Rautahat, June 27

Locals of Rautahat district headquarters Gaur continued their sit-in protest for the fourth consecutive day today demanding protection of property belonging to Gaur Rice and Flour Mills worth millions.

They staged the sit-in protest in front of the office of Gaur Municipality from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. They staged the protest in the presence of Senior Citizens Association Chairperson Bijaya Kishor Jha and other representatives of Gaur Rice Mills Protection Campaign Struggle Committee.

Senior Citizens Association Chairperson Jha accused the land mafia of attempting to sell a huge area of land belonging to the rice mills. He said that he had joined the agitation at a time when the locals were campaigning for the protection of the land. He also blamed the local representatives for being influenced by money.

The locals had been using six bigaha land as public property since the mills pulled down its shutters in 1969.

“Though Gaur Municipal Assembly had tried to bring the land under the municipality’s ownership several times, the efforts had gone in vain. Hence, the mafia had eyed the land,” said the land protection campaign struggle committee Chair Bikash Bikram Sah.

Nepal Communist Party youth leader Shambhu Sah said the mill was brought into operation with 51 per cent ownership of Nepali entrepreneurs and 49 per cent ownership of Bajaj group of India.