KATHMANDU: Nepal’s student organisations have warned to agitate unless the government rolls back hikes made in the prices of cooking gas.

Students organisations affiliated to various political parties took to streets on Wednesday after the government increased the prices in cooking gas.

Speaking at a program organised by the Reporters Club Nepal in the capital, leaders associated with various students organisation announced that their protests will not get off the streets unless the government drops the hikes made in cooking gas.

Chairman of UML aligned Youth Association Nepal, Mahesh Basnet, said that they won’t drop the protests on the basis of PM’s twitter message and suspension of the hike by the government.

He said that the protests will continue until prices are restored to original prices and announced that his organisation has called general strike on Thursday to protests.
Basnet said that they would call for general strike if the price hikes were not taken back immediately. ” They should not suspend price hikes but take them back completely,” Basnet said.

Similarly speaking on the occassion, CPN UML’s student organisation ANNFSU termed the price hikes as UCPN Maoist gift to the public on the occassion of 18th anniversary of people’s war.

Stating that their protests programs was supported by 11 other students organization, Chairman of ANNFSU Madhav Dhungel served 24 hours ultimatum to the government for nullifying its decision.

Among other programs, Dhungel announced plans to launch torch rallies on February 16 and nation wide shutdown next day if the government did not oblige with their demands till than.

Similarly, ANNFSU (Revolutionary) chairman Himal Sharma while conceding that they welcome the classification of cylinders, asserted that they will never increase hikes in the prices.

NSU Chairman Ranjit Karna accused the government of increasing prices for commission. He claimed that the government had procured 20 bullets of gas only on Tuesday and said that the price hikes were aimed to earn commission from entrepreneurs.

KATHMANDU: Bowing down to intense pressure from all walks of life, Nepal’s Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said the dual price in the LP gas would not be implemented for now.

Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai has tweeted that the Nepal Oil Corporation has been asked not to implement its new decision of dual pricing in the LP gas cylinder.

On Tuesday, the NOC had hiked the price of cooking gas from Rs 1470 to Rs 2100. However, the NOC has arranged Rs 550 subsidy to commoners.

After the NOC’s decision to hike the price of the cooking gas, the students unions affiliated to opposition parties had taken to the streets from early morning on Wednesday demanding that the government withdraw the decision to hike the LP gas new price.