A 24 - hour general strike called to protest the proposal to split a province has affected normal life in the district with transportation coming to a grinding halt and closure of educational institutes and retail shops. The local struggle committee took the decision to call general strike against the proposal to split Province no 5 on Friday and Saturday. Earlier, the agitators had enforced a general strike from November 29 to December 10 which had to be called off as it started to take a toll on the people's daily lives. Palpa's Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (ML), RPP and Janamorcha among other political parties and Palpa Chamber of Commerce and Industry took the decision to resume strike after the government proposed to split Palpa district from Tarai and merge it with Province no 4. The agitation will continue until the government withdraws its proposal to split Province no 5, said CPN (UML) Palpa Chairman, Narayan Acharya. The agitators took out a torch rally on Thursday evening from Palpa district's headquarters, Tansen, protesting the proposal to divide Province no 5. RSS आमहडतालका कारण आज बिहानदेखि यहाँको जनजीवन प्रभावित भएको छ । २४ घन्टे आमहडताल कारण आज बिहानैदेखि सवारीसाधन, शौक्षिक संस्था, पसल खुल्न सकेका छैनन् । पाँच नम्बर प्रदेश अलग गर्न नहुने माग राखेर सङ्घर्ष समितिले शुक्रबार र शनिबार पुनः पाल्पा बन्दको आह्वान गरेको छ । मङ्सिर १४ देखि २५ गतेसम्मको बन्दले जनजीवन कष्टकर बनेपछि बन्द फिर्ता लिएका थिए । पाल्पा जिल्लालाई तराईबाट अगल गरी प्रदेश नम्बर ४ मा राख्ने सरकारको प्रस्तावप्रति पाल्पाका नेपाली काँग्रेस, नेकपा (एमाले) नेकपा माले, राप्रपा, जनमोर्चा नेपाललगायतका दल तथा पाल्पा उद्योग वाणिज्यसहितका सङ्घसंस्था आन्दोलनमा उत्रिएका हुन् । नेकमा (एमाले) पाल्पाका अध्यक्ष नारायण आचार्यका अनुसार सरकारले ५ नं प्रदेश विभाजन गर्ने प्रस्ताव फिर्ता नलिँदासम्म आन्दोलनका कार्यक्रम जारी रहनेछ । आन्दोलनकारीले बिहीबार साँझ पाल्पा जिल्ला सदरमुकाम तानसेनसहितका स्थानमा ५ नम्बर प्रदेश विभाजन गर्न नहुने भन्ने नारा लगाउँदै मसाल जुलुस निकालेका थिए ।