Normal life in the capital has been affected on Tuesday as well, the third day of the seven day long Nepal bandh (general strike) called by the Maoists to disrupt the municipal polls.

Like in the first and second day of bandhs, shops in interior parts of the city are open; shops in major thoroughfares remained closed. Most of the public and private vehicles kept off the roads but two wheelers and mini-vans could be seen plying around the streets.

More vehicles were seen plying than on previous days as heavy security arrangements have been made to thwart the bandh.

The numbers of private taxis plying in the streets are less in the third day of bandh after Maoists shot dead a taxi driver Jitendra Shrestha in Kathmandu on Monday.

The second day of bandh affected normal life partially across the country on Monday.

In the capital of Monday, normal life was partially crippled with more vehicles plying on the roads and more shops opening. A sizeable number of tempos, micro-buses, taxis and minibuses were seen plying to provide service to commuters. However such vehicles were charging more money to the passengers.

A report from Pokhara said the effort of security authorities to get shops to open there failed on Monday as well.

Gandaki Zonal Administrator Kumar Bahadur Karki and Chief District Officer, Madhav Raj Regmi gave directions to the entrepreneurs to open shops. However shops remained closed.

In Narayangarh, some shops, academic institutions, business houses and factories remained closed on Monday as well.

Vehicular movement in Hetauda-Pathlaiya road section came to a complete halt due to the road blocks and bombs planted by Maoists at a bridge on the border between Bara and Makawanpur. Security forces diffuse bomb at around 3 p.m.

Similarly, reports from eastern development region said normal life remained crippled in most of the districts of the eastern region. The town of Biratnagar opened for some hours after zonal administrator Jagadish Khadka and other security officials requested shopkeepers to open their shops.

Normal life was also paralysed in Dhading, Tanahun, Rajbiraj, Nawalparasi, Mahottari, Janakpur and Syangja.

In Mahendranagar, security forces placed seals on the shops that remained shut on Monday.

The Maoists have called a week long Nepal bandh from Sunday in a bid to disrupt the municipal polls slated for Wednesday, despite heavy criticism from all walks of life.