Hasuliya and Bhajani, two bustling rural markets in Kailali, were deserted during the Maoist insurgency. With the implementation of the federal system, these markets are gradually limping back to life.

The old market places of Hasuliya and Bhajani had to wait for years to regain their lost glories. Although the country entered the federal process in 2006, these places had to wait for the local elections of 2017 to get back to life. Hasuliya is now the administrative centre of Kailari Rural Municipality while Bhajani Bazaar is a part of Bhajani Municipality.

“Various government offices have been established in Hasuliya and Bhajani. And those displaced businesspersons have returned with new businesses,” said Nepalu Chaudhary, the chairman of Hasuliya Market Management Committee.

Today, the markets play an important role in the lives of local residents, as farmers sell their produce in the markets and consumers throng the marketplace to buy them. But during the Maoist insurgency, Hasuliya and Bhajani were some of the areas hit hardest by the conflict. Many shop owners and farmers fled the marketplaces.

“The armed insurgency had gripped the country. The then Maoist rebels had attacked security posts in Hasuliya, and the traders had been displaced to Dhangadhi, the district headquarters, for security reasons. The busy market places got deserted overnight,” said Chaudhary.

“We had electricity and telecommunication facilities before the conflict, but these amenities were cut off at the height of the insurgency. Locals had to live in darkness for about a decade,” said Balbir Saud, a local of Bhajani.

Saud claimed that Bhajani and Hasuliya would undoubtedly have developed into big towns if they were not affected by the conflict.

“However, one and a half decades after the comprehensive peace agreement was signed in the country, business activities have increased in these old trade centres,” said Saud.

Both Hasuliya and Bhajani lie along the under-construction postal highway. The residents of the southern Kailali have benefitted from the increasing business and development activities.

Ladhu Ram Chaudhary, chairman of Kailari Rural Municipality, said that the local body is preparing a master plan for the development of Hasuliya Bazaar and its vicinity.