The government talks team has once again called on the group protesting the construction of the Pathibhara cable car to resume the talks.

Prem Prasad Bhattarai, the coordinator of the government’s negotiation team, appealed to the protesting group to come to the table seriously to resolve social, religious, cultural, and local community issues raised in connection with the cable car project’s construction.

However, the protesters have said that the team, under Bhattarai leadership, could not address the group’s demands and have called for a ministerial-level discussion.

The protesters held a rally and corner meeting in Kaflepati on Friday as part of their ongoing demonstrations.

A violent clash ensued between the ‘No Cable Car’ group and security personnel in the Pathibhara area of Taplejung district on Thursday. At least 13 people—a protester, a taxi driver and 11 security personnel—sustained injuries as tensions flared up once again between the protesters and security personnel.

On February 4, the government and the protesting ‘No Cable Car’ group reached a six-point agreement to resolve the ongoing dispute over the construction of a cable car in the Pathibhara area. The government team, led by Home Ministry joint secretary Bhattarai, and the protesters’ talks coordination committee, headed by Amar Tumyahang, had signed the agreement.

As per the agreement, construction of the cable car station above the designated site would be halted, pending further discussions.

However, a new round of talks could not be held as the protesters insisted on negotiating only with a ministerial team. They again launched various protests to put pressure on the government to form a high-level political committee to address the long-standing issue.