AISC secretariat plans to take over management and monitoring of PLA cantonments before UNMIN term ends

Newly appointed coordinator of the secretariat formed by Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) to manage and monitor arms and former combatants staying in various cantonments across the country, Balananda Sharma, has prepared an action plan to take over the management and monitoring of the cantonments before United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) wraps up its operation in Nepal.

 

Sharma called a meeting of the secretariat Wednesday, one day after his appointment as coordinator, and presented his plan before the secretariat members and also apprised chief secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire and Acting Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar about the logistic and manpower requirements.

 

 

According to the plan presented by Sharma, a central Operation and Situation Centre and a security mechanism in each camp will monitor the former combatants and the arms, while a central Administration Section with representation in each camp will look after the monitoring.

 

At present, the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Committee (JMCC) chaired by UNMIN is looking after the monitoring or arms and the former combatants in the cantonments, while the Ministry for Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR) is looking after the management.  

 

Sharma has proposed to constitute the Operation and Situation Centre with sixteen senior security officers including four officers each from Nepal Army (NA), Nepal Police (NP), Armed Police Force (APF) and People's Liberation Army (PLA).

 

The Centre will operate 24 hours a day with three officers working in eight hour shifts and four officers in standby for back-up. The centre will be supported by monitoring mechanisms comprising of seven ex-security personnel in seven major camps and five ex-security personnel in 21 satellite camps.  

 

Likewise, the management of the cantonments will be overseen by an Administrative Division headed by a joint secretary of Nepal government. The head office of the Division will have two sections – planning and financial administration – each headed by an under-secretary comprising of 16 to 18 civil service employees including section officers, account officers, engineers, junior officers, and drivers. In addition, there will be five civil service employees in each camp for the management of the combatants.

 

Sharma said, the representatives of other parties at the secretariat had already given their consent for the plan, while those of Unified CPN (Maoist) have said they would decide after consulting the party leadership.

 

The handing over of the management and monitoring mechanisms can be completed within a month if an agreement is reached and permission to begin the recruitments given within a week, said Sharma.

 

Sharma further said, the plan needs to complete before UNMIN wraps up. UNMIN term is ending on January 15.

 

The secretariat comprises of Sharma and Shambhuram Simkhada referred by Nepali Congress, Chandra Prakash Khanal and Kul Bahadur KC referred by Unified CPN (Maoist), Bhatta and Gopal Singh Bohara referred by UML, Sadanda Prasad Kurmi and Ramananda Mishra referred by Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, brigadier general Mahesh Karki from Nepal Army, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Keshab Bahadur Shahi from Nepal Police and DIG Singha Bahadur Shrestha from APF.

 

UCPN (Maoist) is yet to refer one representative from People's Liberation Army (PLA) for the secretariat. The party is likely to refer one of the division commanders – most likely Yam Bahadur Adhikari, the commander of the first division - to the secretariat.

 

However, UCPN (Maoist) has said, the chain-of-command will not be handed over to the AISC until a clear model for integration and rehabilitation is finalised.

 

Maoist military in-charge and member at the AISC Barsha Man Pun said, the secretariat will take over the command only after the modality of integration and rehabilitation is finalised.