Engineers deployed by the National Reconstruction Authority in the earthquake-affected Gorkha district have started a protest demanding additional allowances and facilities.

They halted their works and gathered at the Gorkha district headquarters on Monday. They also padlocked the District Project Implementation Unit Office of the NRA.

“In our appointment additional allowances, including transportation service, communication,  life insurance and dearness allowance have been included. We have not received any allowance in the last nine months of the running fiscal year,” said Ganesh Giri.

The agitating engineers said the government discontinued their allowances and facilities from the beginning of the current fiscal year.

The NRA has mobilised 200 technicians in 11 local units of Gorkha.

Balaram Ghimire, chairman of the NRA Welfare Protection Struggle Committee, said that they will stage a series of protest until their demands are met.

Sunita Shrestha, chief of the NRA District Project Implementation Unit Office, has assured to address the demands of the agitating engineers and urged them to withdraw their protest.

“We have already sent a demand letter on Sunday to the central level to take a decision on this matter,” she said.

The NRA project implementation office is planning to conduct the final round of survey of the quake-affected households in the district following a complaint that many families have been excluded from the housing reconstruction aid list.

The technicians deployed for the reconstruction of houses in the quake-affected Ramechhap district have also halted their works.