Students continue protests against hike in fuel price, transport fare
Students continued their protest against the recent hike in fuel price and transportation fares for the second day Thursday, disrupting traffic in various parts of the city.
Irate students affiliated to UML's All Nepal National Free Students Union (AANFSU) staged demonstrations by burning tyres on the road and vandalised a few vehicles and even clashed with the police, who resorted to baton-charging in some places to disperse the protesters.
They also denounced the government of which UML is a part for hiking the price of petroleum products and cooking gas.
The students blocked traffic in front of various campuses demanding 50% concession in fares to students using public transportation and withdrawal of the price hike.
The protesters have also demanded that the fares be consistent throughout the country and the Nepal Oil Corporation's transactions be made transparent.
Putalisadak in the heart of the Kathmandu city saw frequent clashes between police and protesters. Students were seen rampaging through the road, toppling down road dividers, manhandling vehicle drivers and journalists and pelting stones at the police trying to calm the situation.
The students attacked every private and public vehicle passing through the road and also stoned Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri's car. Although CJ Giri escaped unhurt in the incident, all the windows of his car were smashed.
Till the time this report was filed there were still long traffic jams in major parts of central Kathmandu including the outer ring road area.
Similarly, vehicle movement has come to a grinding halt in Lalitpur after Nepali Congress disrupted traffic protesting the "unlawful arrest" of one
of its district member.
Local people of Lalitpur vandalised the District Forest Office and torched an effigy of Minister Yadav accusing him of directing the police to arrest
one Giri Prasad Timilsina, a Local Development officer, for encroaching upon a forest land.
The local bodies across the country remained closed today protesting 'harsh and unbecoming' action by Minister Matrika Yadav against the officer.
Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Transport Mangement Ramesh Lekhak is currently holding a meeting with transport entrepreneurs to discuss the rise in transportation fares at the ministry. Transport entrepreneurs are demanding a 25-35 percent hike in transportation fares.
In a similar incident, vehicular movement in Rupandehi and Nawalparasi districts was also brought to a grinding halt after students organised a transport strike protesting the increase in bus fares and unavailability of text books.
Due to the strike both short and long route buses and vehicles plying on the the East-West highway are stuck in a long jam, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. nepalnews.com ag June 19 08
