BAGLUNG/RUKUM,  August 9

An agreement reached between the four major political parties to split Baglung, Rukum, and Nawalparasi in their six-province federal set up has drawn mixed reactions  from the respective districts.

The new understanding on the six-pradesh model has triggered protests in Baglung and Rukum, whereas Nawalparasi residents have been elated.

A bandh was called by political parties and FNCCI Baglung Chapter in Baglung on Sunday to protest the new federal set up. Major market places  pulled down their shutters while transportation was halted.

Parties that had abstained in the last Constituent Assembly polls expressed solidarity with the bandh.

According to the new demarcation and boundary,  Baglung market falls in province four while Dhorpatan and Burtibang areas have been accommodated in province five. Similarly, Constituency three falls in province five.

Locals staged a protest rally at Musikot in Rukum to protest the splitting of their district. The agitators said it was unfair to merge the north-west part in province six and the other parts in province five.

Rukum locals demanded that the entire district be incorporated in Pradesh five. Civil Society member Dhanbir Dahal from Rukum warned of stern agitation if the decision was not revised. “To divide Rukum is to erase our history,” Dahal said.

Civil Society member Mahesh KC said they would not allow the division of their district as they had to preserve various important sites, including Sisne Mountain, Kamal Tal, Putha Mountain, among others. Many business organisations, including FNCCI chapter of Rukum, expressed solidarity with the agitation.

CA members from Rukum and Salyan also drew the attention of Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee asking it to keep Rukum in pradesh five. CA member Ganesh Man Pun said they had met with CPDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai and urged him not to split Bagulung and Rukum.

Pun further said that boundaries of the six provinces would deal a blow to local development.

On the contrary, residents in Nawalparasi on Sunday expressed happiness over the division of their district. There had been a demand since long to divide the district into Nawal and Parasi. As per the new boundaries, Nawalpur area has been incorporated in province four while Parasi area has been merged in province five.

Nawalparasi is home to 17 hilly VDCs, 11 inner Madhes VDCs, along with three more VDCs whereas Parasi area is home to three municipalities and 31 VDCs.

Locals staged a protest rally in Mugu to protest the inclusion of Karnali in the intact far-west. Political parties and civil society enforced Mugu shutdown.

The locals of Mugu protested accusing the major parties and their top leaders of being adamant about wiping off Karnali’s existence from the map of the country.

Mugu Civil Society has demanded that parties and the CA rethink about demarcation to preserve the history of Karnali as the origin of Nepali language.