Kathmandu, January 5:

Some 50 people, calling themselves Susta victims, today submitted an eight-point memorandum to the parliamentary Agriculture and Cooperatives Committee and drew the government’s attention of launching a decisive movement to save the Susta region of Nawalparasi district from ‘encroachment’.

People representing the Susta area of Nawalparasi are currently in Kathmandu to pressurise the government to step up diplomatic efforts to look into the border issue in the region.

They warned lawmakers that they would be compelled to “go to any extent” to ‘save Susta.’

“We are not going back from Kathmandu until the government takes concrete steps and fulfilled our demands,” Gopal Gurung, president of the Save Susta Campaign, told lawmakers at the committee today.

They charged the government of being ignorant despite being notified about the problems villagers of Susta are facing and even warned of “self immolation” if the government still ignored their demands.

Their demands include regulation of the border, mapping of Susta region, construction of a hanging bridge over the Narayani River, ensuring security measures by establishing an armed police force post, and establishment of a health centre, among others.

Lawmaker Kunta Sharma, who chaired today’s committee meeting, assured them that they would take up the matter with the government.

Villagers of Susta are scheduled to hand over separate memoranda to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, and Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan beginning tomorrow, Gurung said.