Engineers call off their strike

Kathmandu, Sept. 23: Agitating engineers deployed at the quake-hit districts to assist the reconstruction work Friday called off their strike.

The engineers had been protesting for a couple of weeks demanding a raise in their perks and benefits.

The strike was called off after the talks involving the representatives of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), Central Project Implementation Unit (CPIU) of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) and the agitating engineers at Singhadurbar.

NRA joint-secretaries Kali Prasad Parajuli and Janardan Guragain, and CPIU chief Shiva Hari Sharma updated the team of engineers led by president of Nepal Engineers’ Association Dhruba Raj Thapa that the MoUD and NRA had sent separate proposals to the Ministry of Finance demanding increase in the perks and benefits of the technical manpower involved in the reconstruction work.

“It is necessary to motivate the young engineers for better results in the reconstruction process,” said Ram Prasad Thapaliya, NRA spokesperson.

Thapaliya said the government had agreed to provide additional facilities to the engineers as per the resources available and engineers had agreed they would resume their work in the field from Sunday.

About 2,800 engineers were on strike. Due to the strike, housing grant agreement and grant money distribution were affected.

The NRA has said that as the engineers had consented to resume their work, the reconstruction process would catch speed.