Traffic halted on Araniko Highway

BHAKTAPUR: Brick entrepreneurs, who incurred a huge loss on Sunday's vandalism in Sudal VDC, on Tuesday halted the traffic at Jagate, Chayama Singh and Kamal Binayak along the Araniko Highway demanding compensation, and punishment for the guilty. Shree Ram Khatri, a 16-year-old boy was killed yesterday at Sudal VDC ward no 4 when a truck belonging to Swyet Bhairab Brick Factory hit him. The irate protestors had set fire to more than a dozen trucks, five motorbikes, three tractors and brick factory offices after a clash ensued between the locals and the brick factory owners.

Though the talks held between the victim's relatives, factory owners, security personnel and representatives of District Administration Offices reached an agreement not to conduct violent activities yesterday, the entrepreneurs failed to comply with the agreement and started protesting in the streets since morning today.

Curfew was announced in Sudal VDC from 3 pm yesterday till 12 in the midnight. Similarly a meeting held yesterday also agreed on four points such as to express grief for the incident, to maintain peace in future, to make the victim's family and culprits present before the security personnel within 24 hours and to hold next meeting on Thursday to take final decision.

Pushpa Chandra Ranjit, SP at Metropolitan Police Sector, Bhaktapur said, "Though the entrepreneurs signed an agreement not to do any such activities, they have been abiding their own promises."

He said, "Though the issue was death of Khatri yesterday, the locals annoyed with brick factory owners due to its bad impact on the environment were waiting for some incident as such to raise the issue to evacuate the factories from Sudal." Currently the police personnel have sent the dead body for post mortem.

However, Brick entrepreneurs alleged the poor security for the vandalism and their losses. Krishna Koju, member of district committee, Brick Entrepreneurs Organisation said, "Due to the negligence of security sector, we had to bear such a huge loss yesterday," adding, "Even at the time of curfew, the locals continued vandalism and terror in Sudal."

While, Truck Entrepreneurs Organisation and Brick Entrepreneurs organisation submitted a memorandum to Chief District Officer Kamal Mani Kafle today demanding compensation for two dozens of trucks, 6 motorbikes, a burnt house and an office and a sum of Rs 1,000,000 which was looted yesterday.

Submitting the memorandum Babin Prajapati vice chairperson of the Truck Entrepreneurs Organization demanded to punish culprits and provide compensation to the victims.