BAGLUNG, Feb 16: Agitating transport entrepreneurs have withdrawn their strike that began on Tuesday, demanding with the local administration the cancellation of registration of the new transport operators´ body.
They withdrew their protest program following an agreement reached during a meeting of representatives from all political parties and transport entrepreneurs associations Thursday afternoon. [break]
As per the understanding, any new transport operators´ body while registering now on needs to have its new vehicles and any dispute among them needs to be resolved consulting the Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The agreement also has it that the agitating entrepreneurs arrested Thursday morning would be released.
Dhaulagiri transport closure on day three; 10 arrested
The forced transport shutdown by transport entrepreneurs in Dhaulagiri zone since Tuesday has severely affected mobility of the people, prompting police Thursday to intervene and arrest at least 10 strike enforcers.
Those arrested include Kumar Khadka, chairman of Dhaulagiri Bus Entrepreneurs’ Committee, Sashi Shrestha, chairman of Jeep Entrepreneurs’ Committee and Bishnu Panta, chairman of Tax Entrepreneurs’ Committee. [break]
Likewise, police have also held Umakanta Sharma, Chandra Bahadur Subedi, Raj Kumar Shrestha, Mahendra Subedi, Bishnu Narayan Shrestha, Dinesh Basyal and Sundarshan Rayamajhi, Shailendra Khadka, information officer at Baglung DAO, said.
DSP Krishna Siwakota, Baglung police chief, said they were detained after they forcibly shut down transport services and resorted to torching vehicles. Strike enforcers had set on fire a motorcycle (Ba 15 Pa 2043) early this morning for defying the strike.
The agitating entrepreneurs have enforced the strike, saying the local administration granted registration to another parallel body named Burtiwan Transport Entrepreneurs Committee ‘without following a due procedure’ and have demanded scrapping of its registration.
Baglung CDO Khyam Bahadur Thapa, however, maintained the new transport operators’ body was registered following a due legal procedure and ruled out the cancellation.
The agitating transport operators have also forcibly shut Baglung bazaar on Thursday. They have been shouting slogans against the local administration and asking that their demand be met.
Hundreds of passengers have been stranded on the road in Myagdi, Parbat, Baglung districts since the last three days. Patients referred to Pokhara for further treatment have been facing a tough time. Likewise, two dozen Indian tourists returning from Mustang have been stranded at Galeshwor of Myagdi due to the strike.
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