KATHMANDU: Despite the District Administration Office, Kathmandu’s announcement to offer a range of public services during holidays, it has observed minimal turnout from service seekers.

Earlier this year in April, the DAO, Kathmandu took the initiative to provide services on 18 types of public holidays.

This included the seamless processing of citizenships, passports, and national ID cards, mirroring regular working days.

Aligned with this decision, the DAO, Kathmandu extended its operational hours today on a public holiday, yet it experienced a discouragingly low influx of service seekers.

Khadga Bahadur Shrestha, the Assistant Chief District Officer, revealed that while the office was fully prepared to cater to 73 individuals seeking passports, only 28 individuals availed of the service.

In contrast, on an average day, approximately 200 service seekers visit the DAO, Kathmandu for passport-related matters.

Similarly, the number of people seeking national ID cards usually ranges from 120 to 200.

However, on the current occasion, only five such individuals visited the office. Shrestha expressed, “All members of the civil service are on-duty, but we observe a dearth in service seekers.”

He speculated that this could be due to inadequate awareness among service seekers regarding the extended holiday service hours.

The DAO, Kathmandu remains accessible on various public holidays such as Chandi Purnima, Buddha Jayanti, Gaijatra, Shreekrishna Janmashtami, Indrajatra, Ghatasthapana, Christmas Day, Tamu Lhosar, Bakar Eid, Ghode Jatra, Mahashivaratri, Women’s Day, and Bhoto Jatra.