Sunsari, August 23

Fed up with double and prolonged general strike, businesspersons today openly defied the bandh enforcers, demanding other options to strike in Itahari, Sunsari.

The Itahari businesspersons raised their voices against the general strike called by Joint Democratic Madhesi Front and the two-day Nepal bandh called by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities for today and tomorrow. They opened their businesses and demonstrated chanting slogans against bandh enforcers in the market area today.

Following the demonstration against the bandh, Area Police Office Itahari deployed a large number of police personnel to avert possible clash between bandh enforcers and demonstrators.

Businesspersons said that they had to resort to the demo demanding peace and security after their businesses were hit hard due to the continuous strike.

The entrepreneurs toured the market area urging businesspersons to open their shops. Rohit Prasain, Chairman of Itahari Chambers of Commerce, said that they opened the markets defying the bandh called by Indigenous Nationalities community in Itahari today.

“We won’t accept bandh in Itahari any more, be it any political party or other communities. We have to incur a loss of Rs 150 million a day. Hence, we won’t be pulling our shutters down from now onwards,” he said.

Tanka Dulal, Chairman of Eastern Regional Chambers of Commerce, demanded that the bandh be stopped forever. He said that private investors were not in a position to invest in business due to the lack of security of their investment.

Nabin Raj Bhandari, a businessperson in Dharan, said that they had not been able to avail the goods and items as per the demand of the people due to continuous closure. He complained that the government was not serious about the security of businesspersons and their businesses, which pay millions of rupees in tax to the state.

Transportation, schools, colleges, marketplaces and other manufacturing companies remained closed in Dharan, Inaruwa and Duhabi, among other areas of the district today.