18 Chait, Kathmandu. It has been found that the vehicle used by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in the February 21 representative election has not been returned. The election office in the district provided a vehicle to the officer’s office to return it after the election.

Various special units and coordination centers formed by the Election Commission to make the overall management, information flow, coordination and service delivery effective for the House of Representatives election, 2082 have been closed on February 27.

After the final results of the election, the government has been formed, but it has been found that some election officers’ offices have not returned the vehicles. The offices of the Chief Election Officer in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Chitwan are among those that do not return.

The district level election offices have complained that they have not returned the vehicle despite repeated calls to the officer’s office. Thakur Prasad Bhattarai, Election Officer of District Election Office Kathmandu, said, “It should be returned after the election, but it has not been returned.”

Kathmandu Chief Electoral Officer and District Judge Churman Khadka signed the Scorpio vehicle number Ba 2 Jh 7617 from the Election Commission on February 16 to be returned after the election. When the vehicle is given to the officer’s office, it is given by a written document. But they have hesitated to return the vehicle.

According to the decision of the Election Commission, the District Election Office, Laltipur also appointed the office of the Chief Election Officer. Q. Scorpio car number 01002 Jh 7622 was provided. The then Chief Electoral Officer’s office had identified the vehicle.

But after the election, the officer’s office did not return the vehicle, even though other materials were returned. It is given for the entire period of the election. It has not been returned yet,’ Acting Election Officer Samita Basnet told Online News.

When the officer’s office came to hand over the other items, the commission’s office asked to return the vehicle as well. The officer’s office came on 2nd Chait to return other materials.

The staff of the election office had taken a stand that they did not understand other materials other than vehicles. The officer’s office left the contents except the vehicle.

It has been found that the officer’s office has forcibly taken away the apartment. ‘We did not agree to accept other materials without returning the vehicle. But they left without returning the vehicle,” Commuter operator Bhoj Kumari Somai, who is also the head of the election office store in Lalitpur, said, “The vehicle is in the name of our office. We have said that you should be responsible if something happens.’

Chief Election Officer of Lalitpur was District Judge Punaram Khanal.

Similarly, District Election Office Chitwan also provided vehicles to the Chief Election Officer’s office. It was an old car. Not returned. But the officer’s office has yet to submit the rest. Return it together,’ said District Election Officer Bhimsen Karki. Chief Election Officer of Chitwan was District Judge Kedarnath Paudel.

The commission has requested to return the vehicle in the name of the commission or the district office. ‘We have given a vehicle to the election office. The car is in the name of the office. After the election, it should be returned to the office immediately,’ said Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the spokesperson of the commission, ‘we told them to use it as needed during the election.’

Even if the vehicle in the name of the Commission is taken by the Chief Electoral Officer to his/her respective office, it has to be taken through the transfer process. But one office vehicle cannot be used by another office. ‘Vehicles belonging to government agencies also need to be transported from one agency to another through methods and procedures. It cannot be carried like that,’ said the officials of the district election office.

In most of the districts, the chief election officer was the district judge. The staff of the election office were disappointed after the vehicle was not returned from the office headed by the judge. ‘They did not agree to return it after asking repeatedly. What to say to the judges,’ complain the office staff, ‘Not returning the vehicle is abuse.’

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer was established in 77 districts to conduct the elections. The official’s office hours will also end in a week after the counting of votes. All materials used in the election must be returned to the district election office by the officer’s office.