Bhadrapur, May 14

A normal life in the east region of the country has been thrown out of gear due to the continuous banda or general strike enforced in the region by different organizations since the last five days.

The daily wage-earners have been the hardest hit by the shutdown. Thousands of workers have been hit hard by the shutdown as they have not been able to go for work.

Different organizations and sister organizations of political parties are imposing the banda, calling for guaranteeing their rights in the new constitution.

A shortage of cooking gas is seen in the market in Jhapa district as transport services are closed due to the banda. The 65 gasoline stations throughout the district have run out of petrol and there is also shortage of essential commodities of daily use.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Tharuwan and Kochila State Struggle Committee have declared a five-day general strike in the region beginning today. Public transport is closed due to this shutdown.

Likewise, a report from Nepalgunj, in the western part of the country said the Tharu community there has enforced a five-day banda in the region from today. This comes to the great dismay of the people there who endured all the difficulties associated with these types of general strikes until Sunday. Various political parties and organizations had imposed the banda in the region until Sunday.

The Tharu Struggle Committee has organized the general strike calling for establishing the Tharuhat Autonomous Province from Chitwan district in the east to Kanchanpur district in the west while federalizing the country.

In the meantime, the Public Health Office, Kanchanpur, has requested the bodies concerned to take the initiatives for ensuring the smooth supply of medicines and unhindered movement of health workers in the Far-west Region which too has been reeling under a crippling general strike since the last 18 days.

The Office expressed its serious concerns that the general strike that is dragging on could lead to a serious condition with the health posts in the region facing acute shortage of essential medicines.

Different organizations are enforcing general strike, some in support of the Undivided Far-west and others opposing it and pitching for establishing the Tharuhat province in the region.

Similairly, The Indigenous Nationalities Joint Struggle Committee is to continue with its programmes aimed at piling pressure on the political parties and the Constituent Assembly for federalizing the country based on identity and capability.

Speaking at a programme here on Sunday, coordinator of the Newah Autonomous State Manka Struggle Committee, Malla K. Sundar, said state without identity would not be acceptable to his community. "A country with unitary identity and not multiple identities is the need of the day," he said.

He stressed that the state restructuring should be based on inclusiveness and forward-looking principles.

President of the Newah Daya Dabu, Naresh Tamrakar, called for establishing the Newah State based on the Newah nationality. He exhorted all the indigenous nationalities in the country to struggle from their respective places for establishing federal states with identity.

The struggle committee plans to organise whistle rally, march past, motorcycle rally, mass demonstrations and nationwide general strike or Nepal banda to pile pressure for establishing federal states based on identity while carrying out state restructuring.