Finding severe lapses in relief operations aimed at the victims of the devastating earthquake, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has suggested the government and political parties to hold election of local bodies at the earliest. "Since many problems were seen in the distribution of relief materials due to the absence of people's representatives at the local bodies, the NHRC suggests respecting the people's right to elect their representatives by making necessary arrangements for holding election of local bodies in right time, even if it requires amending constitutional and legal provisions," the NHRC monitoring report states. After monitoring 15 most quake-affected districts, the NHRC found that the distribution of relief materials could not be as effective as expected in the absence of elected representatives in local bodies. "We found that the people in the affected area were forced to wait for some days even for receiving immediate relief. Had there been elected local bodies, there wouldn't have been such delays," said Mohana Ansari, the spokesperson of the NHRC. "Had there been elected representatives at the local bodies, it would have been easier for the government to understand the problems faced by the locals," she added. In some places, the NHRC found that the secretaries of local bodies were pressured by the political parties to manipulate the data on victims. "People had to wait for officials from the center or come to district headquarters to lodge their complaints about anomalies seen in the relief distribution," she added. Local bodies in Nepal are without elected representatives since the last 13 years. The last time the local election was held was almost 18 years ago. Though major political parties had promised to hold local bodies elections within six months of the constituent assembly elections held in November, 2013, they are still divided on the issue. "It is the right of the people to elect their representatives at every level of governance. A child born during the last local election has already become 18 years old. In this scenario government and political parties should respect their right to vote," said Ansari.