काठमाडौँ सहकारी संकट: ५ अर्बभन्दा बढी रकम अलपत्रKathmandu Cooperative Crisis: Over Rs 5 Billion of Savings Trapped

More than 6,000 depositors have filed complaints at the Cooperative Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, demanding the return of their savings. A staggering Rs 5.27 billion remains frozen across various troubled cooperatives.

Since Baisakh 17, the flood of complaints has not slowed. Around 30 depositors show up at the department's doorstep every single day — most of them small savers who had deposited between Rs 100,000 and Rs 500,000.

Department Chief Dhruba Kumar Kafle confirmed that the refund process has been set in motion based on the complaints received. In the first phase, 34 depositors who had saved up to Rs 150,000 with Buddha Darshan Saving and Credit Cooperative have already received their money back.

Within the next month, the department plans to clear dues for all depositors with savings up to Rs 500,000. For larger depositors, recovery will depend on the outcome of ongoing loan collection proceedings.

Of the 1,912 cooperatives registered in Kathmandu, only about half have been holding regular annual general meetings and submitting reports on time. The metropolitan city has warned that legal action will be taken against those failing to meet regulatory obligations.