Agitating Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries said Thursday they would continue with their strike until the government ensures adequate security for them so they can do their work in a fearless environment.

Chairman of the VDC Secretary Rights Protection Centre, Bhawani Prasad Ghimire, said secretaries across the country were not returning to work because the government had continued to turn a deaf ear to their demands.

Demanding that the government provide security to secretaries working in Terai districts, life insurance worth 1 million rupees and ‘martyr status’ to secretaries killed by rebel groups, the VDC secretaries had halted all works in VDC offices across the country from July 18 onwards.

The secretaries, who have also been staging a sit-in demonstration in front of the Ministry of Local Development since Monday, also threatened launch decisive agitation in the capital if the government failed to respond to their demands.

Ghimire said in order to apply pressure on the government they would stage sit-in and demonstrations in front of Prime Minister’s residence on July 27, organise a programme in memory of Ram Hari Pokharel and other VDC secretaries killed by armed groups in the Terai on July 28, and take out a protest rally to gherao Singh Durbar on July 29.