"Seven years after the Madhes Aandolan, their demand for federal structure is finally takes shape, but it fails to make Madhesi people happy," said Chandra Kishor Jha, a Birgunj-based political analyst.
According to him, to bring peace and prosperity in Madhes, Chure hills, Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari should also be included in the federal province number 2.
According to him, of the six states, state number 2, which includes Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Bara and Parsa districts, is apparently the weakest state, with all the eight districts being backward and devoid of basic infrastructures. "It will lead to another rounds of protests," he added.
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Madhesi-based leaders boycott CA meeting on Tuesday. (Dipesh Shrestha/Republica)
For example, lack of electricity has hampered the growth of Birgunj-Pathalaiya industrial corridor. Except the East-West Highway that runs through the district, Sarlahi does not even have blacktopped roads.
Bhogendra Jha, a teacher from Janakpur, said, "Although Madhes itself holds a high economic potential, the present infrastructure stands in the way of development."
Department of Customs in Birgunj, a major financial source in the region, collects trade revenue of Rs 51 billion annually. Other than this, the state does not have other strong sources of revenue generation.
Bhogendra further added that the region also suffers from lack of natural resources, posing yet another question mark over the sustainability of the state under the proposed federal structure.
Interestingly, the eight districts that form state number 2 receive the highest amount of remittance, as per government records. According to sources at Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Mahottari alone attracts annual remittance of Rs 150 million. More than 600 new people apply for passports every month from the district, while around 7,000 people fly to Gulf countries for employment every year.
Jha, the political analyst, said, "The eight districts the highest amount of remittance each year, which is a boost for the country's economy. But it is surely to be affected by the way states have been delineated."
According to him, the way the state has been delineated weakens it ability to create job opportunities. Janakpur cigarette factory, which had more than 4,000 employees, remains completely shut down.
"Madhes Andolan was aimed particularly to get rid of all such problems. Conversely, the region has instead been made weaker by taking away all its competitive advantages," said another political analyst, Bijay Mishra.
According to him, Udaypur, Chure area of Sindhuli, Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari should be included in state number 2 to ensure prosperity and stability in the state.
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