KATHMANDU: The vehicular movement in the Valley went haywire after cadres of the UCPN-Maoist barricaded major intersections during their protests today.

The Maoists were staging sit-in in front of the District Administration Offices

to make the coalition government bow to their demands of ‘restoring civilian supremacy and correcting the President’s unconstitutional move’.

General public was on the receiving end of their eight-hour long protest along the roads and unannounced chakka jam in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. As usual, the riot policemen deployed in a large number were helpless to clear the road blockade. Despite diversions made to help the commuters and motorists, hundreds of vehicles heading to their destinations were stuck on the way. While the Maoist cadres blocked the road with their “revolutionary songs and dances”, the police personnel exercised maximum restraint. No scuffle took place between the security forces and agitators.

Though the Maoists withdrew its announced blockade of Tribhuvan International Airport slated for November 10, they continued other forms of protests with renewed vigour. After the traffic came to a virtual standstill for hours, thousands of commuters, young and elderly alike, had to brave the scorching sun to reach their destination.

The road section stretching to Maitighar from Baneshwor was disrupted throughout the day. Babarmahal, Thapathali, Old Baneshwor, Hanumansthan and Puthali Sadak, among others, were badly hit by the protest.

Bishnu Maya Tamang (69), who was heading to Kirtipur from Baneshwor, foamed at her mouth over the Maoists’ protests.