Syangja, June 29 :

Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries, who were directed to work from their respective VDCs less than a month ago, are compelled to return to the district headquarters again because of Maoist cadres.

Secretary of Thulahidi VDC, Shova Chandra Regmi, who has been working from the district headquarters for the past five years, said the local Maoist cadres didn’t allow him to work from the VDC and forced him to return to the headquarters. He added that he had to return because Maoists’ local government is still active in the VDC. He quoted a local Maoist leader as saying that the VDC secretaries would be called back in the villages after the Maoist joined the interim government.

Quoting the Maoist leader, Regmi said, “A favourable environment for VDC secretaries to work from the villages will be created after an agreement is reached between the political parties and the Maoists.”

Local Development Officer Bishnu Hari Poudel had issued letters to all 60 VDC secretaries of Syangja as per the direction of the Chief District Officer, Tara Nath Gautam, instructing them to return to the villages.