Kathmandu, May 25:

Civil servants’ bodies affiliated to the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist, gheraoed the Ministry of General Administration for over an hour this morning, barring the employees and officials of the ministry from entering the ministry.

On Thursday, the three associations had announced an 18-day protest programme beginning today. They had also warned of intensifying the protest if the government turned a deaf ear towards their demands. The civil servants gheraoed the ministry with banners seeking immediate fulfilment of their demands. They also organised a corner meeting on the premises of the Ministry of General Administration. Employee leaders Bhawani Thani, Iswor Kafle and Ganesh Basyal addressed the meeting saying they would continue their protests until the government met their demands.

Their demands include amending the pertinent clauses of Civil Service Act 1992. The Royal regime, in 2005, had come up with an ordinance that amended certain clauses of the original Act, something which was reversed by the House of Representatives proclamation of May 18, 2006. However, the government is yet to come up with a draft law to amend the Civil Service Act in the changed circumstances.