Chure Bandh Called Off
Following the meeting on April 30 with the government talks team, the leaders of Chure Bhawar Ekata Samaj have called off their indefinite bandh in the region, which had disrupted the transport movement in sections of East West highway in Rautahat, Bara, Sarlahi and Dhanusha districts for the past one week. At the meeting held with government team led by Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, the Samaj was assured of fulfillment of its demands like investigating atrocities during Madhes bandh and releasing activists of Samaj who are found innocent. On other issues, both sides have agreed to continue talks. President of the Samaj, Keshav Mainali, said, “We have decided to call off the agitation for the time being. If the government does not implement its commitments, we will re-launch the agitation.” The Samaj has been engaged in agitation demanding separate autonomous Chure Bhawar region. Leading dailies report
PM Appoints VCs
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, in his capacity as chancellor of the universities, has appointed vice chancellors at three universities as per the report submitted by recommendation committee headed by Education Minister Pradeep Nepal. As per the decision, Prof Dr. Madhav Sharma has been appointed VC of Tribhuwan University (TU); Bidur Poudel has been appointed as VC of Nepal Sanskrit University (NSU) and Ram Avatar Yadav has been appointed as VC of Purbanchal. Dr. Sharma was appointed under UML’s quota while Poudel and Yadav were appointed under NC-Democratic and NC’s quota. Maoists have been given the quota to name their nominee for Pokhara University. Since last one year, the universities were without VCs. Leading dailies report
Govt Reshuffles Secretaries
The cabinet meeting, on Sunday, had reshuffled, promoted and transferred some secretaries. As per the decision, secretary at the Ministry of Works and Physical Planning Narayan Prasad Silwal has been transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Office of Council of Ministers. Likewise, acting secretary at the Local Development Ministry Bhagwati Kafle has been transferred as acting secretary at Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The joint secretary at the Ministry of Works and Physical Planning Purna Prasad Kadariya has been promoted to acting secretary at the same ministry. Joint secretary at Ministry of Finance Ram Kumar Shrestha has been promoted as acting secretary at Local Development Ministry. Both Ministry of Local Development and Ministry of Works and Physical Planning are led by Maoist ministers. Likewise, Deependra Kumar Chhetri has been named as a member of National Planning Commission (NPC). The chairman of Nepal Television Dr. Benju Sharma has been replaced by Dr. Rishiram Baral. Leading dailies report
Thapa Says People Should Decide Basic Issues
In reference to growing demands by communists to declare republic by the parliament, former prime minister and president of Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) Surya Bahadur Thapa has said that fundamental issues should be left for the people of Nepal to decide. On a day he returned from India (April 28) where he had crucial meetings with Indian leadership, Thapa told reporters, “Fundamental issues should be decided by Nepali people, not by eight leaders.” He added that any other way of declaring republic would not be durable. Likewise, Thapa said that if leftists come together, democratic forces, too, will unite. He said such unity would have to be led by Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala. He also refused to blame the PM for delay in CA polls. He said the ‘time and situation’ did not allow timely CA polls. “If one has to find someone to blame, then that must be the eight party leaders who have framed the timetable in the first place,” he said. Compiled from reports
Mukherjee Suggests Announcing CA Polls Date
Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, on Saturday (April 28), met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar. They held discussions on the situation in eastern Terai and Constituent Assembly (CA) elections. Mukherjee also took up the latest political development surrounding eight-party alliance. “If you cannot give the feeling of change by addressing the sentiments of the people, then it will give a wrong message,” source close to PM attributed Mukherjee as telling Koirala, adding that the ambassador suggested that the government strongly think of announcing a date for elections to constituent assembly. Leading dailies report
62 Parties Register At EC
As the deadline for their registration ended on Friday (April 27), sixty-two different political parties have registered at the Election Commission (EC) as per the new provisions enshrined in the interim constitution. For the purpose of Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, 62 parties have registered as per the interim constitution whereby those parties that are not represented in the current parliament have produced over 10,000 signatures. “Now the Commission will determine working procedures and immediately start the process of verification of the signatures as well as other aspects,” Laxman Bhattarai, spokesperson of the EC told Nepalnews. Bhattarai informed that the EC would probably use sampling method to verify tens of thousands of signatures that the parties have produced. Those parties whose applications are not deemed adequately appropriate will be given a week to correct. Because of the constitutional provision making it mandatory for the parties to produce 10,000 signatures, the number of parties registered at the EC this time is comparatively less. In the previous election, there were 150 parties registered at the EC. nepalnews.com reports
RID Issues Arrest Warrant Against Dhakal
The Revenue Investigation Department (RID) has issued arrest warrant against Chandi Raj Dhakal, president of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). The RID has written a letter to the police to arrest Dhakal for not presenting himself for interrogations regarding case of revenue evasion through forged documentation. Dhakal’s Memento Apparels – the largest garment manufacturing company in the country – has come under the investigation for evasion of revenue amounting to Rs 8.6 million by forging bank guarantee documents. “Arrest warrant has come. I have written concerned agency to arrest,” said Dhak Bahadur Karki, metropolitan police chief of Kathmandu. The RID had asked Dhakal to come for interrogation a month ago but he declined to do so saying his health was unwell. He had been saying that he has not done anything wrong intentionally. He has said that his employees might have committed some mistake which he doesn’t know about. Last week, the department once again called him for interrogation. Dhakal was then in informal talks with officials of Finance Ministry. The RID has quasi-judicial authority of recording statements for investigations and imposing fines. The Memento has been asked to deposit fine of Rs 25.5 million. On Monday, the RID had pasted another letter at Memento’s office in Baneshwore asking Dhakal to produce himself by 3 pm – failing which it issued arrest warrant. It has also issued similar warrant against another director of the garment company Tika Raj Dhakal. Compiled from reports
MJF Registers At EC
The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) has also applied for registration as a political party at the Election Commission on Thursday (April 26). Workers of MJF reached EC office along with over 10,000 signatures. Upendra Yadav is its president. The MJF had been engaged in agitation in Madhes region for the past four months demanding autonomous region and proportional representation. Likewise, other parties named Nepal Cooperative Party, Hindu Democratic Party and Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist) also applied for the registration. Till now 29 parties have applied for registration at EC for CA elections. Friday is the last date for party registration. Leading dailies report
US To Open Office For Refugees In July
The US government will open its Overseas Processing Entity in Kathmandu by July in order to begin the process of resettlement of Bhutanese refugees in the US. The only criteria for the refugees’ resettlement will be their interest. “we are pleased to say that the government of Nepal has agreed to proceed with third country resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees. The United States is committed to considering for resettlement of the willing Bhutanese refugees,” said Larry Bartlett, deputy director for Asia and the Near East and Jan Belz, deputy director for Admission in US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. They said the US government along with other donor governments will also continue to advocate the refugees’ right of return to their homeland during resettlement process. Persons are approved for refugee admission to the US based on their refugee claims and need for resettlement, not on qualities such as job skills, age or education. “The refugees may apply for permanent residence after one year in the US, and US citizenship after five years. Resettled refugees will be able to travel internationally when conditions permit,” the officials added. The Himalayan Times daily reports
Parliament Stalled Again, Speaker Calls Next Meeting On May 9
As the Madhesi MPs and Maoists MPs said they would not allow the parliament to proceed before their demands are addressed, the legislature parliament was stalled once again on Wednesday (April 25). The MPs gheraoed the Speaker’s rostrum as soon as the session began prompting Speaker Subas Nemwang to adjourn the House until May 9. Maoist lawmakers gheraoed the Speaker’s rostrum and started chanting slogans soon after the sitting started. They reiterated their demand that the recommendations of the Electoral Constituency Delimitation Commission (ECDC) be scrapped as it was formed. Lawmakers form Terai region also joined the Maoists to protest the recommendation of the ECDC. Earlier too, the Maoists and the Terai MPs had stalled the House proceedings earlier with the same demand. The Terai MPs have also demanded an independent inquiry into the loss of lives in the agitations in Terai. Compiled from reports
Govt Approves ADB’s Proposal On West Seti
The cabinet meeting, on Wednesday (April 25), has approved the investment proposal by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the 750 MW strong West Seti hydropower project. As per the proposal, the ADB will provide loan worth $45 million to the government to invest in the project. The Australian Snowy Mountaineering Engineering Corporation (SMEC) has negotiated Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with India’s Power Trading Limited (PTC) for the project. The SMEC is also negotiating with China’s Financial Institution and Exim Bank and Bank of China as well as Indian partners for financing the project. The SMEC has also agreed to provide 75 MW power free to Nepal. The total project of West Seti is around $1.2 billion. SMEC is the largest investor. The project is located in Doti district – some 865 km west of Kathmandu. According to Minister of State for Water Resources Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, this decision will encourage foreign investment. Anup Kumar Upadhyaya, joint secretary at the Ministry, said that the government will provide SMEC with generation license as soon as it reaches financial closure. He said SMEC has already submitted Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the government. He informed that road has already been constructed in the area and transmission line, too, will be constructed soon for which environment impact is going to be assessed. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reports
