Kathmandu, April 1 -- The planned construction of six waste transfer stations in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been put on hold indefinitely as a dispute between the city office and the federal government over the appointment of a chief administrative officer drags on.

The metropolis has been without a chief administrative officer since Saroj Guragain went on leave in the last week of December.

"Unless the government appoints a new Chief Administrative Officer to the metropolis, construction of the planned waste transfer stations cannot proceed," said Sarita Rai, chief of the Environment Department at the city office. "By now, construction work would have been completed and the stations handed over to private sector firms selected...