GANDAK embankment-hit people staged an hours-long hunger strike at Buddha
Chowk in district headquarters Parasi on Monday, demanding repair for one of the
dykes in the Narayani river. The protesters said they were forced to resort to
the move as their repeated calls for repairing Dyke No 12 have yet to be heeded.
They reasoned that unless maintenance works are started immediately, the river
is likely to flood 13 VDCs in Nepal and affect four Indian districts in monsoon
this year. The river has started eroding the dyke. Around 201 hectares of land
at Narasahi VDC was swept away last year after the river eroded the dyke. Prime
Minister Baburam Bhattarai, during his inspection of the affected area last
year, had said that his government had consulted with Indian authorities and
assured the locals of initiating repair work soon. However, the agitators said
that despite numerous memoranda submitted to the government and the Indian
Embassy through the Chief District Officer, repair of the dyke and ‘B Gap’ dam
has not started. They warned of stopping water to a canal in India if the work
dœs not start immediately. The agitation is led by the Gandak River Control
Struggle Committee. GRCSC chief Ashok Gurung said it is difficult to carry out
repair works in monsoon and the summer season due to increased water levels.
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