RUKUM: Locals of Rukum district served a 72-hour ultimatum to major political parties, demanding that their district should not be split into two provinces.

After the decision to split district was not withdrawn in the new seven-Pradesh model agreed on Friday, the locals resumed protests.

The proposal has split the district into Pradesh No. 5 and Pradesh No. 6.

Locals, however, are continuously staging protests in the district headquarters Khalanga with a demand to keep the district intact in Pradesh No. 5.

"We will resort to stern protests if the decision is not corrected within the next 72 hours," Coordinator of the struggle committee, Tek Bahadur Pun, said.

The committee has accused political parties of betraying them although they had already assured to keep the district intact.

The committee said it would shut all government offices and private businesses in the district from tomorrow.