Following the strike, no vehicles plied in the district today while the police escorted tourist vehicles entering in the district.

The agitators have accused that the Ministry of Energy is trying to annihilate the Chilime model by appointing separate chairpersons for Chilime and its subsidiary companies.

They have demanded the release of Dawagumbo Tamang and Sonam Tamang who were arrested on August 19 following a clash between locals and security personnel at Thambuchet in Chilime.

The locals backed by Nepali Congress, UCPN (Maoist), Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Sanghiya Ganatantrik Samajwadi Party claimed that by nominating separate chairpersons and managing directors to Chilime’s  three subsidiary companies (Upper and Lower Sanjen, Rasuwagadhi and Madhya-Bhotekoshi), the Ministry of Energy has increased the per megawatt production cost of the hydro electricity thereby enabling the game of commission and corruption.

The production cost is estimated to be around Rs. 130 million per megawatt. With this the 270 MW production of hydropower under the Chilime Company would require billions of rupees, claimed the agitating group, adding that it would give rise to the corruption and commission and ultimately there would be the reduction in the prices of the shares. This has propelled us to call for the shutdown, said Janak Jeevan Upadhyay, a banda enforcer.

Their other demands include the reinstatement of the old model and management of Chilime.