Durga Prasai group and Youth Association Nepal (YAN), the youth wing of main opposition CPN (UML) led by Mahesh Basnet are staging demonstrations in a show of strength in the Kathmandu Valley today.
The Prasai group is demonstrating at Balkhu under the Nation, Nationality Religion, Culture, and Citizens Save Campaign while Basnet has chosen Tinkune as the site for demonstrations against irregularities and disparities subsisting in the country.
Meanwhile, the government has tightened security conditions across the Kathmandu Valley to preempt any possible clashes between the two groups as they have been trading verbal barbs against each other.
Even though the Prasai group planned to assemble 500,000 people for the mass demonstration, around 200,000 are expected to participate in the event, according a cadre of the group.
Nepal Police have speculated that around 20,000 people will participate in the demonstration to be staged by the Prasai group. In the three-day demonstration program, around Rs 2 million rupees will be spent, a cadre close to Prasai told Nepalkhabar.
“It is estimated that around 20 million rupees will be spent. Of course, the details of expenses will come out only after the program is over," says Sigdel, "The management of the amount is currently being done by Durga Dai himself.”
The police have made a special security plan to preempt clashes between Durga Prasai and YAN said SSP Dinesh Raj Mainali, the spokesperson of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office.
According to the program, the UML's sister wing YAN will rally from Bhaktapur, reach Chysal via Koteshwar before converging into the venue Tinkune.
Similarly, Prasain's rally will start from the Office of the Controller of Examinations, Bhaktapur, reach Chabahil via Nayabasti from Pepsicola to the east of the airport and will converge at Balkhu through the way of Maharajgunj and Kalanki.
Security personnel have already been mobilized as per the requirement.
Lalitpur and Bhaktapur Police Range Offices will look after the security of their respective districts. As both programs will be held in Kathmandu, security personnel will be mobilized in the filed under the command of SSP Bhupendra Khatri of Kathmandu District Police Range.
Joint Command Center led by DIG
An integrated command center has been established under the command of DIG Lalamani Acharya of Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari for the security of all the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley.
The command center will consist of officers from the Armed Police, Nepali Army and the National Investigation Department. Field monitoring will be done from this center in Ranipokhari.
