BIRATNAGAR: The provincial assembly members of Province 1, on Wednesday, drew the attention of the provincial government towards the need to set up an immigration office, control the breach of riverbanks, declare tourism sectors, and provision of public holidays on major festivals.

The PA members stressed on the need for immediately building embankments along the Bakraha, Lohandra and Chisang rivers in Morang district to solve the problem of persistent flooding which affects human settlements and arable land. They also pressed for provision of public holidays during the festivals of Udhauli, Ubhauli, Lhosar among others celebrated by the indigenous communities. The members also called for declaring Silaute and Labekuti hills of Panchthar district as tourism areas and conservation of land in those areas. Likewise, the PA members also appealed to the government for transferring the rural electrification office — currently located in Province 2 and serving the residents of four hilly districts of Sagarmatha Zone in Province 1 — to Province 1 so as to facilitate the people of those four districts. Krishna Kumar Rai, Bishnu Tumbahamfe, Asharatna Jabegu, Sabitra Kumari Regmi, Ram Bahadur Magar, Kalpana Sardar, Kul Prasad Sawan and Mohan Kumar Khadka were among the members putting forth the demands.