Nepal to be mine-free by next week
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KATHMANDU, JUN 09 - Come next week, Nepal will be a mine-free country, officials claimed on Thursday.
They said they will clear the last remaining anti-personnel landmines planted in Phulchowki, Lalitpur, on June 14.
The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and the United Nations Mine Action Team (UNMAT) organised a "special field programme" to observe the demining operations to be conducted by a trained squad of Nepal Army.
The Army had laid mines at 53 locations during the 10-year insurgency period, out of which 52 have been successfully cleared.
After the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) was signed with the Maoists, the government had urged both the warring parties (NA and PLA) to submit their "explosives data" within 30 days and clear them within 60 days.
"However, we had thought of the plan much ambitious. At least we are going to be minefields-free and that's a big achievement and have thus fulfilled the commitment," Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR), Shaligram Sharma, said.
The MoPR had sought UN's help in 2007 for demining programmes and UNMAT is actively working in clearing the minefields ever since.
With the clearing of the last landmine, the remnants of the 10-year-long war, will vanish.
UNMAT will, however, complete the entire programme by the end of this year.
According to data at the Informal Sector Service Centre (Insec) compiled since January 1, 2006 to June 1, 2011, four persons were killed and 19 others injured in mine related incidents.
Once the demining is over, the cleared land will be handed over to local authorities if the NA decides to part with the plot.
Besides landmines, both the NA and the Maoists had used Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the insurgency. However, only the NA was able to provide the details of the IEDs planted.
Of the 275 sites where the NA had planted the IEDs, 170 have already been cleared.
During the same period in 2006 to 2011, 78 persons were killed and 395 others injured in IED related incidents, according to Insec.
Posted on: 2011-06-10 01:59
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