Residents who have been claiming compensation from the government for the expansion work of the Galchhi-Trishuli Road enforced banda in Nuwakot districton Sunday.

Normal life was greatly affected in places such as Dhunge Bazaar, Bidur, Battar, Gangate among other places as transportation came to a halt and market places and educational institutions remained closed because of the enforced banda. The protesters took to the streets since early morning by burning tyres in the street.

Around 300 vehicles, including passenger buses and containers to and from the Rasuwagadhi custom point, were stranded due to the protest. Hundreds of passengers were also affected due to the transport obstruction triggered by the protest.

The local people along the Pipaltar-Dhunge stretch of the Galchhi-Trishuli-Rasuwagadhi road linking China have been protesting for the past month and a half, demanding compensation. They formed a struggle committee and continued protests claiming that they have been greatly affected by the expansion of the Pipaltar-Dhunge section.

Lilanath Neupane, coordinator of the committee, warned that they would continue with their protests unless the authorities concerned provided them with the compensation for their land being encroached because of the road expansion work. He claimed that many local people in the area would be landless if authorities did not provide compensation for their land.

The people of wards no 1, 2, 4, and 5 of Bidur Municipality have been demanding compensation. According to the struggle committee, around 600 to 700 households from these wards have been affected by the road expansion works. 

The Pipaltar-Dhunge stretch is part of the 82-km-long Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road. The protesters claimed that the Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road project did not provide them compensation for acquiring their land on both sides of the 7.5 km long Pipaltar- Dhunge section. The project plans to make a four-lane road along the Pipaltar-Dhunge section.

The Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road project has been distributing compensation to local people along the 17-km-long Kolputar-Devighat section.