp located at the Rum Factory in Dharan-15 where he was severely beaten. The YCL activists involved later face disciplinary action from the party, according to Rai.
During the time, Sampang was the Managing Director of The Perfect English Language and Computer, which he ran with Bishnu Thamden and Jeevan Subba on Putali Line in Dharan. Sometime later, he went to Afghanistan for overseas job. Upon returning, he kept a low profile.
When the Madan Bhandari Highway expansion project in Dharan caused many houses along the Dhankute Road to be damaged, locals started opposing. Sampang’s older brother also had a house along Dhankute Road which led him to joining the protest. He kept up his activism, and eventually because the mayor by raising water supply issue.
Back in the day Sampang was extorting money in secrecy. Now as a mayor, he is doing it all out in the open, blatantly disregarding the existing laws.
Section 9 (ga) of the Code of Conduct for Officials, 2078 BS issued by the sub-metropolitan city of which Sampang is the mayor, clearly states that ‘no one shall solicit or accept any kind of donation for any purpose from anyone without prior approval from the local level’. Ironically, Sampang himself, who should be enforcing this code of conduct on others, has been illegally collecting donations.
The Donation Act 2030 also stipulates that if there is a need to collect donations, the amount to be collected and the process must be specified, and detailed information about the plan must be disclosed and approved by the government. The donor must write and sign three copies of the receipt clearly stating the amount, number, or measurement of the donation as needed.
Sampang has been collecting donations from both domestic and foreign sources without any approval, and without keeping proper records.
Ramchandra Tiwari, the Chief District Officer of Sunsari, says, “I am not aware of them having taken any approval to collect donations.”
Furthermore, Sampang is collecting most of the donations from Nepalis living abroad. But no permission was sought from anywhere to bring in money in this manner.
Economist Dr Rajendra Sharma states that various economic laws come into play when bringing money from abroad. “It is possible that people have sent money to Dharan out of love, but it is necessary to consider whether it is legal and through which channel it is coming,” he says.
Dharan Sub-metropolitan Office.
To those questioning the transparency of donations raised, Sampang and his group claim that they have accumulated assets worth one billion in just two years. Further challenging them, he says: “If you can do it too, then show us!”
Back in September, Sampang called a gathering of YouTubers and claimed that he hasn’t touched even a single penny of the donations he has raised. He argued that Dharan should be proud to have a mayor like him, and that some opponents were making unnecessary accusations. He said, “If anyone can, let them gather the same level of public support as I have throughout Nepal! I have shown how to develop without a budget. Only Harka Sampang can run this miraculous government.”
Suresh Pradhan, a former Controller General of the Office of the Controller General, argues that any property acquired in the name of the mayor should be tied to the city’s income. Stating that the Public Procurement Act must be followed when spending this money according to the law, Pradhan says, “Bringing in and spending money must be done in accordance with the law, otherwise it is illegal. A person holding a public office must be accountable.”
Impulsive Planning, Unnecessary Expenditure
Harka Sampang, who had declared that he would not drive a car, now rides a motorcycle worth more than Rs 600,000.
Since his term began, Mayor Sampang has been making impulsive plans and unnecessarily spending the city’s budget. One example of this is Maya Dharane soap factory which he stated to build in a forestland before even competing a legal process, leading to a long dispute with the Forest Office. He has been urging for voluntary labour and financial contributions, claiming that the soap factory would increase the city’s income and provide employment to the locals. Although the dispute was later resolved and the building was constructed, the factory has not started operating yet. The building is in a state of disrepair.
His plan for turmeric factory is also in a similar state of disrepair. The Auditor General’s report states that Rs 2 million was allocated under the cottage industry construction program and Rs 1.645 million was paid to the turmeric factory building construction consumer committee. ‘The municipality that built the turmeric factory structure did not seem to have prepared any procedures regarding the operation of the industry,’ the report concludes.
Sampang has also spent city money on planting chilli peppers on the sidewalk in front of his house. The city allocated Rs 200,000 for this project, but the chilli plants are now dying.
Similarly, in August 2022, a drone was purchased for Rs 235,000 from the Mayor’s fund with the intention of monitoring tree plantation carried out with donations from both domestic and foreign sources. The whereabouts of that drone is now unknown.
Immediately after being elected, Sampang had said, “If I ride in a car worth millions, I won’t be able to see the potholes and broken roads. Therefore, I want to walk on the roads because I will fill those broken potholes and repair the damaged roads.” He had promised not to buy a new car but to serve the people by riding his old motorcycle.
Except, he now drives a government vehicle. Moreover, he rides a motorbike worth Rs 600,000 bought with the money of the Water Supply Board. The potholes on the roads have increased even more.
Menyangbo, the former mayor of Dharan, accuses Sampang of indulging in cheap publicity stunts and deceiving the public through emotional appeals on social media. He says, “Sampang doesn’t have a clear vision for Dharan. He is working on a whimsical plan.”
The municipality had previously created separate committees for tourism, sports, and arts-literature and had also allocated budgets accordingly. These committees don’t exist anymore and their budgets have been cut to instead create Rs 50 million ‘Mayor Vision Kosh’ and Rs 30 million ‘Deputy Mayor Vision Kosh’. As it is, Rs 15 million and Rs 750,000 are allocated as Mayor’s and Deputy Mayor’ funds. In this manner, a total of Rs 100 million have been allocated by the mayor and deputy mayor to be spent at their own discretion and for their close associates.
Humiliating the Employees
It is not any surprise that Sampang, who is known for hurling abuses at the country’s Prime Minister, Home Minister, and even Chief District Officers when things don’t go his way, has been humiliating his own subordinates too.
The Koshi Province government had allocated a budget to control river erosion at Suryamarg in Dharan-13. As such, when they installed a wire mesh, Sampang was enraged that he wasn’t consulted and sent municipal police to destroy it. When the ward chair, Netra Kafle, and local residents protested, the police retreated without destroying the mesh.
Ghantaghar in Bhanuchok, Dharan, where Harka Sampang has his own songs, poems, and slogans inscribed around it.
Sampang then forced the city police chief Bishnu Koirala on leave for not following his orders and sent the city police led by ASI Suresh Magarati to dismantle the mesh. Later, the police arrested Magarati and the locals involved in the vandalism.
Sampang fired Koirala for refusing to carry out the vandalism, while he gave Magrati Rs 500,000 in financial assistance when his mother passed away. There is no such procedure for providing financial assistance from the sub-metropolis.
Mayor Sampang has been arbitrarily transferring and hiring employees without following due process. Sampang, who had his own songs and poems and speeches written on the premises of the Ghantaghar under the sub-metropolitan city, dismissed Raja Subba, an employee who had been working at the Ghantaghar since its establishment, and Prakash Rai, a gardener who had been working for eight years, without any reason, and directly appointed his relative Abhishek Rai and his close friend Anuj Bhujel instead.
Similarly, he appointed Ashok Sharma, who contested for the ward chair and lost, as a revenue information collector. He also removed the old watchman from the water supply board and appointed his close associate, Gopal Rai.
Even though the sub-metropolis requires a chief administrative officer at the joint-secretary level, no one is willing to take up the post because Sampang would make them do illegal work. As the sub-metropolis had been operating without an administrative officer for a long time, Pragyadevi Niroula, a deputy secretary, was appointed as the administrative officer. However, when Sampang pressured her to sign illegal files, she expressed her grievances on social media, writing, ‘Obey the order, fear the law. Obey the law, fear the attack. Hail the nation, hail federalism!’
After repeatedly refusing to obey his orders, Sampang ordered Nirola on leave. Following this, the government appointed Bhupendra Rai, a junior deputy secretary to Nirola, as the chief administrative officer. Nirola challenged the decision in court. On 8 September, the court ruled in her favour, but she claims that she has not been able to resume her duties. “I filed this case not against an individual but against the system. Even though the court has issued an order, I am still without any responsibility. As such, the sub-metropolis has been operating illegally since 8 September,” she told us.
Videos of Sampang’s disputes with other elected representatives can be found abundantly on social media. He had a dispute with the deputy mayor, Begha, during an executive meeting, challenging him: “Who is bigger, you or me?” His frequent disputes with the ward chairpersons have often affected these meetings.
In the past, he directed Anup Dewan, an executive member who had a different opinion, to leave the meeting. Similarly, there was much protest after Dharan-10 Ward Chair Vivek Rai was asked to explain himself for the issue he raised at one of the meetings.
Sampang has even had the police arrest service seekers who complained or criticised at his office. He is also constantly at odds with neighbouring municipalities. There were border disputes with Itahari Sub-metropolis and water-related disputes with Barahakshetra Municipality.
Misdeeds of old parties, Sampang’s gain
Even though the majority of the members in Dharan metropolis are from political parties, they have led to the scenario allowing Sampang to make decisions unilaterally.
The CPN-UML had a long-standing dominance in Dharan. In the 2017 local elections, Tara Subba from the UML was elected mayor, Manju Bhandari deputy mayor, and a majority of the ward chairs were also from the same party.
Section 17 of the Local Government Operation Act 2017, stipulates that decisions in executive meetings shall be made by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, the decision of the majority present at that time shall be the decision of the executive. However, using the majority they had in Dharan, a law was enacted to further empower the mayor. Following this, section 15 of the Meeting procedure of Municipal Executive 2074 stipulated that if a decision cannot be made even by a majority, the decision made by the head shall be final.
Essentially, the provision in section 15(3) of the Meeting procedure of Municipal Executive 2074 allows the mayor to make decisions as he pleases. Taking advantage of this very provision, Sampang has been making arbitrary decisions even in executive meetings. Dinesh Gajmer, an executive member, states that Sampang hasn’t formed a committee to draft a new law because he fears that this provision might be revoked.
Previously, mayors and deputy mayors from political parties were involved in recruiting party workers into the municipality and implementing programs that benefited party leaders and cadres. Leaders and workers from parties like the UML, Congress, and Maoists have since been implicated in disputes over land grab, including land in the Sardu watershed area, bus parks, and airports.
Instead of focusing on Dharan’s development, prioritising party cadres, exploitation of resources, and hardships faced by ordinary citizens increased public resentment towards political parties. The inability to prevent the relocation of regional and zonal government offices from Dharan further alienated the public. Instead, as the names of leaders and officials started being linked to irregularities in every development project known in Dharan, the people’s distaste for the parties and their cadres peaked.
The people of Dharan were hoping for a leader who could bring them to justice. As an alternative, they chose Sampang, who was known for his anarchic ways, hoping that he would put everyone in their place.
Dharan’s former mayor Rai also acknowledges that Sampang was able to capitalise on the weaknesses of political parties and government officials but he is now failing due to his chronic lack of foresight. He says, “The plans from Kokah to Pakuwa have all failed miserably because they were unscientific. He is failing because of himself.”
Dr Rajendra Sharma, coordinator of the sub-metropolis’ education committee, adds that Sampang only knows how to protest and cause troubles, he has no plans or programs for how to build or run Dharan.
“Sampang won the lottery when he became a mayor but he is still the same old anarchist activist,” he concludes.
