Bowing to pressure from retiring PLA personnel, the commanders of the fourth division during a meeting on Saturday made public the financial details, showing savings of Rs 60 million in cash and Rs 25 million in fixed assets, including 10 cars and over 50 computers. [break]
“Though the leadership of the fourth division made public the income and expenditure on Saturday, it is not at all convincing and we are sure a huge misappropriation of PLA fund has taken place,” said Dhan Bahadur Pun, battalion commander of the fourth division.
Pun, who is from the party hard-line faction led by Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya, said that the combatants want the properties to be redistributed among PLA members in a rightful manner.
“Since we have not yet been responded positively, we are planning a press conference for Monday to expose those involved in embezzlement,” Pun said.
The issue of financial transparency has become a major contentious issue in the cantonments as the combatants opting for voluntary retirement have started returning home.
Third division Vice-commander Udaya Bahadur Chalaune and five of his PLA aides were not allowed to come out of their rooms at the third division after they vociferously demanded financial transparency.
The disgruntled former Maoist combatants question why the accounts were made public in the final hours. “They showed us the account in the final hours and this only supports our suspicion,” said Pun.
It is estimated that each of the seven PLA divisions has at least Rs 25 million in fixed properties and Rs 30 million to 140 million in cash, which was collected from the salary of combatants on a monthly basis.
Similarly, there are around 50 cars and a dozen tractors, computers, and laptops, among other things, in the cantonments.
The commanders at the fourth division had shown that they had Rs 60 million in cash and Rs 25 million in fixed assets including 10 cars and 50 computers.
Likewise, combatants of the PLA first division in Ilam have raised same issue.
“You know well that the party does not have a transparent financial system. So is the case with our cantonments,” said Dev Kumar Limbu, brigade vice-commander of first division, who also opted voluntary retirement. According to him, the motorcycles are registered in the name of commanders and 11 cars are registered in the name of division. They are worth over Rs 25 million.
On Saturday, PLA members at the Sixth Division, Surkhet, have made a similar demand.
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