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Spl panel suggests vacating 14 satellite cantonments

KATHMANDU, JAN 21 -
The Secretariat of the prime minister-led Special Committee has suggested vacating at least 14 satellite

cantonments sites housing the former Maoist combatants by bidding farewell to those opting for voluntary retirement.

The proposal recommends relocating the combatants choosing integration into seven main and seven satellite cantonments after the farewell process is carried out. Currently 9,705 combatants opting for integration and 7,365 combatants choosing voluntary retirement live inside the seven main and 21 satellite camps located across the country.

Maoist representatives have registered their reservation on the proposal prepared by the Secretariat last month. They have obstructed the farewell process stressing that issues like rank determination and bridge course should be settled at the political level before dealing those “technical issues.”

The proposal backed by the non-Maoist representatives of the Secretariat recommends continuing one main and one satellite cantonment in seven places for combatants opting for integration.

The proposal says each of the camps can accommodate 500 to 750 combatants and recommends that the government hire buses for shifting the combatants to the selected camps. If the recommendation is endorsed by the Special Committee, satellite camps located in Yaangsila and Danabari under the First Division of the PLA, Ilam will be vacated.

Similarly, Belsot and Ranibas under the Second Division (Sindhuli), Bhutaha and Rashauli under the Third Division (Chitwan) and Saina Maina and

Ramnagar under the Fourth Division (Nawalparasi) will be vacated after the discharge process.

Satellite cantonments located in Masina and Gairigau under the Fifth Division (Rolpa), Gumi and Kholtepani under the Sixth Division (Surkhet) and Gorange and Sahajpur under the Seventh Division (Kailali) will be non-existent.

Discussions are going in the Special Committee Secretariat that the land housing the camps can be handed over to the government or the rightful owners.

The proposal submitted to the Special Committee on December 21 states that the satellite cantonments should be handed over to the Nepal Army (NA) or the Armed Police Force (APF). The cantonments and installations inside them, if located in barren land, can be presented to the NA or the APF.

The Secretariat has recommended that the Special Committee ask each of the seven main cantonment sites to furnish details of the land, houses, electricity and drinking water inside it.

It also recommends that the government acquire weapon storage containers once the process of integration of combatants into the NA progresses.

Posted on: 2012-01-22 08:33

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