Karnali On Focus
AT a time when the Maoists are reportedly preparing to escalate the so called
‘People’s War’, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel’s visit to
the Maoist affected districts of the Western Development Region has become a great
consolation to the local people. Over 1500 people, including the common citizens, Maoists
rebels and the police personnel have lost their lives in the five-year insurgency since
mid February 1996. DPM Paudel, who also looks after the Home Ministry, has been on the
visit of the Maoists affected regions just days after the government formally formed the
armed police force aimed at controlling the insurgency. Although the Maoists seem to be
active in many zones, the Rapti and Karnali zones have been badly affected. Most of the
fatal clashes between the police and the rebels have taken places in Karnali zone. The
insurgents even carried a daring attack on Dune, Dolpa district’s headquarters, a few
months back. Therefore, the DPM’s visit to these areas is important, even if just to
reassure the people of the government’s committment to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, DPM Paudel visited some of the Maoist affected villages in Kalikot
and Jajarkot districts the other day. Addressing a function at Mynma, the Kalikot district
headquarters, Paudel rightly said that the Maoists are ‘anti-development
elements’ and claimed they are damaging all the development activities being carried
out at a topographically very difficult area. In fact, Paudel was right to blame the
Maoists because since the beginning of the insurgency, development activities have been
nil in some of the districts in Karnali zone. As such, the government recently introduced
an integrated development programme, which gives top priority to road construction in the
region, for the five districts of the Karnali zone. Indeed, impoverishment and
backwardness give birth to several problems including terrorism in a country. It is
pragmatic on the part of the government to launch development activities in such areas and
the construction of roads can prove significant for other development works. The success
of the on going development programme can be an effective remedy for the present Maoist
activities. Therefore, all should co-operate with the government for the successful
implementation of the programme so that the country and the people will no more suffer,
either due to lack of development or due to insurgency.
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