Lawmakers question Sajha business, Sharma demands in-depth study

Kathmandu, August 4: The Public Account Committee (PAC), the Legislature-Parliament today summoned Sajha Publications chairman and general manager Dolindra Prasad Sharma to discuss the organisational issues in the wake of the media reports came accusing him of power abuse and other irregularities.
Taking part in the discussion, lawmakers expressed concerns over the government move to provide grants and loan to the organisation bypassing an audit for the past 11 years. They also took the time to accuse of political leaders of leading the organisation to bankruptcy by appointing their confidantes and employees on the basis of political influence.
Sharma has been alleged to allowing the private publication houses to use the official logo of the Sajha to print books for monetary benefits by abusing his authority. He has been charged of printing Sajha books from private publication house Oxford Publication registered in the name of his spouse.
Ramhari Khatiwada, Usha Gurung, Dimple Kumari Jha, Bharat Kumar Saha, Hari Nepal, Mamata Giri, Manju Chaudhary, and Bikash Lamsal and Meena Gurung were among others taking part in the discussion.In response to lawmakers’ voices, Committee President Dor Prasad Upadhyay said the Committee had demanded photocopies of details of organisation’s income and expenditure of the past consecutive years, procurement and sale and property and decisions of financial activities within the next five days.
In response Sajha Chairman/GM urged the Committee to minutely study the Sajha documents and other reports before reaching to a conclusion.
He said he was ready to face action as per the law if he was proved guilty in the charge, but lawmakers calling him ‘corrupt’ without any proof could not be justifiable under any circumstance and he personally took the charge as an attack on his dignity.
Meanwhile, Committee president Upadhyay apprised the meeting that financial irregularities have been surfaced in the land procurement process of the Nepal Oil Corporation in Jhapa, Sarlahi, Chitwan and Rupandehi and has decided to write the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, seeking its investigations into the matter.