A three-member taskforce formed by the government to study the report prepared by the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC) has decided to hold consultation with lawmakers from the eight districts of Province 2.

The team headed by Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Hitraj Pandey reached the decision after consulting with the leaders from the major parties on Thursday. Minister for Supplies Deepak Bohara and Minister for Industry Nabindra Raj Joshi are the members of the panel.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Deputy PM and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi, leaders from CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik were present in the meeting. Leaders from the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, who have rejected the LLRC report, were, however, not invited.

According to Pandey, the discussion with parliamentarians will last three days starting on Sunday. Lawmakers from Saptari district will be consulted between 4 and 6 in the evening on the first day. Meeting with lawmakers from Siraha, Dhanusha and Mahottari will be held on the second day in different shifts. Consultation with the people’s representatives from Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa would be held on Tuesday.

The taskforce was formed on February 2 in a bid to address the concerns raised by the agitating parties and to resolve the problems over restructuring in Nuwakot, Khotang and Bajhang districts. The Madhes-based parties say the report was prepared without consulting with them and the locals of the eight districts. The regional forces have also taken exception to the criteria that were set for the LLRC.

The taskforce, which has got 15 days to submit its suggestions, will provide inputs to the LLRC for revising the report. Commission members have said the government has no authority to revise the report. The LLRC handed in its report on January 6 recommending 719 village and municipal councils in the federal set-up.

Implementation of the report is a must for holding the local level elections.

Deal in Rukum

People of Taksera VDC in Rukum district called off their protests on Thursday after the local bodies assured them of forwarding their concerns to the LLRC. The villagers had been protesting at the district headquarters since Tuesday against the rejection of their demand for making their VDC the centre of the proposed Puthauttarganga Village Council.

The all-party meeting held in the presence of officials from the District Administration Office and the District Development Committee agreed to address the villagers’ demands. A three-point agreement was signed. On Wednesday, the DDC was padlocked and vehicular movement obstructed due to the protest. Juddha Budha Magar, coordinator of the struggle committee, said they ended their protest after the DDC and the political parties pledged to recommend that the commission address their demands.

The LLRC proposed Kol VDC as the administrative hub of the Puthauttarganga Village Council. The LLRC has proposed nine local units in Rukum.