Nepal Government Offices Struggle in Tents After Protests

As calm settles after the end of the KP Oli government, Nepal state institutions are now facing the challenge of not having systems in place. After weeks of protesting and pressure, the burnt and damaged nature of buildings meant several state institutions had to set up tents and temporary offices.

Numerous state offices, which included the Nepal Home Ministry and some of its key departments, encountered significant, if not total, damage, resulting in employees not having functional office structures. "We don’t have proper desks, or chairs, or even laptops to do our work,” said an anonymous mid-level bureaucrat, “even if we are back at work, it is simply impossible to operate under these circumstances."

Key Highlights

• Nepal government offices operate from tents after KP Oli era damages state institutions.
• Home Ministry and Supreme Court in Nepal struggle with destroyed buildings and lost records.
• Analysts warn Nepal’s bureaucracy cannot function effectively without basic facilities.

The damage wasn’t just to offices, as critical records, computers, and equipment were lost, slowing down the recovery of essential government services.

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The Home Ministry was already under construction on a new building, but its precincts have been taken over by the Prime Minister’s Office. Officials for the home ministry have already started to put together critical equipment and may very soon shift to another location. The Supreme Court is also operating out of tents, as judges and staff are attempting to reconstruct the work of the judicial system.

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Nepal Govinda, CEO of an NGO real estate, says, "So everybody is coming in whichever capacity they can to help around."

 “You can have a government in place, but without basic facilities, bureaucratic machinery cannot function effectively,” said a governance analyst based in Kathmandu.