Masuriya, December 14:

Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel putting up in the Maoists’ seventh division camp at the main cantonment site in Taalband of Kailali in western Nepal are facing lots of hardships, Maoist’s Health Department Chief Nirajan and seventh division commander Prajjwal said today.

Thin blankets and mattresses are all that around 2,500 PLA personnel of the camp have to ward off the winter chill that has been gripping Kailali since yesterday, Nirajan said.

The temperature here dropped to 5 Degrees Celsius today, the Attariya-based Field Office of the Department of Meteorology said.

“The PLA men are falling ill because of the winter chill,” Nirajan said. As the PLA men had to spend the nights in tents without warm clothes, they are suffering pneumonia and common cold.

The PLA personnel are even deprived of medicines, he said. Seventh division commander Prajjwal said Rs 15 million provided by the government for the division was spent in the purchase of basic necessities like food.

A report from Nuwagaon, said diseases have been stalking personnel of the Maoists’ Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) at cantonments. Lack of electricity, drinking water and warm bed rolls in the cantonment meant for the Maoists’ fifth division in Rolpa’s Nuwagaon-2, Dahawan, has led to the spread of diarrhoea and fever, said Sharad, the commander of the fifth division. Construction of physical infrastructure is on, but materials are yet to

come, he said, adding that there is an acute shortage of potable water. An overseer was here to survey sources of water, but he never came back after he returned from the tour, he said.

Medical facility

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday said it has made arrangements to provide medical services at seven cantonments and 21 sub-cantonments of the Maoists. Ramchandra Man Singh, Secretary at the Ministry, said it has directed health directorates, district hospitals and primary health centres to provide medical services to Maoist fighters in the cantonments. Arjun Bahadur Singh, the spokesman for the Ministry said medical treatment has started in the Dashrathpur cantonment in Surkhet. The Ministry has also made arrangements for providing immediate medical services on call. — RSS