All the ten local levels of Achham have simultaneously started a campaign to solve various problems that are the main obstacles for social development and human development.

On the night of August 12, 38-year-old Nim Khanal and 7-year-old Kavita Bhandari of Barla, Panchdeval Vinayak Municipality-8 of Achham, who were hanging their tripal during menstruation, were killed by stones. 36-year-old Ratnakala Bhandari was seriously injured. Two people died in Barla due to Chhaupadi custom and since this custom is in vogue throughout the district, all the local representatives, police, administration and stakeholders started the campaign from Kamal Bazar on Tuesday.

On August 5th, a meeting attended by the heads of 4 municipalities and the chairmen and representatives of 6 rural municipalities of Achham decided to activate various mechanisms. Yagya Prasad Dhakal, city chief, said that the meeting held at the district administration office gave special emphasis to end the discrimination against menstruating women and the practice of living in sheds, and accordingly, the implementation of the decision has started from Kamal Bazar. According to him, the meeting held in Kamal Bazar with other stakeholders including heads, presidents and representatives of all ten local levels of the district has announced that the program will be conducted by giving priority to the issues of health, education, sanitation, safe housing and women, children, poor and disaster-affected communities. 

Mayor Dhakal said that the campaign was started by forming various mechanisms from ward to tol level to end the Chhaupadi system which is the main obstacle to social and human development. Apart from that, discrimination and violent behavior on the basis of gender and caste, effective operation of safe housing, joint programs of citizen awareness and empowerment, child marriage, polygamy and other obstacles to the development of social sectors will also be taken up with the campaign, he said.

After the Barla incident, the District Level Social Sector Development Director and Coordinating Committee, which has been formed at the district level, will make all the 10 local level heads of the district participate in the meeting in turn and is working jointly on various social issues including menstruation, said Chief District Officer Anand Saru. According to him, the main objective of the committee is to end all kinds of discrimination on the basis of menstruation (chau practice) and encourage decent menstruation practices and maintain a zero tolerance situation. He said that the local level has been made more responsible when formulating and implementing necessary policies, plans and programs regarding social development. It is expected that the activities of the social sector will be more effective.

'Chhaupadi custom and other issues will not be effective if only one local level starts. For this, all the local levels of the district had to stand together and run a campaign," said Vimala Shahi, the vice president of Turmakhand Rural Municipality, "a new culture of standing together and running a campaign has begun. We will continue this.

There are incidents ranging from suffocation, illness to rape and death when living in unventilated, leaky and dilapidated neighborhoods. The women here have started living under tripals and in dens after the government has conducted demolition of sheds and other campaigns from time to time.