People in Dhankuta enforced a general strike in the district on Monday, demanding that the district should be named the capital of Province 1.

The banda largely affected the life in Dhankuta Bazaar, Hile, Sidhuwa, Pakhribas, Jitpur, Rajarani and Dandabazaar.

Dhankuta locals have been staging demonstrations for the past three weeks to press their demand. On Monday, they picketed the Regional Administration Office for one hour.

Sundar Babu Shrestha, coordinator of the committee organising the protest, said despite their ongoing demonstrations and the banda on Monday, they had allowed schools and transport service to operate without any hindrance.

He added that their protest was aimed at putting pressure on the government and political parties to declare Dhankuta as the administrative headquarters of Province 1.

The issue of designating the capital of Province 1 is getting thornier by the day, with other cities and districts also competing for the title.

On Sunday, various organisations, political parties and the local people staged a demonstration in Biratnagar, Morang, demanding that the city should be named the capital of Province 1.

The recently elected member of House of Representatives and minister without portfolio, Shiva Kumar Mandal, while addressing the demonstration, said that Biratnagar had enough infrastructures and facilities to become a state capital.

Provincial assembly member-elect Kedar Karki claimed there was no other place in Province 1 besides Biratnagar that can become the state capital.

Biratnagar Mayor Bhim Parajuli said Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leaders from various political parties were all positive about his request to pick the city as the capital of Province 1.

Another place competing to become the capital of Province 1 is the city of Itahari in Sunsari district.

Like Dhankuta and Biratnagar, the people of Itahari are also pressing the government, political parties and their leaders to name their city the capital of Province 1.