Giving continuity to their act of capturing public properties, the Maoist rebels have captured six ropanis of land along with the building and godown belonging to Agriculture Inputs Company (AIC) at Phidim of Panchthar district since Friday.

According to newspaper reports, the Maoists captured the building and godown to establish a camp for their peoples’ army.

The building belonging to AIC had been leased out after the office shifted to Ilam on September 17.

The Maoists have set up tents on building premises. Newspaper reports quoted Maoist district in-charge Raman as saying that the AIC building and land was captured because it was quite appropriate for Maoist peoples’ militia to stay until the ongoing peace talks reached decisive turn.

Maoists captured public properties including the office building of Nepal Television regional transmission centre Kohalpur of Banke to establish camps to their militants. However the Maoist leadership remained tight lipped in such issues, which is clear violation of the 25-point code of conduct signed by the government and the rebels and other accords reached with the ruling seven party alliance.

In another report from Khotang, all the developmental projects in the district have come to halt following Maoist obstruction.

According to The Kathmandu Post daily, the projects stopped their activities after the rebels recently wrote them saying, “development without political settlement was meaningless”.

According to District Development Committee, its total budget of 130 million rupees for the development works has been frozen following the Maoist threat not to carry out any development work.

The construction of Diktel-Khotang bazzar and Lamidanda-Aishelkukharka road projects, funded by DFID were also halted due to the same reason.