peace process : Decision on farewell process ‘today’
The prime minister-led Special Committee is meeting on Friday to take a decision on beginning the farewell process of 7,365 combatants who opted for voluntary retirement during the regrouping process.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai will table a proposal for the discharge of combatants choosing voluntary retirement in the meeting of the cross-party committee scheduled for 7:30 am at Singha Durbar.
The farewell process supposed to start in the first week of this month was delayed due to disputes within the Maoist party.
“Tomorrow’s Special Committee will take a decision to further the farewell process. The peace process will now move forward and reach an irreversible point,” Maoist Politburo member Janardan Sharma told the Post on Thursday. The ruling party plans to put the integration process on hold unless there is an agreement on contentious issues like rank determination and bridge course.
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is learnt to have assured leaders of the opposition parties that the integration process will move forward once there is ‘favourable situation’ within the party. “I am willing to move forward the integration process. But some friends have expressed concerns over some issues so there is some complexity for the time-being,” a non-Maoist source quoted Dahal as saying.
Dahal invited Coordinator of the Special Committee Secretariat Balananda Sharma to his residence on Thursday to discuss the farewell process. During the meeting, Dahal said his party was committed to completing the peace process and would extend full cooperation in carrying out the farewell programme.
The Special Committee earlier this month had endorsed a 15-day timeline for discharging combatants opting for voluntary retirement. Special Committee Secretariat Sharma said they could reach the cantonment sites to start the process within three days of the approval of the process from the Special Committee.
Last week, the Cabinet had released Rs 1.97 billion to the Peace Ministry to make the first installation payment to the combatants. The Secretariat has decided to issue account payee cheques to each of the combatants and deposit amounts in their bank accounts. Apart from the first installment of the cash package of Rs 500,000 to Rs 800,000, the Special Committee has decided to provide cash allowances to the departing combatants. Combatants leaving for their homes in the Tarai, Hills and Himalayan districts will get Rs 2,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000, respectively, as transportation allowances.
Farewell plan prepared by special panel Sectt
Day 1: Office set up and beginning of farewell
Day 3: Completion at main cantonment site
Day 4: Departure for satellite camp 1 and beginning of farewell
Day 6: Completion of work at satellite camp 1
Day 7: Departure for satellite camp 2
Day 9: Completion of work at satellite camp 2
Day 10: Departure for satellite camp 3
Day 12: Completion of work at satellite camp 3
Day 13: Addressing non-attendees at main cantonment
Day 14 and 15: Return to Kathmandu
Posted on: 2012-01-27 08:31
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Abin
Shit! The note is lost. I had better avoid extemporising. ...have been told not to blab.
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