Landless squatters in Nepal gathered at major points of the cities throughout the country and obstructed traffic movement since Tuesday morning.

 

The traffic obstructions by agitating landless squatters have partially affected the transport movement in Nepali capital Kathmandu while most of the academic institution throughout the country remained shut Tuesday.

 

According to the Private and Boarding Schools' Organization of Nepal (PABSON), the schools had to be closed due to obstruction in vehicular movement in various parts of Kathmandu city.

 

Very few vehicles are entering to capital via Thankot, the entry point to Kathmandu Valley, police said.

 

Reports say that the general strike has also affected life in several districts outside of capital valley. Traffic movements in major highways have also been affected.

 

A report from Chitwan, some 85 km southwest of Kathmandu, said hundreds of passengers have been stranded when traffic came to a halt. The vehicular movement in the area was obstructed as the landless squatters staged a demonstration in Narayangarh bazaar this morning. The bazaar remained totally closed.

 

Meanwhile, local newspaper the Gorkhapatra daily reported on Monday that the transport entrepreneurs as well as passengers traveling via land route in Nepal have expressed serious concern over the growing tendency to use general strike by the people living along the highway as means to put pressure on the authority to fulfill their demands.

 

Various groups have been obstructing vehicular movement in major highways throughout the country demanding electricity, irrigation and other facilities in their areas.

 

Local media reported on Monday that thousands of passengers traveling in east-west highway were left high and dry in the middle of nowhere as the vehicular movement was obstructed for six days in a row by the locals at Chisapani road section of the highway in Kailali District, some 470 km west of Kathmandu.

 

The transport entrepreneurs expressed concern over such strikes that are leading to total disorder in regular vehicular movement in the highways. "We have been thinking of giving up the business for good if necessary steps were not taken by concerned authority to stop such tendency of obstructing vehicular movement in highways," said a transportation entrepreneur of Kailali District Jaya Raj Bhatta.

 

He also urged the political parties currently in the government to take necessary steps so that to maintain conducive atmosphere for the transport entrepreneurs to run their business smoothly.

 

"We do realize that some of the demands put forward by the agitating parties are reasonable but they are trying to pressurize the government by putting out bread and butter at the stake," the local daily quoted a bus driver of the region.

 

The transport entrepreneurs also expressed the view that the government should circulate separate acts and laws to avoid such strike in major highways of the country which is causing uncertainty among the passengers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2007)