Bandh hits life in nine eastern districts

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

JHAPA: Normal life in nine districts of the eastern region has been thrown out of gear today due to the bandh enforced by the Unified Limbuwan State Council.

Demanding to declare the nine districts as a Limbuwan State, the council led by Kamal Charahand enforced bandh in the region today.

No private or public vehicles were plied today, while market places, education institutions and industries remained closed. People in the region have been bearing the brunt of bandh enforced by different groups in a bid to mount pressure to ensure their rights in the new constitution.

Various Limbu organisations are demanding to declare the nine district a Limbuwan region, while the Joint Struggle Committee comprising Brahmin, Khas Chhetri, Dashnami, Dalit, Thakur have been hitting the street demanding not to divide the country on the basis of ethnicity.

On the other hand, the UCPN-Maoist and its sister organisations have proposed to declare a state keeping Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari district intact.

Amid various bandhs, commoners have been finding difficult to manage the essentials due to the protracted closure.

Meanwhile, the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-led by Upendra Yadav enforced bandh in 22 districts in the Tarai region on Sunday. Though private and public vehicles remained off the road today, however vehicles including ambulances and other emergency services were seen plying.

Similarly, shortage of petroleum products was felt in the districts of Mechi zone including Jhapa. According to Laya Bhandari, chairman, Mechi district, Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association, there is shortage of petroleum products due to the bandh and the Nepal Oil Corporation has stopped ferrying petroleum products from Siliguri (India) for past two months.

Chairman Bhandari said that the corporation has been supplying only 10 per cent of the petroleum products of the demand, adding, “The region consumes 1,500 kiloliter petroleum products daily.”