Three main private sector bodies on Saturday urged the agitating Madhes-based parties to change the format of their protests, stating the current banda and blockade have caused billions of rupees of losses to the private sector.

Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Nepalese Industry and Nepal Chamber of Commerce jointly submitted a memorandum to Mahantha Thakur, coordinator of the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM), urging the latter to end the banda before the Dashain festival.

“If the people cannot go from one place to another during the festival, the protests will be counter-productive to the political parties themselves,” they warned.

Earlier in the day, they had also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, asking him to take initiatives to resolve the unofficial blockade imposed by India and the unrest in Tarai.

The three private sector bodies reminded the agitating forces that the two-month banda and blockade have emerged as the most expensive incidents for the economy at a time when the country is yet to recover from the devastating April 25 earthquake. “Nepal’s progress and prosperity has been pushed back. There is no situation of operating industries and businesses,” the private sector said.

“The humanitarian and economic cost of the agitation in Tarai is beyond imagination,” the private sector bodies said, expressing frustrations that the government and agitating parties ignored their repeated requests.

On the occasion, Thakur, who is also the chairman of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party, accused the government of being insensitive to the demands of the Tarai people.

“Only 25 percent of normal-day import has been taking place through border points, but the government has not left one percent of the imported goods in Madhes,” he said. “The government delivers the imported goods to other places in the night leaving the Madhes empty handed.”