Chitwan, April 22

Tharu community has demanded that the Terai should be carved out into three provinces, saying the one Maadhes Pradesh would not be acceptable.

At a press conference organized in Bharatpur this morning to disseminate the conclusions of the two-day national roundtable conference of the Tharu community, Tharu community leaders expressed their views that the Terai should be federated into three states.

The roundtable conference has drawn the conclusion that Terai should be delineated into three states that includes Tharuhat Kochila autonomous province in the east, mid-Terai Simraugd autonomous province in the middle and Tharuhat Tharuwan autonomous province in the west.

The eastern Thaurwan province includes eastern districts, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Udayapur and Siraha, according to the common agenda of Tharu community.

Likewise, the mid-Terai Tharuhat province has Dhanusha, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat and Makawanpur districts.

Similarly, districts including Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilbastu, Dang, Banke, Surkhet, Bardiya, Kailali to Mahakali have been put under the single Tharuhat province.

On the occasion, Central Chairperson of Tharu National Liberation Front, Laxman Tharu said Tharu is not an ethnic group rather a state, adding that the rights would be curtailed if a province is made by incorporating the hilly territory.

Meanwhile, the Tharu community has said they would launch East-West inter-district publicity gathering to pile pressure to have their demands addressed.

A dozen organizations crusading for the rights and welfare of Tharus attended the roundtable conference.