The locals of Dodhari village of Bardiya district padlocked the field office of Babai Irrigation Project on Monday, protesting alleged irregularities in the construction of canals at Bipatpur and Dhanusha.

Two project engineers, Nabin Benjing and Shailendra Kanaujiya, were locked inside the office for more than two hours.

Security personnel had to break the padlock to get the duo out, said their colleague Hari Bahadur Thapa.

The locals have claimed that the canals built by the project were of inferior quality and demanded investigation.

Dan Ratna Shakya, the project chief, has refuted the allegation made by the Dodhari locals. He said they were ready to probe any wrongdoings by the project staff if a written complaint is registered.