NTC stops mobile phone distribution

Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) has stopped the distribution of both post paid and prepaid mobile phones, Space Time 
reported on Wednesday.

The distribution has been stopped for the installation of new equipment in the base stations to increase the capacity of the mobile phones, the report said.

Hinting that the NTC is incapable of distributing more mobiles through 
the present base stations, General Manager of NTC Ratna Kaji Tuladhar said, “The distribution has been stopped because equipment required to increase the capacity of the base stations and also to setup new base stations are still on its way from China.”

The report quoted the spokesperson of NTC as saying that after new base stations are set up, NTC will be able to distribute 25 thousand mobile phones.

He also said along with increment in the distribution of mobiles, the NTC is also doing homework to reduce the mobile phone charges.  nepalnews.com rs Feb 25 04 

SJC begins property investigation of judges

Secretariat of Judicial Council (SJC) has started property investigation of 12 judges from 16 Appellate courts and 75 District courts, Space Time reported on Wednesday.

The investigation is being carried out as per the report of the Judicial Investigation Commission on Property that states the judges have accumulated more property than their legal earning, the report said.

Quoting an official of the Council, the report said that 9 judges of District courts and 3 judges from Appellate courts have been asked to
present their property details.

“In the first phase of investigation, properties of the judges accumulating property worth more than Rs.5 million will be investigated and in the second phase properties of the judges having 
less than Rs.5 million will be investigated,” the official said. nepalnews.com rs Feb 25 04

RPP’s Central Council meeting likely to be postponed

The rival factions of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) who agreed to hold the Central Council meeting jointly on March 4-5 in Kathmandu is likely to take place at a later date, Nepal Samacharpatra said Wednesday.

An 8-member organizing committee, comprising four from each faction, under the leadership of Bishwobandhu Thapa fixed the time and venue for the Central Council’s meeting on Saturday, Feb. 22.

According to the reports, the establishment faction have now purposed a new venue and time for the Central Council’s meeting to the 8-member organizing committee.

“The 8-member organizing committee will announce a new time and venue for the RPP’s Central Council’s meeting today,” said an establishment RPP leader adding, ”It will hopefully be accepted by both the factions.” nepalnews.com pd Feb 25 04 

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Maoist abduct 200 people from Achham district, other details

Maoists on Monday abducted about two hundred people from five VDCs in Achham district, Space Time reported.

According to the report, the abducted people from Thanti, Sodsa, Bindhabasini, Kuskot and Rishidaha includes different political party workers, former officials of the VDCs, students as well as the general people.

The report quoting a local Kul Bahadur Shah said that the Maoists abducted 25-30 people from each VDC saying that they need those people for two weeks for party work.

“The Maoists took away the people forcibly announcing that every former official of the VDCs must participate in their program besides at least one member from each house,” the report quoted another local Kamalu Shahi as saying.

However, the kin of the abducted people suspect that the Maoists took the people because they did not help them in their so called “Fair 
Election System” conducted about one and half months back.

Meanwhile, one army personnel was seriously injured when the Maoists ambushed a army patrol team at Bijuliya jungle in Kailali on Tuesday. 

Cross firing between the army and the Maoists lasted for an hour, security forces said. A search operation was carried out till late night on Tuesday. However, no casualties or detention of any Maoist has been reported so far. nepalnews.com rs Feb 25 04

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India begins to build Mahalisagar bund again

India has once again started building the Mahalisagar bund which was stopped after Nepal’s protests against the bund construction in July, a daily reported Wednesday. 

Nepal had requested India not to build the bund as it poses inundation threat in some 600 bighas of land in the Kapilvastu region. According to the report, the construction of the Mahalisagar bund is a violation of international law and accords. 

Kamal Regmi, Chief Officer at the district office to control waterborne disaster has presented a report to the Department to Control Water-borne Disaster after the site inspection. “The report has asked the department to stop the Construction of Mahalisagar bund at the earliest,” kantipur quoted sources as saying.

Meanwhile, Nepal has officially protested the construction of Mahalisagar bund. Ministry of Water Resources has delivered a protest letter to the Indian counterpart objecting to the construction of the Mahalisagar dam that will inundate land in Kalilvastu district. nepalnews.com pd Feb 25 04

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Maoists change voice, declare general strike

Maoists, who earlier said the five-day strike starting Wednesday would only be limited to educational institutions, declared on Tuesday that the strike is a "general strike" to be effective throughout the country.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Lekhnath Neupane, chairman of Maoists' student wing ANNISU-R, said the strike is "general" in its nature.

According to initial reports received by Nepalnews until 8 am Wednesday, all types of vehicles were seen plying on the Kathmandu streets, though the number of vehicles was less.

Unlike other bandhs, shops and business houses, though not as many as in normal days, were also seen open in the Valley. Reports from different parts of the country are still awaited. (details to follow). nepalnews.com mr Feb 25 04

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Nepal loses to Scotland by 3 wickets

Nepal lost to Scotland by three wickets in its second match played under the Plate Championship of the ongoing U-19 Youth World Cup in Chittagong, Bangladesh on Tuesday.

Sarad Vesawkar's half century enabled Nepal to reach an impressive 200 runs' total losing 9 wickets in the allotted 50 overs match after Scotland won the toss and put Nepal to bat first.

Veswakar knocked 51 runs with the help of 4 fours off 88 balls he faced before Young caught him off Iqbal.

Nepal made a pathetic start as they lost their first wicket for just 16 runs. Opener Kanishka Chaugain, who had scored unbeaten 90 runs against Papua New Guinea, failed to keep the tempo as Farida removed him off Gondie after he scored just 9 runs. Thereafter, Anderson trapped another opener Yashwant Subedi lbw cheaply at 3.

Skipper Shakti Gauchan gave some pace to Nepal's inning as he took his side past 50 mark scoring 25 runs before being run out.

For Nepal, Paras Khadka and Basanta Regmi scored 29 and 19 runs respectively while Manoj Katuwal remained unbeaten at 10.

G Gondie was the most economic bowler of Scotland as he claimed three scalps conceding just 37 runs. Anderson and Iqbal took two wickets each while K Coetzer took one wicket.

In reply, Scotland gave dramatic finish to the match as they scored 204 runs losing 7 wickets with last ball to spell and registered their first win in the tournament. Iqbal top scored with 68 runs while his opening partner Young was cheaply out at 2. Sean Weeraratna gave good support to Iqbal scoring unbeaten 34 runs while Coetzer scored 25 runs.

For Nepal, Ratan Rauniyar snatched two wickets while Manjeet Shrestha and Paras Khadka took one wicket each.
nepalnews.com rs Feb 24 04

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Nepal-India transport pact draws mixed reaction 

The agreement between Nepal and India to permit cross-country passenger services has drawn mixed reactions. 

While transporters have sharply flayed the agreement dubbing it objectionable, hoteliers have welcomed it. 

The Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs of Nepal has said that the agreement is sure to mar the domestic transport industry and would pave way for Indian entrepreneurs to monopolize Nepalese market. Organizing a press conference in the capital on Tuesday, the federation demanded that the agreement be nullified immediately. 

“If the agreement is not withdrawn, its repercussions will be severe,” said Bishnu Sibakoti, president of the federation, warning that the transporters would launch nationwide strikes. He maintained that as the market is already flooded with Indian buses the agreement would end up displacing the local entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) today issued a statement welcoming the transport pact. HAN has reasoned that this would help boost the tourism sector, which at the moment is in tatters.

Nepal and India signed an agreement on Monday at ongoing meeting of secretaries of Foreign Ministries agreeing to open 14 routes in both countries where each of the sides will be allowed to operate a maximum of 53 buses. nepalnews.com mbk Feb 24 04

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Private airlines operators end strike

The strike called by the domestic private airlines operators has ended from Tuesday afternoon following an agreement between the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN). 

The private airlines operators agreed to end the strike as the government pulled back the decision to disallow ramp buses of airlines at the airport. Director General of CAAN Nagendra Ghimire and AOAN president Bikas Rana signed a five-point agreement at the presence of Minister for Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation Sarbendra Nath Sukla this afternoon. 

Along with the approval to operate ramp buses, the agreement allows private airlines companies to add up buses when new aircrafts are introduced. CAAN DG Ghimire told Nepalnews that the companies would, in turn, have to maintain a ‘certain standard’ of the vehicles that must be insured. The provision to phase out vehicles older than model 2000 has been withdrawn, he informed. 

“They must have learnt a lesson by now,” Ghimire said referring to the public wrath against the strike. “What they did was unethical,” he added.

Private airlines companies had gone for a strike from Monday to protest the decision of the CAAN to call in private contractors to operate ramp buses and phase out the vehicles older than 2000 model. nepalnews.com mbk Feb 24 04

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Two Maoists killed in Sarlahi

Security forces shot and killed two Maoists in Sarlahi district Tuesday morning, reports said.

The incident occurred at the banks of Bagmati River near Manpur when a group of over 20 Maoist militants fired shots targeting the security troops. 

The identity of the Maoists are yet to be confirmed, reports said. Explosives, few guns and ammunitions have been recovered from the incident site.

Meanwhile, the Maoists today detonated a powerful bomb at the office Regional Road Division in Pokhara at around 11 in the morning. 

A group of Maoists barged into the computer room, drove the staffers outside the room and denoted the bomb, reports said. Furniture and documents have been destroyed while the blast has caused fissures to the building. nepalnews.com mbk Feb 24 04

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