STRIKES CONTINUE Kathmandu, 20 May: Strikes demanding federal provinces continued Sunday with only one week remaining to promulgate a constitution by 27 May. The Tharu community and a broad Madeshi front of MJFN Chairman Upendra Yadav are continuing their indefinite bandhas in the southern districts along the border with India. The extended bandhs or strikes to press government into meeting their have inconvenienced lives creating shortages and hiking up prices of essentials. The Yadav front and Indigenous Nationalities Joint Struggle Committee (INJSC) has called a three-day nation-wide strike from 20 May.as the bodies agreed Friday to work together Saturday. The strikes have become violent. Bandhs escalated after the Big Three unilaterally agreed to carve out 11 Nameless provinces without names or boundaries in .haste to promulgate a basic law by 27 May. One commentator called the coming constitution ‘ a headless and formless’ piece of paper. The strikes are already having their effect Maoist Prachanda had already had a re-think. ‘It’s legitimacy longer exists. A new agreement is required in the current context,” Maoist Chairman Prachanda said Saturday. Majority of lawmakers crossing party lines have demanded creation of either 10 or 14 provinces. Even lawmakers from NC and UML, opposition parties, that have now formed government, are demanding a re-think on 11 provinces amid opposition from top leadership. Forty-one NC lawmakers Saturday demanded five provinces interai amid lcalls for one Madeshs, One Pradesh in the south. Meanwhile, government changed goal posts Saturday to shorten process for constitution promulgation by amending article 70 of the constitution in a 12th amendment of the basic law by majority vote. Parliament is meeting again Sunday following the amendment and a meeting of the constituent assembly (CA) has also been convened Sunday. CA promulgates a constitution. Nnnn AREA AROUND BIRGUNJ CUSTOMS POST DECLARED PROHOBITED AREA Kathmandu, 20 May: Area arou Birgunj customs posy has been declared a prohibited zone. Exports and imports are routed through the central terai town where protestors have disrupted the movement of exportsss, imports and revenue collection. Nnnn HERITAGE GALLERY INAUGURATED IN BIRGUNJ Kathmandu, 20 May: US Ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi and Chancellor of Nepal Bhasa Academy Satyamohan Joshi jointly inaugurated the Heritage Gallery operated by the RP Foundation amidst a ceremony hereon Saturday, RSS reports from Bhaktapur. The gallery has a collection of stone sculptures and art. Nnnn SLC RESULT TO BE DELAYED BY STRIKE Kathmandu, 20 May: This year’s SLC result will be delayed with according to the Office of the Controller of Examination in Bhaktapur because of Daily strikes, Rubry Rauniar writes in Nagarik. Controller of Examination Dilli Ram Risal said answer papers haven; t been received by the center delaying the result. nnnn