KATHMANDU: Five political parties in Bhaktapur submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli through the Chief District Officer, warning the government is going ‘astray’ when the country is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Center), CPN-UML, Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), and Rastriya Janamorcha active in the district have presented a charter of 11-point demands before the government, accusing it of taking a wrong course when time demanded unity among all political parties in the fight against the pandemic.
The memorandum calls the government for taking effective measures to combat the pandemic, ensuring immediate vaccination against COVID-19, making provisions for free treatment of COVID-19 patients, guaranteeing required medical supplies to hospitals, providing immediate relief assistance to those citizens bearing the brunt of anti-COVID-19 prohibitory measures, and giving cent percent allowance to front liners (health workers and other employees) during the pandemic so to keep their morale high.
Similarly, the five parties want the government to come up with alternative arrangements in view of the disrupted academic session due to the implementation of measures against the pandemic, to facilitate farmers for transporting produces to the market easily, to assure of smooth supplies of fertilizer and agri-seeds during the current farming season and to extend the deadline for clearing installment for small and medium entrepreneurs.
Likewise, it has been demanded to make arrangements for refinancing by waiving off interest and fine during lockdown period, make necessary arrangements for the completion of development projects and to create atmosphere conducive for smooth supplies by controlling artificial price rise.
The memorandum has been signed by Bhaktapur NC vice president Hari Prasad Nepal, Maoist Center’s chair DP Dhakal, CPN-UML’s Chair Rajan KC , JSP’s Shyam Silpakar and Rastriya Janamorcha’s Shivahari Nepal.
Receiving the memo, CDO Prem Prasad Bhattarai promised to forward the memorandum to the government.
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