Kanchanpur, August 4

Ward number 8 of Shuklafanta Municipality in Kanchanpur district has decided to act tough on people who practise chhaupadi. The ward meeting decided to deprive such people of all the facilities provided by the local level through the ward.

Women during the menstruation period are viewed as impure and are forced to stay in isolation (huts, cowsheds) at least for the first five days.

They are not allowed to touch public water taps and are also not allowed to eat dairy products and other nutritious food. New mothers also face the same fate.

According to ward chair Bahadur Mahara, service seekers will be first asked whether they are involved in practising chhaupadi.

Many menstruating girls become victims of snakebites, wild animals attack and rape in the region during their stay in chhaupadi shed.

They also have the risk of suffering from infection due to lack of personal hygiene and cleanliness. Though the government has criminalised chauupadi, many educated people in the region are practising it let alone the illiterate people.

Likewise, the Ward Office has also decided to seek commitment from the service seekers not to be involved in anti social practices like domestic violence, child marriage, age-gap marriage and drug abuse.

Similarly, people, who do not have toilets at home, do not take their babies for vaccination and do not send their children to school,  will also be deprived of  the facilities provided by the local government through the ward.

The ward office, a year ago, had come up with a provision of depriving people, who are involved in production, sale and consumption of alcohol, of the sate facilities.