Even a month after the Tikapur violence, normal life in the area has not yet returned to normalcy.

Curfew is clamped regularly in Tikapur and Dhangadhi, the district headquarters of Kailali. Though the riot affected zone declaration was lifted on Wednesday, local administration said curfew order has been continued to maintain security. Following curfew order, the agitating Tharuhat Struggle Committee has been staging demonstrations along the highway. Protesters

have regularly been demonstrating at Pahalmanpur, Chaumala and Masuriya Sukhad, among other places, along the highway.

Tikapur Area Administration Office chief Suman Dhital said daily life is gradually returning to normalcy as the administration is reducing curfew hours. Local people, meanwhile, said relations between communities have been affected as they are unable to meet each other for a long time.

Likewise, the curfew order has hit daily wage workers the most. They are unable to go out for work though there have been demand of workers in bazaar area. Local businessmen, meanwhile, are unable to run their businesses. Locals said regular classes have still been affected though schools in the area have been reopened.

Similarly, though local authorities in Dhangadhi have reduced curfew to three hours, normal life is yet to return to normalcy. Maniram BK, a daily wage worker, said the curfew is being clamped during working hours. “I have been burrowing money to feed my family for the past one month,” he said.

Gardener Offset Press owner Mahesh Dahal said he has not been able to run

the business though operating cost is as much as Rs 500, 000

a month.

Puspharaj Khadka of Uttarbehadi in Dhangadhi said the situation is not normal as they have been affected due to the curfew. “We do not have proper time to eat and work,” Khadka said.

Villagers are unable to come to the bazaar to buy essential materials. Supply of essential goods from Birgunj, Bhairahawa and Biratnagar is yet to resume.

Meanwhile, various political parties and civil society members have demanded that the curfew order be lifted in Dhangadi. Chief District Officer Mohan Chapagain, however, curfew has been clamped to ensure peace and security.