In Rolpa, programs ostensibly organized to promote “war tourism” have become a source to fund cadres out of state coffers in the leadership of Maoist (Centre).
Mahesh Neupane | CIJ, Nepal
Rolpa was the epicentre of the ten-year-long Maoist’s armed insurgency that started on 13 February 1996 to bring a “radical change” in the structure of the Nepali nation-state. During the insurgency, as many as 969 people lost their lives in Rolpa. Thirty-three disappeared, their whereabouts hitherto unknown. Countless others lost their homes, got injured, and were rendered disabled.
Ostensibly to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and were disappeared by promoting “war tourism”, preserving strategic areas, a total of Rs 523millions and 211 thousand have been spent in Rolpa over the past decade. But this ad-hoc move to “promote tourism” is ironic, given the district is reeling under poverty, illiteracy and poor health service.
Loot in the name of peace
In the fiscal year 2011/12, the then District Development Committee disbursed a total of Rs16.7 million to nine different projects with the slogan “development for peace with an aim to promote war tourism”. Of late, the budget for this kind of project is being disbursed through the local, provincial and federal government. The number of projects and budget rises every year.
The Martyr’s Memorial gate in Thawang, Rolpa’s “model village”. All photos by Mahesh Neupane
Holeri is a place where the Maoists attacked a police post the very day they launched the insurgency. In the fiscal years between 2014/15 to 2016/17, then Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction disbursed a total of Rs one million and hundred and 72 thousands to construct a “Shahid Gate”—Martyr’s memorial gate—in Holeri bazaar; the gate is now all but nonexistent.
The gate was brought down while it was still under construction to make room for the facelift of a road, according to Balaram Budha, chair of Runtigadhi Rural Municipality. There were irregularities in the construction of the gate, hence it was brought down in the name of road expansion, Budha adds.
Likewise, in Sunil Smriti Rural Municipality-4’s Sulichaur, a total of Rs1.84million budget was disbursed to construct a park in honour of late Commander Kim Bahadur Thapa seven years ago; no significant work has been done so far. According to Dron Bahadur Thapa, chair of the construction committee, the site of construction, about a kilometer east off the bazaar, is inappropriate, the reason why the work has been halted. So far, around three to four hundred thousand has been spent to level the land, according to Thapa.
The Martyr’s Memorial park constructed to pay tribute to the 44 people killed in Pategumchal during the insurgency.
Meanwhile, ward chair Ganja Chhetri says he is unaware of the park construction project being carried out in his own ward. The site of the said project now is how it was before I was elected, says Chhetri.
The construction of the Shahid Smriti tower in honor of the 44 people killed by security forces on 17 March, 2002, in Pategumchal, is also in limbo. A resting spot and latrine constructed with a budget of Rs 1.553million is virtually unusable.
According to Dhan Bahadur Khatri, a local, of the total budget received to construct the tower, four hundred thousand rupees is being spent by a consumers’ committee led by Nar Bahadur Pun without doing any work. According to Khatri, after locals’ pressure, another six hundred thousand rupees was spent to construct a “functionless” gate.
On May 2, 2002, a team of security forces and officials deployed by then government to provide “integrated service” in Gaam village was attacked by the Maoists. At the attack, a total of 106 security forces and officials and 35 Maoist combatants lost their lives. A martyr’s memorial tower constructed at the site of the attacks is also functionless. “They just grabbed the money in the name of martyrs,” says Deu Singh Gharti Magar, a local.
The Shahid Dirghasmriti Park in Thawang.
Moreover, another Martyr’s Memorial park planned to be constructed at Sunchhahari Rural Municipality in tribute to the Maoist combatants and cadres remains in limbo as well; the project received a budget of Rs3.217millions. The project was headed by a consumers’ committee led by Ramesh Budha, a Maoist (Centre) leader.
The rural municipality’s deputy chair, Pabitra Gharti, professes ignorance about the programs before she was elected. But the village committee chair of Sunchhahari, Manoj Gharti Magar, says the deputy chair’s argument is to mask the irregularities committed by her party’s cadres.
In Rolpa Municipality-8’s Jankot, a total of Rs3.217 has been spent to construct another martyr’s memorial park. Of which, about 1.4 million is spent to purchase land, and to construct a wall and rest spot, according to Kum Bahadur Pun, a local. Only a small replica of a tower and a rest house is being constructed near the playground of Madi Jaljala Youth Club, says the club’s chair, Dhruba Chandra Pun. “There’s no apparent effort to do further work,” Pun says.
Another Rs2.5million was disbursed to construct a park at Dubidanda in Runtigadhi Rural Municipality between the fiscal years 2014/15 to 16/17. Only a small hut and a simple tower is being made so far. The rural municipality’s chair, Balaram Budha, says the hill levelled for the park was used to construct a helipad as part of the ‘One local unit, one helipad’ campaign.
Paribartan Park in Iribang.
In another instance, a total of Rs3.21 million was disbursed to construct another park at Sukidaha, in Gangadev Rural Municipality. Here, too, no concrete work has been done.
On 22 June, 1999, a total of 11 artists associated with the Maoist movement were killed by the police while residing in Narendra Budha Magar’s home in Bagma, Madi Rural Municipality-5. They were then buried. The Ministry of Peace disbursed Rs2.5 million to construct a park to pay tribute to those artists.
What has been done so far is construct a small house, fenced with wire, at the mass graveyard. According to local Basanti Budha Magar, the house is currently being used as a storehouse for the local Women’s Group.
Three full-body statues and parks have been constructed in honour of the late trio of Kim Bahadur Thapa, Nep Bahadur KC and Tejman Gharti, in Gajul, Iribang and Thawang, respectively.
Of which, a total of Rs4million was spent for the Gajul project, according to Dron Thapa, chair of the construction project. The rural municipality has disbursed Rs700 thousand in this fiscal year as well.
Due to a lack of roads, farmers in Rolpa are subjected to various hardships and risks daily while traveling.
The Iribang-based park was constructed with Rs3.5million, including 2.5 million received from the ministry of peace and rural municipality’s one million. Likewise, the ministry had disbursed Rs3.175 for the park project in Thawang.
Only the park in Thawang is currently in use.
Sundar Oli, who lost his older brother Dev Bahadur in the war, says that in the majority of the place, the authorities’ motive is more to spend the budget than do any concrete work. “They are playing over our emotions, looting money in the name of martyrs,” Oli says, adding that the projects are not transparently handled.
“This is a waste of money out of state coffers, money used to fund cadres,” Oli adds. “The families of martyrs and disappeared haven’t felt any respect.”
The collusion of three tiers of government
Rolpa, which falls in the 68th position in Human Development Index, has been reeling under numerous problems, but the focus of all three governments lies on “tourism promotion.” All the local units have prioritized, at least on paper, the promotion of “war tourism.”
In the fiscal year 2018/19, the three local units, Madi Rural Municipality, Paribartan, and Thawang, spent Rs3.7million, Rs0.65million, and 0.15million, respectively, for “war tourism”. That same year, the then Province 5 government provided Rs20million to Thawang for war tourism.
Children in Rolpa take great risks to reach school due to a lack of a bridge.
Of the Rs7.5million earmarked by the federal ministry of tourism and civil aviation, Rs3.5million was spent to construct “Guerilla Trek Route” in Jaljala area. Out of this budget, a 1.85km horse way has been constructed at Jelbang in Sunchhahari Rural Municipality-7 through consumers’ committee.
Likewise, a report of Division Forest Office states that, at Uwa in Thawang-4, a 2.5km trail has been constructed in the name of “Yarsha Trek” with an expense of Rs4million. This route, built ostensibly for Yarsha traders, is currently not in use, since people don’t go to pick Yarsha anymore. “This route falls in an inconspicuous place,” says Srikumari Roka, a local, “The budget is spent to fund cadres.”
In the fiscal 2019/20, the six local units in the district spent a total of Rs7.4million for war tourism—including Rs0.8million by Rolpa Municipality, Paribartan Rural Municipality 1.1 million, Sunchhahari Rural Municipality 0.5million, Sunil Smriti Rural Municipality 1.5million, Thawang Rural Municipality 2.8million and Gangadev Rural Municipality 0.7million. That same year, the Lumbini Provincial Government disbursed Rs15million for war tourism in Rolpa.
At Tila in Tribeni Rural Municipality-7, work for a “war museum” has started at the place that served as habitat to ex-Maoist combatants. The museum is being built with the total budget of Rs13million, funded Rs9million by the federal government and Rs4million by the provincial. The museum features a bunker, duty post and some old houses. The Division Forest Office Rolpa has said that the disbursed budget will be used to construct a gate, a conference hall and for fencing. The work is being carried out by a construction committee chaired by Maoist (Centre)’s local leader Amar Dangi. Dangi is a close relative to Lumbini Province’s chief minister Kulprasad KC.
The house Maoist chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal took a “shelter” in during the armed insurgency.
For the fiscal year 2020/21, the five local units disbursed Rs9.8 million for ward tourism. Rolpa Municipality and Madi Rural Municipality disbursed Rs1.6million each, Paribartan Rural Municipality 1.4million, Sunil Smriti Rural Municipality Rs2million and Thawang Rural Municipality Rs3.2million. The provincial government has disbursed Rs8million.
Over Rs60million funded by federal government have been spent to construct a building In the name of Martyr’s Academy. For the same building, Rs5million and 1.5million was spent in fiscal years 2019/20 and 20/21, respectively, under the ‘infrastructure development cooperation program’. The building, not in use for long, was recently turned into an isolation center for Covid-19 infected by the municipality.
In the insurgency, a total of 73 people were killed in then Jelwang VDC. Between fiscal years 2008/9 and 2017/18, the ministry of peace has spent Rs42.8million.
The amount, first received to enhance the livelihood of war affected, was later used to construct roads, drinking water project and a gate.
Tika Bahadur Budha, ward chair of Sunchhahari-7, claims that the amount was used for infrastructure development according to advices from local leaders. “The amount, disbursed to turn the village into a ‘model’ settlement, only made the lifestyle of some Maoist cadres model,” says Bharat Roka, a local. “Whither road and drinking water project!”
Nearly Rs10million to Dahal’s shelter
Between fiscal years and 2018/19 and 2020/21, a total of Rs9.5million was spent under the heading of ‘tourism infrastructure’ to preserve the house where Maoist chair Prachanda had taken ‘shelter’ during wartime in Paribartan Rural Municipality-2.
The project to renovate the house, which belongs to leader Jayapuri Gharti’s brother Mohan Gharti, was carried out by a consumers’ committee led by the leader’s other brother Lalbahadur. The amount was spent to purchase the house, corrugated zinc sheets and for fencing.
The house Maoist chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal took a “shelter” in during the armed insurgency.
“Despite the fact that so much amount was spent, not much was being done,” says Anil KC, a leader of Netra Bikram Chand-led communist party. “A few journalists came once or twice and took photos but that’s about it, no tourists are incoming.” Prachanda had stayed at this home for eleven months between 13 April 2004 and 14 February 2004.
View tower atop the hill, temple and church in the village
In Rolpa, an impoverished district, hills are now peppered with view towers made with concrete in the name of “war tourism”. One example of how these view towers have been disturbing ecology is the 112ft tall edifice under construction at Chuchche Danda, in Rolpa Municipality-3. The ten-story tower, being built with Rs47.7million, is nearly complete, with its eighth story being plastered as of now.
The Gurung Museum and homestay set up at Gurung Gaun in Rolpa Municipality ward 4.
Another view tower was built in Thawang Rural Municipality’s Jaljala with Rs2.5million. Tribeni Rural Municipality is also building a view tower with Rs2.5million received from provincial government. Another one is being constructed in Gadhilek under the “Holeri integrated tourism development” campaign.
Rolpa, where the state of healthcare and education is in disarray, saw the construction of 11 temples and churches in the last three years.
In Rolpa, a total of 67988 students are enrolled in its 407 community schools. About 200 of them don’t have any government teachers. In Sunchhahari Rural Municipality, where there are over 5000 students, there’s not a single post allocated for government teachers. School buildings are in a sorry state. Only one government physician works for 25000 people in the district.
But education and healthcare is not in the priority for any of the three tiers of governments. The local units in the district spent Rs22.8million to construct 87 temples, and Rs3.6million to construct 14 churches. The provincial government has spent Rs11.5million for religious buildings.
Moreover, there’s a race to construct caste-centered museums. In Gurung gaun of Rolpa-4, there’s a “Gurung museum”. In ward 6, there’s a “dalit museum”, and in ward 7 a “Magar museum”. There’s another “Rolpa Museum” in ward 7 itself. A total of Rs62.6million has been disbursed for these museums.
While millions have been spent for “war tourism”, the information center meant to impart notice on tourism in the district is in a state of disarray. The center, based at Madichaur in Kotegaun, Rolpa-7, has its walls and gate damaged. The center’s building is barely usable. The ministry of tourism and civil aviation had disbursed Rs8million for the center in the fiscal year 2012/13. Another Rs200 thousand was disbursed to construct an “indigenous museum”.
It is not clear under which authority the center, constructed 12km away from the district headquarters during the tenure of then Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, is in. “That building, built by the Maoist, is not accepted by anyone,” says Khatakbahadur Khatri, treasurer of Nepali Congress, Rolpa. “The investment has went to waste.”
No research has been conducted on the possibility of tourism in the district, neither is there a clear plan and policy. Former State Minister of Irrigation Amarsingh Pun says that a big amount is being spent in the name of the “ill thought-out” concept of “war tourism”.
“The budget is being spent haphazardly, without any participation of political parties, tourism experts and stakeholders,” Pun says, “solely to make the cadres of a particular political party rich.”
