Locals padlocked Falgunanda Rural Municipality Office protesting the decision to shift the rural municipality’s centre to another place in Panchthar.

A meeting of the rural municipality that convened yesterday had decided to shift the centre from Ghurbishe Panchami to a place located between Yambabung and Kolbung.

Irate locals had locked up the rural municipality office, and the quarters of elected representatives. The padlock has disrupted all the works of the rural municipality.

A dispute had flared up over the issue of shifting the rural municipality around one-and-a-half years ago.  The dispute regarding the centre was settled through an election on 27 April  2017.

Then, Kolbung was chosen as centre over Ghurbishe Panchami. However, the RM office was being operated from Ghurbishe Panchami citing lack of physical infrastructure in Kolbung.

Ram Bahadur Chemjong, a local, said they were forced to agitate as a decision was taken to keep the centre at a place four kilometres away from the already agreed upon site. The decision has divided elected representatives as well.