Nepal collects public feedback on draft constitution

KATHMANDU -- A two-day national campaign to collect public feedback on a preliminary draft of constitution has completed across Nepal amid protest from some opposition parties.

The campaign, which ended on Tuesday, witnessed an overwhelming participation of the public across the Himalayan country except in the Madhesh region -- the southern belt of the country bordering with India.

Millions of people from various walks of life including businessmen, politicians and students joined the national campaign and gave their suggestions on the draft of the new constitution, local media reports said.

Public hearings were organized in 240 electoral constituencies across the country on Monday and Tuesday, where people have expressed hope for a prosperous and stable Nepal, according to the reports.

Lawmakers and officials from the Constituent Assembly (CA) secretariat were deployed to collect feedbacks in various electoral constituencies.

However, senior ministers and leaders of major political parties faced protests in some parts of the country, including cities such as Gaur, Biratnagar and Hetauda, while collecting suggestions on the draft.

The Madhesh-based parties continued their protests in the Madhesh region on Tuesday. The Madhesh-based parties have been protesting against the major parties since June 8, demanding demarcation of the federal provinces be settled down before the promulgation of the new statute.

According to the action plan endorsed by the Constituent Assembly, after collecting public inputs on the draft, the Committee on Citizens Relations and Public Opinion Collection would submit a report to the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee for further discussions on the draft on July 23.