Kathmandu April 28

 Locals have padlocked the office of Kanchanroop municipality-9 in Saptari district while relief distribution at Mahadeva rural municipality-4 has been postponed after locals chanted slogan, citing irregularities and discrimination in relief distribution. On Tuesday, they padlocked the ward office of Kanchanroop municipality-9 and store, where relief materials were kept. Kanchanroop municipality had released Rs 504,000 to Ward No 9 to distribute relief materials to the poor and backward people hit hard with lockdown imposed by the government to prevent coronavirus infection. An all-party committee meeting had made preparation to distribute relief to 500 households of the ward. The locals padlocked the ward office, saying name of some households was not included in the list at a time relief was already distributed to 475 houses, said ward chair Laxman Yadav. A local Bhola Yadav shared that they locked the ward office after poor families, persons with disability and Dailt community did not get relief package. It has been difficult to provide relief materials after members of the same family started claiming relief on the one hand and saying the problem would be resolved by holding meeting of representatives of all parties on the other. Similarly, locals gathered at ward office of Mahadeva rural municipality-4 postponed the relief distribution, saying relief was distributed on the basis of political faith. Ward chair Jugeshwor Sah however claimed that no discrimination was made in course of distributing relief.