A gas-operated three-wheeler tempo at Naya Baneshwar.

Hoon talks positive on equal compensation to ex-Gurkha POWs

By Satish Jung Shahi

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - British Secretary of State for Defence Geoffrey Hoon began his two-day visit to Nepal today to discuss with the Nepalese government what Hoon described as "a whole range of issues concerning the two countries and ways to ensure that the friendship continues."

Speaking briefly to The Kathmandu Post after meeting Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola at Shital Niwas late afternoon, Hoon said that the discussion included "a number of matters affecting the Gurkhas."

Meanwhile, reliable sources close to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala claimed that Hoon, during his talks with the PM this evening, assured the Nepal government that Britain would abide by Nepal’s interest on providing equal compensation to the Gurkha prisoners-of-war (POWs) who survived the horrors of the Japanese camps during the Second World War, as their British counterparts.

Britain has so far been sidelining Gurkhas from the compensation of 10,000 Pounds it announced for POWs during World War Two, saying that the Gurkhas were "technically Indian Army Units" before 1947.

Hoon also was "positive" on backing Nepal’s request on sending Royal Nepal Army soldiers on United Nations peace keeping mission to Sierra Leone, the source claimed.

However, Hoon earlier after his talks at Shital Niwas, had refused to comment to The Kathmandu Post on pension parity and Gurkha prisoner-of-war issues, adding that "we discussed the furthering of 200 years of marvellous service the Gurkhas have given to Britain and we want to ensure the continuation of that service."

Until late night, the British version on the matter could not be obtained.

On the other hand, during the meeting with Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya, Hoon is said to have been "positive" in upgrading and establishing a Regional Training Center in Nepal for UN peace keeping forces.

Taking to The Kathmandu Post after the meet, Minister Acharya said: "The British are also positive on Nepal’s request to support in strengthening the Royal Nepal Army."

Minister Acharya, however, did not comment if the Maoist issues was discussed with his British counterpart during the meet. Hoon, who is also the chairman of Britain’s Defence Council, is accompanied here by six British Ministry of Defence officials, including press officer Ben White.

On Gurkha pension parity issue, Minister Acharya said that he "welcomed" the substantial hike in British Gurkha pension announced by Britain last year and added that "further step by Britain on the issue would be appreciated by His Majesty’s Government."

Meanwhile, during Hoon’s meeting with the Foreign Minister Bastola at his office late afternoon, high-level officials at the Ministry claimed "Nepal was trying to learn more of Britain’s point of view on the matter of discrimination against the Gurkha POWs."

According to the source, the government, was also inquisitive as to how many Gurkha soldiers were held POWs by the Japanese during World War Two.

Hoon, who is slated to leave for Pokhara and Ramechhap tomorrow, also met Chief of Army Staff Prajwolla Shumsher Rana at his office today. He is leaving for London on Friday morning.

Earlier, this afternoon, when Minister Acharya was entering to receive Hoon at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), he was not allowed to go in for a while by private media journalists, who where denied entry by airport authorities.

"This always happens when a foreign dignitary is visiting Nepal due to lack of co-ordination between the TIA, Foreign Ministry and the Department of Information," the agitated private media persons complained.

"Why discriminate the private media from a government one, even when the Constitution entrusts free press. Plus, why stop us when the dignitary this time is travelling with a personal press officer?" they added.

The Education Secretary welcoming All Nepal National Free Students' Union (Revolutionary) student and representatives of the Parents' Association for talks on resolving the week-long school closure deadlock at the Ministry of Education in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

CPN ML meet endorses Gautam’s document Gautam, Sahana reelected

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - The six-day National Convention of Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist-Leninist (CPN-ML), which concluded here today, endorsed the political document presented by General Secretary Bamdev Gautam with requisite changes. The Convention also unanimously nominated 46 Central Committee members including nine politburo members, a 19-member Advisory Committee, a seven-member Central Judiciary Committee and a six-member Auditing Commission.

The Convention re-elected Sahana Pradhan as President, Bamdev Gautam as General Secretary and Trilochan Dhakal was nominated as the new politburo member.

Unlike previous informal decision, the Convention did not form the National Council. According to Devi Prasad Ojha, Co-ordinator of the Publicity Committee, the Council will be formed later. Chandra Prakash Mainali, who is regarded as the most powerful rival, has been placed in the third position after president and secretary.

During the Convention, Gautam, Mainali, Siddi Lal Singh, Hari Rokka and Shambhu Ram Shrestha each presented their political documents. The documents, not endorsed by the Convention, will be discussed during the party’s seventh General Convention after two years, said Ojha.

Talking to journalists, General Secretary Bam Dev Gautam said, the party is going to form an alliance to make reforms in the existing governing and parliamentary system. "We can make whole or partial reforms in this," he said.

Mainali hinted that he was not fully satisfied with the decision of the Convention. "Still a lot of work is due, I am not satisfied," he said.

Sri Lankan FM to visit Nepal

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KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakhsman Kadirgamar is slated to visit Nepal "some time soon" to discuss issues primarily relating to the revival of the SAARC Summit, which remains stalled due to Indian concern over the military coup in Pakistan, Foreign Ministry officials said today.

High-level officials in the Foreign Ministry officials here have termed the visit as "Nepal’s very own initiative" to push ahead for the SAARC Summit, especially at a time when a certain level of thaw is seen in India-Pakistan relations.

According to a reliable source, Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola is said to have made the invitation. " He (Bastola) is ready to take further initiative" towards pushing ahead the over-due SAARC Summit, which Nepal was supposed to host November last year.

While talking to The Kathmandu Post today, Minister Bastola confirmed about the visit, but refused to divulge the exact date citing security reasons.

In an AFP report filed from Colombo yesterday, Kadirgamar was quoted as saying that he was travelling to neighbouring India later this week, as a part of Sri Lanka’s escalated diplomatic moves to revive the SAARC process that began in 1985. Sri Lanka currently chairs the SAARC’s revolving Presidency.

LPG-run vehicles likely to fuel gas shortage

By Prem Khanal

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - An influx of micro-buses and gas-run three wheelers imported under concessional duty may have revolutionised Kathmandu’s public transport system and contributed significantly to Kathmandu’s otherwise deteriorating air quality, but they now seem potentially likely to fuel the cooking gas shortage - at least, in the short run.

With the number of such gas-run vehicles around the 1000-mark (700 three-wheelers and 300 micro-buses), the consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), more commonly known as cooking-gas, by these vehicles has increased to about 400 tones per months. Add to this the rising household demand for cooking-gas, who have recently shifted to using gas as opposed to kerosene due to cent per cent price hike of the latter, the combined demand has crossed total imports by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC)- the state-owned monopolist in the import of petroleum products.

The recent bump in the price of kerosene has significantly narrowed the price difference between LPG and kerosene encouraging the urban-based middle class families to shift to using LPG as cooking fuel.

An official at NOC estimates the total monthly demand of cooking gas (for households and transportation purpose) to have surpassed 3600 tons per months, against NOC’s monthly import of 3200 tones. The net 400 tones per month deficit of gas is likely to accumulate over the next few months and create a severe shortage in gas supply, as Barouni Gas Station in Bihar, India, owned by the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC) and the only supplier of gas to NOC has expressed its inability to supply more gas.

Barouni Gas Station has the optimum capacity of handling 4,000 to 4,200 tons of LPG per month.

"Since the station also has to supply to other bordering cities in India, it has informed us of its constraints to increase supply to Nepal," said Rudra Bahadur Khadka, Deputy General Manager of NOC. He also said that NOC has already begun negotiations with the IOC to upgrade refining capacity of the Barouni Station, "however, no concrete assurances has yet been received."

If IOC refuses to upgrade the refining capacity of Barouni Station, it is likely to create a serious shortage in the days ahead. Another nearby gas station in vicinity in India is reportedly "too far" to be economically viable to import gas from.

With the shortage of cooking gas looming, NOC officials are even contemplating a review in the price of LPG, so far subsidised at Rs 100 per cylinder, to be supplied to the vehicles. NOC officials say the subsidy is basically intended to support the households and not the commercially-run transportation service. They argue that NOC’s cumulative loss is subsidising the gas-operated vehicles would be around Rs 36 million per year. Since the subsidy bill is further likely to escalate as more such vehicles run on the Kathmandu-street, it would be impractical to subsidise them at the cost of NOC’s income, they argue.

Entrance exams, mere formality in TU

Archana Parajuli

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - Failed the entrance exam? Don’t worry, just contact the Students’ Union and you will be enrolled in the college.

The entrance exams introduced at different Tribhuvan University (TU) affiliated colleges in Nepal, with the aim of promoting quality education, remain a mere formality.

Over the last four to five years, TU has been conducting entrance exams at different levels so as to improve the quality of education, which still flounders in a grim state.

TU is far from meeting the objectives of entrance exams, admit officials.

According to Khadga Prasad Rai, assistant campus chief of Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal, the entrance exam is looked upon only as a formality. He further said all students sitting the entrance exam are admitted, even beyond the capacity of the college, except those with incomplete documents.

However, this doesn’t mean that there is no specific criteria set for the entrance exam.

According to the criteria set by the Dean’s office of the Faculty of Education, Management and Humanities, students securing less than 35 per cent in the entrance exam cannot be admitted. As for the faculty of science, the college itself sets the cut off mark depending on the capacity of the college.

"We have not been able to work according to the criteria put forward by the Dean’s office, as there is a lot of pressure from the students’ side", Rai says.

The main reason for this can be seen as the unnecessary intervention from college students’ unions. Those who are not able to enroll in the college due to low marks are enrolled at extra cost by the students’ union. The amount differs from college to college. Ironically, they cite the reason for admission as "education - the right of every student".

"It is the duty of the union to see that none of those poor students who come to these colleges are deprived of their right to education, " says Dek Raj Bhattari, secretary of the Students’ Union at Shanker Dev College. However, he agrees that several problems arise due to such overcrowding. According to him, about 50 per cent of the total students in that college get admitted through union intervention.

However, there are some students who do not fully support the role played by the unions.

"The union has concentrated only on admission and has hoarded money for itself. It has turned a deaf ear to problems such as class overcrowding", complains Manahari Shrestha, B.B.S third year student at one of the TU colleges. Shrestha and his friends also say that admission pressure from the Unions compels the college to call for a lesser number of students as the seats are reserved for the unions, putting extra financial burden and hassle on the students.

On the question of the excessive number of students in colleges, Babu Raja Chitrakar, member of the union at Tri Chandra College argues, "We should not only focus on quality education for the few, but aim for quality education for the masses."

Dean of the Faculty of Management, Kundan Dutta Koirala, however, says that the introduction of the entrance exam, has to some extent kept in check unsystematic college admissions. "Looking back at previous years, the trend is plummeting. Nevertheless, it cannot be stopped unless the students’ admission pressure decreases," he says.

"This (entrance exam) has at least impressed onto people that without sitting the examination, they cannot be enrolled in colleges," said Madhusudhan Lal Rajbhandari, assistant dean in the Faculty of Science. "And this I think is a positive response".

Crown Prince opens MHDS

Post Report

DAMAULI, Dec 13 – Crown Prince Dipendra inaugurated the Chheranga Khola Micro Hydro Demonstration Scheme (MHDS) at Khalte in Baidi VDC in Tanahu district on Wednesday, according to the press release issued by the Rural Energy Development Programme (REDP).

The 35 KW scheme was constructed at a cost of Rs 3,749,473 with the support from the REDP, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), District Development Committee, Tanahu, Baidi and Kota VDCs and the local community.

A 450-metre cement canal conveys 250 litres of water per second from Chheranga Khola, which is dropped 28 metres to the powerhouse below by a steel penstock pipe.

Deputy Prime Minister, Ram Chandra Poudel and UNDP Resident Representative, Dr Henning Karcher were also present on the occasion.

PAC recommends action against former IGP Kharel

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KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday recommended to the government to take action against former police chief Achyut Krishna Kharel for his involvement in grease-lubricant supply deal with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

PAC today, endorsed a report of its sub-committee that had investigated the deal. It also decided to send the report to the government and ask it to inform the Committee about the action taken against those involved.

"Different figures have been presented towards the expenditure on the petrol pump," reads the report adding, "payoff cannot be ruled out in the financial dealing". According to the report, the then IGP, Kharel, had said Rs 15 million was spent while the present police chief IGP Pradip Shumsher JB Rana quoted the sum at Rs 10 million. However, IOC has said the figure to be Rs 20 million.

The report has also taken exception to the fact that top level police officials were occupying influential posts in a non-governmental organisation attached with their own department against the norms.

PAC had formed a sub-committee with Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani as its Convenor and N P Saud and Krishna Lal Maharjan as members to probe the deal.

On September 17 last year, the Police Welfare Fund (PWF) had signed a deal with IOC to rebuild a petrol station on the southern perimeters of the police headquarters at Naxal. Additional Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PWF, Ram Kaji Bantawa, had signed the deal on behalf of Nepal Police.

In exchange, IOC got the exclusive rights to supply all lubricant and grease for the 45,000-personnel of Nepal Police for the next 15 years, a deal amounting to millions of rupees.

The deal gave the IOC not only exclusive rights to supply the grease and lubricants but also its dealers the right to fix the price they want without negotiations.

Talks to resolve school closure fail

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KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - The second round of tripartite dialogue held on Wednesday between officials of Ministry of Education and Sports, representatives of All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary) - a student wing of underground CPN (Maoist) - and parents’ body concluded without any concrete decision. The first round of dialogue on Monday too had concluded without decisions.

Both rounds of dialogue were held on the initiative of Abhibhabak Sangh (Parents’ Association), after regular classes in the schools were hit by the Revolutionary students’ call for a weeklong closure of the schools, which will end tomorrow.

Talking to journalists, a senior official at the Ministry said, "There was no major breakthrough reached during the meeting". However, he said that the government was positive towards making the Sanskrit course as optional.

According to Purna Paudyal, General Secretary of ANNFSU (Rev), the Ministry came to sit for the talk without full mandate. "They said that they could do nothing vis-à-vis stopping the existing National Anthem," he added.

Chief among the demands of ANNFSU (Rev) are, free education in public schools up to the secondary level, discontinuation of compulsory Sanskrit course from school’s curriculum, stopping to sing the existing National Anthem and the issue of commercialisation of education. Khagendra Basnyat, secretary at the Ministry led both rounds of talks from the government side and president of the students’ group, Devendra Parajuli, led the students’ side.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Suprabhat Bhandari, president of Abhibhabak Sangh said, "There was no great achievement except being hopeful. We want the students not to repeat such protests again".

Verdict on ‘missing child’ case postponed

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KATHMANDU, Dec 13 - The Supreme Court today has reschedule the final verdict, on the writ petition filed by Laxmi Timilsina last month requesting the court that her four-year-old daughter be released from illegal confinement for December 27.

A division bench comprising Chief Justices Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya and Justice Harish Chandra Prasad Upadhyaya issued the order.

In the hearing today Advocate Sambhu Thapa, arguing from the respondents’ side, said that the filed petition is not a case fit for habeas corpus, as the mother had given away her daughter on a signed agreement and she knew where her daughter was. "Besides, it is not an appropriate case for habeas corpus since the case is being looked into by the Appellate Court, Lalitpur, and the Kathmandu District Court," said Thapa requesting the bench to repeal the filed petition.

Arguing further, Thapa said that they have no objection if the child, on her own will, is ready to go with her mother.

Advocates Chhatra Kumari Gurung and Shashi Adhikari arguing from the petitioner’s side had stressed that whether it is appropriate to handover one’s child to other person. They also argued that the respondents blame that the child’s parents not taking care of her is baseless.

Timilsina had filed a writ petition on November 23, stating that Ambika Sigdel, Principal of Nil Shishu Niketan Boarding School, Dhalku, and her associate Hajuri Shrestha had taken her child "illegally".

Justice Khatri to forgo pension facility

KATHMANDU, Dec 13 (PR) - The Supreme Court Justice Gopal Prasad Khatri today announced that he would no longer take the pension that he has been receiving.

Justice Khatri, who was serving as a temporary justice at the Supreme Court (SC), was appointed to the permanent position of justice of SC on the recommendation of the Judicial Council. According to the Supreme Court and Judicial Council Spokesperson Kashiraj Dahal, Justice Khatri decided not to draw the pension while taking oath of office. After the Chief Commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, he has become the second person to forgo the pension.

Both the former officials were eligible to draw their pension as well as the salary as per the new appointments, but have decided against drawing their pensions.

Justice Khatri had entered the judicial service as a civil servant in 2017 (BS), and after serving for 32 years had retired as a senior level officer. He was getting around Rs 10,000 as pension. Currently, there are many senior officers who enjoy the benefits of both "pension and salary" after retiring from the civil service and then being re-inducted again.