The government’s ordinance “Special Provision for Ordinance on the Removal of Officials from Public Office, 2083” has led to the removal of the chairman and board members of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA). The president promulgated the ordinance on Baisakh 18, and with its publication on the Rajpatra (Nepal Gazette) on Baisakh 20, all the political appointees at the telco authority have lost their offices, automatically.
The president Ram Chandra Poudel recently issued the Special Provisions Ordinance, 2083 BS, on the recommendation of the Government of Nepal, Council of Ministers, pursuant to Article 114, Clause (1) of the Constitution of Nepal. Based on the same ordinance, all those who have taken political appointments to public positions have lost their positions in their respective government offices.
The ordinance has removed the posts of the NTA chairman and four members who received their appointment under the Telecommunications Act, 2053 BS. The authority has five members on its board, including the chairman and four members. You can find the listing on the NTA website, too.
Bhupendra Bhandari, the current chairman, was appointed on Falgun 06, 2080, succeeding Purushottam Khanal, who resigned over TERAMOCS and MDMS controversies. Similarly, two members of the board, Krishna Prasad Pokharel and Nawaraj Adhikari, were also appointed by her. Besides, two other members, Rabindra Jha and Gokarna Prasad Sitaula.
The authority was headed to the 5G spectrum auction and mobile network expansion with RTDF funds. The removal of the chairman and members might have an effect on these processes.
NTA officials who are losing positions due to the government ordinance [List]
These are the current NTA board chairman and members who have lost their roles in their respective offices due to the government ordinance:
- Bhupendra Bhandari (Chairman)
- Rabindra Jha (member)
- Gokarna Prasad Sitaula (member)
- Krishna Prasad Pokhrel (member)
- Nawaraj Adhikari (member)
The government will now proceed to fill the vacant positions very soon. So, there may be a vacancy for the NTA chairman on the way.
In total, 1,594 employees across various government bodies with political appointments are losing their positions.
