Itahari, January 19:

Though conflict has come to an end, the people displaced from their settlement during the decade-long war are yet to return to their original places and the Maoists are still refuging to return their property.

After Maoists issued a call to all displaced people to return to the villages, Durga Prasad Kafle of Kharang VDC in Sankhuwasabha, who is living in Itahari with his family, sent his eldest son to the village to get back the land and house seized by the Maoists.

But the Maoists sent him back saying they would not return the seized land and houses as per the decision of the Peoples’ Court.

Recently, after formation of the Legislative-Parliament, Kafle again sent a relative of his to see whether the Maoists would return the seized property but this time the Maoists said that they could return only a part of the seized property claiming that that the decision of Peoples’ Court could not be changed.

“Local Maoist cadres are not following their party chairman’s direction,” Kafle said, adding that there is no atmosphere for the return of the displaced persons to the village, though

the process of constituent assembly poll has started.

Kafle has been living in Itahari since 2002, with eight family members, after the Maoists chased him out of the village accusing him of being a landlord and feudalist.

“I have been living here leaving all of my property in the village in Sankhuwasabha district,” Kafle said.

The Home Ministry had directed local bodies to hand over Rs 5,000 each to the families of displaced but Kafle, who had gone to take the amount in the office of Itahari Municipality,

returned empty handed today after the staffers at municipality informed him that they had not received such directive.