Kathmandu, May 23 -- Top bureaucrats have intensified their lobbying against a new provision in the Civil Service Bill that bars retired government employees from holding political appointments for two years after leaving office.

On Thursday, a group of secretaries led by Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal visited Speaker Devraj Ghimire at his office in Singha Durbar to express their dissatisfaction with the proposed 'cooling-off period'.

The bill, passed by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives, provides that the civil servants can be eligible for political appointments only after two years of retirement. The bureaucrats have objected to this particular clause in the bill.

After meeting with the...