CPN (Maoist Centre)’s Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has assured that a big project would be launched soon on a vacant piece of land owned by the Manipal College of Medical Sciences at Jaleshwor, the district headquarters of Mahottari.

The former Prime Minister and the chair of the ruling coalition partner who was en route to Ramgopal Municipality today to inaugurate eight health centres simultaneously was stopped by locals at Jaleshwor municipality-1.

The locals took time to share their grievances with the leader. “The college took their arable land and let it to turn into a desert,” they apprised leader Dahal who in response told the farmers not to worry and vowed to come up with a huge project on the land.

Thirty years ago, farmers of Bajarahi, Ratawara and Bakhari provided 36 bighas of land (one bigha is equivalent to 72,900 square feet) worth millions of rupees to the Manipal College for the establishment of an engineering college.

The college acquired the land from farmers at nominal price promising to offer the engineering degree to one member from each family free of cost. The locals welcomed the leader by offering garlands and he stopped there for five minutes to have a brief chat with farmers.