Locals in Mahuregadhi of Khotang district continued their protest against the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC)’s proposal on the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday. 

Normal life in the district has been crippled with the vehicular movement being halted for the past few days. The protesters obstructed the Mid-Hill and Sagarmatha Highways in the district to press the government to address their demands. 

The locals have been demanding to grant village council status to Mahuregadhi, with the  villagers of Dumredharapani and Dubekol now jointing forces with them. 

On Tuesday, the protesters burnt the effigies of LLRC chief Balananda Paudel and member Shyam Bhurtel. They claimed that the LLRC changed the local technical committee’s recommendation and made Kharpa the centre of the proposed village council under the influence of former secretaries Padam Pokharel and Bhojraj Pokharel—the natives of Kharpa. 

The LLRC’s technical committee had earlier recommended Mahuregadhi as the centre of the proposed village council comprising Buipa, Bijayakharka, Rajapani, Nunthala, Kharpa and Kubhinde VDCs.

The agitators vandalised an LP truck (Na 4 Kha 6200) in the Mahuregadhi area for defying the strike. Despite orders from Chief District Officer Chandra Bahadur Karki, they carried on with the strike vowing to continue it until their demand is addressed.

The transportation has been disrupted for the past four days, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on the highways. Patients have been hit hard due to the protracted protest. People are compelled to charter helicopters to ferry the patients in serious condition.

 Demonstrations in Nuwakot

NUWAKOT: Local people in Thansing staged demonstrations on Tuesday, demanding a separate village council status for Likhu. The protesters blocked the Dhikure-Kathmandu road section for an hour. They had submitted a memorandum to Local Development Officer (LDO) Keshar Bahadur Pandit on Monday. An all-party meeting held on Tuesday at the initiation of LDO Pandit ended inconclusive. The LLRC’s technical committee had recommended to the centre that Likhu be granted a village council status. However, the LLRC’s final report submitted to the prime minister has not recognised Likhu as a separate village council.