Rampur's fertile farms on the banks of the Kali Gandaki used to be on the ancient trade route from Gorakhpur in India to Pokhara and beyond.

But the construction of the Siddhartha Highway two decades ago bypassed this trading town, turning Rampur into a backwater. The only people using the old trade route now are the Maoists who prefer the unguarded jungle trails up from Nawalparasi to Syangja to move around.

Recently the army set up a base in the middle of the valley near Rampur and the Maoists have been displaced into the surrounding hills. The rebels use Rampur as a base from which to expand their activities in Nawalparasi, Syangja and Tanahu and to preserve its isolation they have halted the construction of the Pipal Danda- Gairakot road which the government was building to connect Rampur to Tansen.

A road south to Kawasoti is so rough it is only motorable during the dry season. Another road connecting Rampur to the Siddhartha Highway has finally been completed. Says ex-chairman of the Town Development Committee, Deb Raj Dhakal: "This must be a record, it took 25 years to build a 48-km dirt road."

It is that kind of government disinterest that the Maoists have used to spread their revolution in these hills of central Nepal. Soon after the royal takeover on 1 February the rebels organised a first-ever meeting with local leaders of the UML and the Nepali Congress. A local party activist says since that meeting the Maoist attitude towards the parties is more relaxed. "But they are still unpredictable," he adds quickly. Two NC activists who had been chased out of Rampur have since been allowed to return.

The Maoist anger is now directed at the security forces and the royal government. The rebels have pasted notices all along the Kali Gandaki Valley warning people not to cooperate with the government's road projects. Signed by Rupa BK, head of the Maoist 'District People's Committee', it says: 'Anyone found helping the government will face severe consequences.' The notice also warns NGOs that they can't work here without proper registration with the 'New Regime'.

The 'People's Government' is headed by Nagendra Bhattarai who was elected as mayor in the rebels' elections recently. The rebels collect anywhere from Rs 25 to Rs 500 as tax from outsiders visiting the town. A commemorative arch they built at the entrance to the town has since been destroyed by security forces.

The Maoists in turn destroyed the local forest and agriculture extension offices and there are no phones left. They did build a small bridge over a nearby stream and a local teacher tells us: "That is the only piece of development the Maoists engaged in."

The Maoists forced the closure of three high schools and two primary schools in Rampur for two academic years, but after local outrage grew last year they allowed the schools to reopen.

As happens in most parts of Nepal, the presence of security forces has made the situation more tense in contested areas like Rampur. That is why this sweltering valley is perhaps the hottest spot in Palpa today, politically and otherwise.