Hardliners’ strike brings life to grinding halt nationwide

KATHMANDU: The normal life across the country was crippled except some district due to a general shutdown enforced by Nepal’s radical fringe communist parties on Wednesday. Cadres of the CPN-Maoist, CPN (Maoist) and Revolutionary Communist Party of Nepal have gathered in the roads to enforce the strike from early this morning.

The parties said that the strike was enforced opposing the major political parties’ bid to constitute the CJ-led government. All the markets and academic institutions have closed while vehicles have remained off the roads in the Kathmandu and major cities in the country. Meanwhile, the general strike in Surkhet and Argakhanchhi districts has been withdrawn.

Similarly, the general strike enforced by a joint front including the CPN-Maoist for today has no effect in Kanchanpur district. There is no visible impact of shutdown after the CPN-Maoist decided to allow the operation of vehicles and market areas bringing no effect to Far-Western Regional Trade Fair and Kanchanpur Tourism Festival being conducted in district headquarters, Mahendranagar.

The decision was made acting on a request by Kanchanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said CPN-Maoist Kanchanpur In-charge DD Pandey.