They organized demonstrations at the Nawalparasi district headquarters, Parasi, and also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai through the District Administration Office, Nawalparasi, as part of the first round of their protests.[break]
The local Gandak victims demonstrated at Parasi to exert pressure to reconstruct spurs to India through the government.
The protest programmes include a day-long sit-in protest at the District Administration Office on March 4, transport strike on the local highway on March 9, and handing over protest memos by sending a delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others.
The Gandak victims have also warned of bringing stern protest programmes like stopping water in the Gandak canal and traffic disruption on the highway for an indefinite time demanding that the spurs be reconstructed before the rainy season.
The Gandak victims said, "They have started the protest after no works for reconstructing the spurs have been forwarded till the date though a team that included Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai, and senior officials of the Ministry of Energy and Irrigation inspected and assured for the reconstruction on September 27, 2012. The people around the Gandak area have to bear the fate similar to the people at the Koshi barrage area, they added.
"We have been compelled to organize the protest after the Indian side does not work in the area as per the Gandak Agreement," said Prem Chandra Gupta, advisor of the Narayani River Erosion Control and Monitoring Committee. "The Gandak victims have demanded that the Gandak agreement be scrapped as the Indian government failed to carry out works for the sake of Nepal as per the agreement," he added.
Around 13 VDCs in Gandak area are at high risk of inundation if the spurs were not reconstructed by the rainy season this year and that Susta area has been at the highest risk of the inundation from it, said leading Gandak victim Devkaran Kalwar.
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