A seven-member sub-panel formed by the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee of the Constituent Assembly to determine new issues that were not debated in the last CA today presented its report to the CPDCC. 

CA member Haricharan Sah, who heads the panel, said there should be a provision in the constitution to ban strikes. The sub-panel reached this conclusion after studying agreements signed between the government and stakeholders in the past and also took into consideration the effect strikes has on country’s development. It, however, suggested that people should have the freedom to hold peaceful assemblies and rallies, but these activities should be carried out at a designated place. 

Another member of the panel, Chandra Bhandari, said strikes should be banned as even the doctors had started resorting to strike. “Even Bir Hospital doctors went on strike recently. We never see such measures being resorted to in any other country,” he said. He cited the case of East Timor, which had a provision to allow strikes in its constitution. But later it had to ban strikes after seeing its negative impact on the country’s economy,” Bhandari added.

Published on: 3 September 2014 | The Himalayan Times