A Hindu fundamentalist association named Bhism Ekata Parishad has called a bandh in the far western region, Monday.

Life has been adversely affected in all nine districts of the far west due to the bandh.

Transportation has been obstructed and schools, offices and market have also remained closed.

The Parishad called a bandh with various 12 demands including declaring Nepal a Hindu Nation and making cow the national animal.

How do these religious types enforce the disruption of daily life? And why do the people accept it? Are they being threatened with sharp and pointy tridents? Holy cow!

KATHMANDU, JAN 10, 2010 – Newa Swayatta Rajya Manka Sangharsha Samiti, a conglomerate of various Newar ethnic associations, has taken out a motorcycle rally from Basantapur, Kathmandu Sunday morning to counter the Valley bandh called by Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM) against federalism.

The rally that began about 10 am, Sunday is rallying through various parts of Kathmandu and requesting shopkeepers on the way to open their shops. The rally will come back to Basantapur and convert into a corner meet, the organisers informed.

So the answer is to get a group of people larger than the group enforcing the bandh and go and enjoy the open roads. Easy, no?

http://www.dcnepal.net/news.php?nid=12264

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=13863

The Maoists stopped work at the 600 MW Upper Marshyangdi-II, saying the project was against the welfare of the locals, from Tuesday by planting their flag at the construction site.

How about trying to close the budget deficit instead? Let’s hope this political theatre passes soon and in a few years a little more of Nepal’s darkness will see light.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/business-a-economy/4217-maoists-obstruct-construction-of-one-more-hydro-project.html

He has done a back-of-the-envelope calculation to estimate the cost of a Nepal bandh to Nepal. Its not the first attempt, but perhaps the most well thought out and up-to-date estimation.

Organizing strikes (popularly known as bandas) have been the easiest way to either show discontent over government policies or to press for one that serves the interest of a certain group. The people dislike bandas because it never serves their interest. It costs them their freedom, vocation and income. Frustrated by the disruption of normal life, youths have initiated a campaign DIE Nepal Bandh DIE. Even Mother’s Groups in various cities have protested against bandas.

He summarises that the total cost per day to be per day 1.96 billion Rs., the cost per day for each member of the working population is 117 Rs. The author argues one day of bandh costs of 218,190 rural workers jobs, if there were a rural employment program that provides jobs and pays Rs100 per day to people below the poverty line during the lean agriculture season.

Frequent bandas trigger capital flight, which is detrimental to long-run economic growth. Partly due to bandas, multinational companies like Colgate Palmolive ceased production last year. The garment industry is near extinction. It is also putting upward pressure on general prices of goods and services, thus contributing to a double-digit inflation rate.

It is frustrating to see political leaders, who promised to develop Nepal like Switzerland, encouraging and initiating bandas. They are depriving citizens of the potential for an increase in per capita income, freedom to pursue one’s dream and vocation, and to live a peaceful life with a hope for a bright future. Bandas have ripped people off the very things that the organizers promised to bring them. Enough is enough. Say NO to bandas!

It would be very interesting to compare the cost of bandh to the whole country with the cost of enforcing bandh by mobilising and incentivising your political supporters. Tiny in comparison no doubt.

Read the full article online http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=14630

The electronic media, film halls and cable operators had stopped transmission of Hindi materials from last Saturday on request of the Maoists who have been on an anti-Indian campaign as part of their fourth phase of protests. The Maoists had asked the FM stations and film halls to transmit only Nepali materials till January 24. Cable operators, media houses and film halls said they obeyed Maoist directive so as to avoid problems in the future.

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=14379

Illicit activities

And it is not only the airwaves. The self-appointed moral guardians of the state are bashing down the door first and asking questions later:

Cadres of Maoist aligned Young Communist League (YCL) raided various local  hotels in Narayangdh, Chitwan on Friday and held 13 couples who they accused were found involved in “illicit” activities there, Kantipur Daily  reported.

While this is not bandh, it goes to show how the culture of “we know what’s right for you and we’ll make sure you suffer until agree with us” is spreading.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/news-archive/2-political/3691-ycl-cadres-raid-hotels-in-narayangadh.html

Frequent strikes along the main highways led to an increase in transportation cost. This also increased the risk of delivery problems, leading to an escalation in the final price of garments. It further eroded the price competitiveness of Nepalese garments. To make matters worse, trade unions and militant youth wings made a mockery of property rights by occupying and confiscating private property, and forced an increase in wages and allowances, irrespective of labor productivity. The lack of a regular power supply also aggravated the situation.

If this is the case for the garment industry, how is any other industry coping?

They should not hesitate to declare academic institutions as zones of peace and parties should give necessary emphasis to keep the education sector out of politics. The right of students to education is being violated by the so-called bandhs.

http://nepalnewshorizon.blogspot.com/2010/01/education-at-mercy-of-strikes.html?zx=777d063e1d389506

Elderly women affiliated to various Mother Groups in Pokhara’s tourist hub Lakeside have said, they will do anything to stop the burgeoning trend of strikes in the country.

Five different Mother Groups of the area organised an interaction with representatives of local political parties, tourism entrepreneurs, human rights organisations and the Chiefs of District Administration Office and District Police Office, Kaski, in Pokhara on Monday and expressed their commitment to stop bandhs in the area at any cost.

Their suggestions?

The elderly women also suggested the bandh organisers to padlock the houses of top leaders instead of affecting everyone by calling bandhs.

Article found in Nepal News 19 January 2010.

Be at Bhikruti Mandap (right in picture) at 13:30 sharp(-ish)

We’re inviting you to have serious fun this Thursday 14th January. Serious because, Nationwide Youth Pressure Campaign for Constitution Making (NYPCCM) is organizing a rally from Bhrikuti Mandap to Basantapur to show the strength of civil society and apply some pressure the CA members. From NYPCCM:

We need the New Constitution in time ! Its getting late!  We have less than 5 months left and we are behind schedule – not all thematic committees have even submitted their preliminary proposals – when are they going to give us the opportunity to have our say in the drafts they have prepared?

It is urgent that the CA members get serious and step up the pace of their work.

Fun, because there is going to be some good mix of free flowing humour and live music playing: Lochan Rijal, Nirnaya, Deepak Raj Giri, Rubin Gandharva, Rabin Tamang will all be there.

A lot of non-political organizations and youths are working together to hold this mass gathering & concert. I am inviting you because I believe that we have to work towards uniting with other civil society movements for our “Zero Bandh” cause. And we also get to meet each other. It will be fun!

We’re also going to officially launch our Petition campaign against bandh, with you there. We already have support for this within the Constituent Assembly and elements with the supreme Court.

See you in front of Bhrikuti Mandap. Send this to everyone you know. Bring your friends!!! And wear some blue :0)

Ujw

Questions? email zerobandh@gmail.com

Read more about the background to this event here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2344061033&gid=82951364091#/event.php?eid=237272820845&index=1