Kathmandu - The routine works of the Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality in Rupandehi district have been adversely affected since a group of political parties have padlocked the Municipality office recently.

Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Janata Samajbadi Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janamat Party and Marxist Party have padlocked the Municipality's office since September 22 demanding withdrawal of a provision in the School Management Committee as stipulated in the Education Act.

The Act mandates that the chairperson of the School Management Committee should be the ward chair. Municipality's under-secretary Kul Prasad Khanal shared that all the routine works of the Municipality have been stalled. According to him, the protesting parties have also demanded a proper management of the stray animals in the municipality.

Samajbadi Party's area chair Abdul Mobin Khan asserted that they will not unlock the padlock until their demands were addressed. They had been putting forth their demands since April, according to him.

Under-secretary Khanal added,"The political parties did not agree when the Municipality had decided to forward the amendment process in the Education Act through the Municipal Executive." Mayor Manmohan Chaudhary said that the Municipality was positive towards the demands of the protesting parties and was effortful to forge a consensus.