Officials give up search for VP residence

BY KIRAN CHAPAGAIN

KATHMANDU,, Aug 22 - Government officials who were on the lookout for a temporary residence for Vice President Paramananda Jha, have given up the search after none of the house owners they approached were ready to rent their house for Jha's residence. Officials said some house ...

Similarly, some others were unwilling as they "did not want their house to be used" by a Hindi-speaking Vice President, government officials told the Post on condition of anonymity.

Sources further revealed to the Post that government officials had found a house at Bishalnagar, Kathmandu and the house owner had initially agreed to rent the house. However, he changed his mind after as he came to know that the house was meant for the controversial judge-turned vice president.

"In this particular case, officials had even measured the rooms for carpeting and furnishing, but the owner decided not to rent out his house in the end" the official said.

As it will take some months to prepare the official residences of the President and Vice President, the cabinet, in the last week of July, had decided to arrange temporary residences for them. Officials have already found a residence for the President at Dhapasi and he has been using the house since July 31.

Sources at the Office of the Prime Minister said officials searching for a house for the Vice President, have already informed the cabinet about their inability to find a house. "Now a proposal has been sent to the cabinet seeking approval to turn Jha's private house at Gaurighat into a residence for the Vice President till the official residence at Lainchaur is prepared," the sources said.

Officials said they are soon going to start renovating the official residence of chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) at Lainchaur as the Vice-President's official residence. The two-storied building has five bedrooms and a meeting room.

Rs 70,000 salary for prez

The government has finalized the salary of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Vice President Paramananda Jha. According to the decision, Yadav gets Rs 70,000 per month while Jha is entitled to Rs 50,000.

government has also decided to give two vehicles and 310 liters of fuel per month each to the President and Vice President.