Nepal PM’s adviser finds staff absent during surprise inspection

Kumar Ben, chief adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, conducted a surprise inspection at the Land Revenue Office in Lagankhel, Lalitpur. Disguised as a service seeker, Ben discovered that 14 out of 55 employees, including the office chief Chhabi Nepali, were absent from their posts after 9 am on August 4.

Ben recorded video evidence of the vacant offices and forwarded it to Minister Pratibha Rawal. The Ministry of Land Management has since requested the National Vigilance Centre to take action against the absent staff. Office chief Nepali claimed the absences were due to scheduled leave and maintained that service delivery remained uninterrupted.

Separately, Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to make his first official visit to Pokhara. While security teams have arrived to manage logistics at the Annapurna Eco Village, local district officials in Kaski and Mustang reported they had not yet received a formal itinerary regarding the trip.