Rajbiraj, Apr. 19: As water from the Koshi Barrage has not been released into the Western Canal and Pump Canal, summer paddy shoots sown on 21,000 hectares in Saptari district have dried up.

A group of farmers obstructed the flow of traffic and demonstrated at the Koshi Barrage last Sunday to highlight their hardship.

A delegation headed by member of Saptari District Development Committee and Vice-President of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (nsp) district committee Bishweshwar Rajak and Surya Narayan Mandal of the same party manhandled Assistant Cdo Bharat Mani Adhikari alleging that water had not been released into the canals and that Dr. Murali Singh of Sagarmatha Hospital had refused to provide medical treatment to patients.

Ddc member Rajak, Mandal and 10 others involved in the incident have been arrested.

Participants of an all party meeting convened by the district administration office to discuss the issue deplored the incident and demanded stern action against the guilty.

The meeting was attended by mp Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, ddc chairman Dinesh Kumar Yadav, ddc vice-chairman Balaram Chaudhari, the Rajbiraj Mayor, the cdo of Saptari, a Superintendent of Police, the head of the Koshi Pump Irrigation Office, the Medical Superintendent of Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, representatives of various political parties and journalists.

Action has been initiated under the Public Offences Act against those arrested, it is learnt from sp Sanandan Prasad Kurmi.