Nepali Congress Itahari padlocks mayor's office

Nepali Congress Itahari Municipal Committee has padlocked the office of the Sub-metropolis Mayor Dwariklal Chaudhary.

After the two and half-hour detention of Yamprashad Dhakal, a local of Ithari-4 by mayor Chaudhary in his office, NC Itahari's condemnation and padlock ensued. NC Itahari President Hemkarna Poudel accused the mayor of crossing the limit of anarchy.

Mayor Chaudhary has claimed that he did not detain but just put Dhakal inside the ''AC-equipped room with mineral water''. Dhakal, however, said he was detained forcefully. He was later released in presence of NC Itahari leaders like Poudel, Bikash KC, Mandip Bhattarai, and local journalists.

Dhakal was detained for his alleged construction of a house without registration at the Sub-Metropolitan Office.

NC Itahari President Poudel said NC Itahari will be in the streets from tomorrow.

On Tuesday also, mayor Chaudhari bulldozed an under-construction private resort wall in Itahari-13 for alleged encroachment of irrigation canal. Surendra Tamang, one of the owners, however, said they erected the wall inside their own private property with due process.

Mayor Chaudhary comes into the limelight and controversy time and again for his bulldozing campaign for which critics accuse him of personal bias and enmity. ''Even a house of mayor Chaudhary at Labipur is within the highway territory and the office of his party CPN-UML is also in the irrigation canal'', complained Pramod Bhattarai, a youth NC leader of Itahari-5. He added, ''If he is serious about his campaign, he must starts from his home and party office. If he does not do so, it is merely a publicity stunt to gain attention in the upcoming local level elections.''

Leader of CPN- Maoist (Center) Madan Chudal also urged mayor Chaudhary to stop his anarchy and start bulldozing his own home. ''If you start from your own home'', Chudal said, ''I will be a supporter of your bulldozing drive.''