Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 7:

Life on the second day of the three-day Nepal bandh called by Maoists stayed disrupted countrywide, with vehicles remaining off the roads and bazaars deserted in most districts.

Vehicles from Phidim meant for Jhapa, Ilam, Rabi, Ranke, Gopetar, Tharpu and Taplejung from Phidim did not ply. No transport service operated and SLC examinees were stuck at the district headquarters, Phidim. In Surkhet, only rickshaws and cycles plied. Though government and non-government offices opened attendance was thin. Markets were totally shut. There was, however, no report of any casualty in the district. In Dhankuta, life remained halted. Shops in all parts of the district including headquarters, Dhankuta Bazaar, were closed. Schools were open but attendance was meagre.

In Narayangadh, the city areas and rural parts of Chitwan district remained closed. For want of transport, sellers ferried vegetables on rickshaws from Tandi and Parsha, a distance of 13 km. Fruit and vegetable stalls were open. No vehicle plied. Security forces promised safety and urged people to open their shops. But there were few takers. Main commercial centres like Narayangadh Bazaar, Bharatpur, Ratnanagar, Geetanagar and Jagatpur were shut. No untoward event was reported in the district. Hetauda remained shut. Fewer ambulances plied as compared to yesterday. Government offices opened but attendance was thin. Morang district stayed shut. Shops in the district including headquarters, Biratnagar, were closed. Schools were open but attendance was very low. No vehicle plied.

In Surkhet, no untoward event was reported. Schools remained closed. Shops opened in Birendranagar but were closed in the rural areas of Bahichaur and Ramghat. In Parsa, shops everywhere including headquarters Birganj were closed. Schools opened but students did not turn up. Only rickshaws, cycles and horse-drawn tongas plied. Rural markets at Pokhariya, Bhiswa, Bindhawasini, Sirshiya, Khalwatola, Biruwaguthi and Langadi were closed. It was the same in neighbouring Bara district.

In Kavre, only rickshaws and cycles plied. Government offices were open but few attended. Markets in Panauti, Nala, Sanga, Banepa and district headquarters Dhulikhel were closed. No untoward incident was reported. Rupandehi markets and factories in Butwal were closed. Only rickshaws, cycles and tongas plied. In Jhapa, city areas and rural parts remained closed. No vehicle plied. In Lahan, no untoward incident occurred. Schools were closed. Lahan, Mirchaiya, Golbazaar and Siraha markets were deserted.