DARCHULA: Locals of Baril in Shailyashikhar Municipality-1 have begun fast-unto-death near the power house of Chameliya Hydropower Project since Thursday, citing that the project, so far, has not addressed their demands.

They have given the reason for staging the hunger strike as Chameliya Hydropower Project not fulfilling the commitments it made to the locals since the beginning of project construction works. In response to the inaction, the locals have formed a Drinking Water Main Struggle Committee and resorted to hunger strike.

The demands put forth by the struggle committee include exploration of permanent and long-term solution for drinking water and irrigation sources which have been drying up since the project construction, distribution of free electricity to the locals of project affected Shailyashikhar Municipality, Marma Rural Municipality and Dilashaini Rural Municipality, and declaration of Darchula and Baitadi as load-shedding free districts in the current fiscal year.

The committee has also demanded to probe into the corruption cases propping up in the project and take action against the guilty. Struggle committee secretary Surendra Tileri shared that they had no option but to stage hunger strike when the project did not respond to their demands.

Committee chairperson Shankar Khadayat, secretary Surendra Titara and committee advisor Parmananda Khadayat began fast-unto-death since Thursday.