Agitating NC cadres held:

POKHARA: Nine NC cadres were arrested when the party’s Kaski unit was about to stage a rally to protest the February 1 Royal Proclamation in Pokhara on Sunday. Security personnel arrested them before they could take out a procession at Mahendrapul. Those arrested are district secretary Poshnath Sharma, Ganga Bahadur Khatri, Jamun Shrestha, Chandra Kanta Poudel, Nanda Prasad Poudel, Kamal Prasad Acharya, Khem Kumari Baral, Bhawani Poudel and Basanta Bhattarai. — HNS

Traffic resumes:

TANAHUN: Transportation, which was disrupted on Sunday morning on Prithivi Highway near Chhirkan Bazaar at Ghasikunwa VDC of Tanahun district has resumed. The road, which was blocked for almost an hour, was reopened at the initiative of the security forces. After the blockade was lifted, some 200 vehicles plied on the highway, stated security sources. — HNS

Call for joint movement:

KATHMANDU: Two fringe leftist parties on Sunday called upon all democratic forces to jointly launch people’s movement to restore fundamental rights. General secretary of Communist Party of Nepal (United) Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar and politburo member of the CPN (Marxist) Lok Narayan Subedi, in a joint press statement, said that there was no alternative to peaceful movement to restore democracy. The leaders have also demanded immediate release of the political leaders, cadres, journalists, rights activists, teachers and professors and others who were arrested or placed under house arrest after February 1. — HNS

Ex-employees on strike:

Janakpurdham: Former employees of Janakpur municipality, who were given compulsory retirement, have begun fast-on-to-death hunger strike from Sunday. The former employees resorted to hunger strike after the municipality gave compulsory retirements to employees who had worked for more than 15 years, last month. The municipality however, said the retirement was given as per the directive issued by the Ministry of Local Development. — HNS

Health centre expanded:

DOLPA: People of Dolpa district are happy after the district hospital started its operation recently. The government had given consent to expand the three-bed primary health care centre into a 15-bed district hospital and service is available throughout the day. The hospital now has five doctors and a 24-hour service. An x-ray machine has also been installed and equipment and medicines have been made available, the District Health Office chief Purushottam Raj Sedhain said. — RSS