Maoists propose 17 provinces

Main opposition Unified CPN (Maoist) has proposed 17 provinces with autonomous local bodies in the new constitution.
In its concept paper of the new constitution submitted to the Constituent Assembly (CA) Committee for Restructuring State and Distribution of State Power on Thursday, the Maoists have called for forming 13 provinces based on ethnicity and four regional.

Besides the regional, other states should have the right to self-determination, while the regional state should be directly run by the Centre’s constitution, the concept paper notes.

The Maoists have also floated the opinion that the areas under the ethnicity-based provinces should be made autonomous on the basis of language and population.

The current (nearly) 4,000 VDCs should be transformed into 8-900 small units and be made like the current districts, according to the concept paper.

Presenting the concept, Committee member and Maoist leader Dev Gurung said although flexibility can be exercised in the naming and the demarcation of the state, no agreement will be made in making them autonomous.

The Centre’s constitution should only define the form of the state and the rest acts and law should be made by itself, he said.

The Maoists have visualised Seti, Mahakali, Bheri, Karnali, Tharuwan, Madhes, Magarat, Tamuwan, Tamsaling, Newa, Kirat, Limbuwan, Kochila, Sherpa and Bhote Lama autonomous states.

Ridi, Tamakoshi, Narayani and Bijaypurai have been set as the regional states since they don’t have clear majority of ethnicity-based population.

Eleven political parties including the Maoists have submitted their concept of the new constitution. Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML has not finalised its concept of the state restructuring.