Lawmakers walkout in protest

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - Lawmakers of the main opposition CPN-UML today vented their anger on Speaker Taranath Ranabhat for losing one of their parliament seat in the House of Representatives and boycotted further proceedings in protest.

Speaker Ranabhat had sworn-in Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Vice Chairman Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani on Wednesday evening as the latest member of the Lower House of Parliament after a Special Election Court had ruled in favor of Dr. Lohani.

RPP’s Dr. Lohani was declared winner by a Special Court by just one vote in a recount of votes last week from Nuwakot-1, ousting CPN-UML’s Rajendra Prakash Lohani from the seat that he had been declared winner in the last general elections.

As soon as the House convened around 1 pm, members of the main opposition charged the Speaker alleging him of trampling the law. They alleged the Speaker of ignoring Clause 227 in the House of Representatives Regulations. The Clause states that a member needs to come with the certificate provided by the Election Officer certifying that he has been declared winner before being allowed to be sworn in.

"This is a direct violation of the regulations. If the Speaker himself is trampling the law then what is the use of having the law," CPN-UML’s Mahendra Pandey asked before approaching Speaker Ranabhat and slamming the regulation book at his table.

Speaker Ranabhat tried to justify his actions but the main opposition drowned his voice.

"The laws governing elections of 1967 used to say that the verdict of the Election Court is final but the new laws enacted in 1990 says that the case can be appealed in the Supreme Court and it has the final say," CPN-UML’s Subash Nemwang said.

Since the court had reached the verdict in favor of Dr. Lohani, CPN-UML has been urging the Speaker and the Election Commission to stall the process of appointing him as a member of the parliament until the case is appealed and decided by the Supreme Court.

CPN-UML’s Rajendra Prakash Lohani has already filed a petition at the Supreme Court appealing against the decision reached by the Special Election Court and seeking interim orders to block his successor’s appointment.

Nemwang alleged the Speaker of ignoring the concerns of the main opposition. "Unfortunately we were not even given a chance to plead our case. We are not just complaining, but we are shocked by the decision. It was clear that the Speaker was in no position to make the new appointment by the way the matter was first prolonged for two days and sent for recommendations from the Election Commission," Nemwang said.

No sooner had Nemwang finished his views, all the members of the CPN-UML walked out of the assembly hall protesting the move followed by members of the National People’s Front, United People’s Front and the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party.

"The main opposition is maintaining double standards here. When the situation is in their favor they say it is law of the land but when it is not, they begin to question the laws itself," Dr. Lohani said addressing the parliament for the first time since his appointment.

He said it was the right for CPN-UML to appeal the case like he had done after the election but that did not mean he had to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court. "I waited for a whole year for the case to be decided but within that time the seat was not left vacant. So why should I be left out while the case is being decided," he said.

Defending his position, Speaker Ranabhat said he had to seek suggestions from political leaders and legal advisors and the Election Commission to resolve the situation since there were no provision specified in the regulations about how to proceed ahead when the court rejects an elected member and decides in favor of another candidate and it was their recommendations on which he based his decision to go ahead with the swearing in ceremony.

"It is not for us to decide on how the Election Court decided the case but our concern should be the verdict it has passed and how we implement it," Ranabhat said.

Nepal, India agree to fight terrorism 

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - The India-Nepal Home Secretarial level talks ended today with an agreement to enhance coordination between them to counter cross border terrorism.

Indian Home Secretary Kamal Pandey arrived here Tuesday for an official visit to discuss the issues pertaining the Nepal-India border and mutual security.

"Our talks were chiefly focused on combating terrorism," said Home Secretary Padam Prasad Pokharel after the completion of the talks. "As terrorism is a common problem for both the countries, we have agreed to enhance cooperation between the concerned officials on both sides to counter it."

Pokharel said both Nepal and India have agreed to set-up a joint local coordination committee, comprising of concerned Chief District Officers from Nepal and the District Magistrates from the Indian side.

According to a Home Ministry source, India also raised the alleged issue of Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI while Nepal raised concern over the alleged Indian support for the Maoist insurgents.

"We have also agreed to set up a free-international telephone service for the officials from both the sides to track down cross border criminals. Earlier, only the Nepalese officials were enjoying the free-phone luxury. "This telecommunication facility would help curb terrorism substantially, he said.

Pandey and his delegation will return home tomorrow.

PAC questions Water Resources Ministry officials

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today continued to question officials of the Ministry of Water Resources on the alleged irregularities while compensating a Korean contractor years after completion of the second phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project.

PAC has asked the officials to furnish more details on the case in which the Ministry had proposed that the government pay Rs. 77.3 million as compensation to the Korean contractor Koneco Pvt. Ltd. over three years after completion of the project.

Documents revealed that even the Auditor General in the annual report two years back had mentioned that when the project was still in the construction phase Rs. 32.7 million had been paid out to make up for the price rise of materials "at the Korean rate" for materials that was purchased from India and Nepal. This, according to the report, was itself against the regulations.

PAC has again called the officials to be present on Tuesday just days before the dateline set by the Korean side to pay off the compensation amount.

Secretary at the Ministry Bishwanath Sapkota, Director General of the Department of Irrigation Ratnaswar Kayastha and other officials were present today to discuss the possible irregularities in the second phase of the Mahakali Irrigation project.

The Korean company presenting a 20-point claim sheet had asked for Rs. 143.3 million as compensation on the project that began in 1995 with a grant loan from World Bank as the cost of Rs. 645 million.

Of the 20 claims, a preliminary committee had rejected 18 of the claims but that committee was dissolved and a new one formed that forwarded the compensation proposal to the cabinet.

The company had written to International Court of Arbitrator making the claim over three years after the irrigation project had been completed.

PAC began to investigate the case after allegations surfaced about a ploy to swindle nearly Rs. 80 million from the state coffers and the contractor and the officials have already struck an inside deal to share the amount.

The recommendation to pay the compensation was first made by the then Minister for Water Resources Govinda Raj Joshi to the cabinet but was rejected.

After the present government led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala assumed office, Joshi’s successor Khum Bahadur Khadka again took the proposal to the cabinet that was endorsed in early May.

127 micro-buses land in capital

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - The much-published Micro-buses have finally arrived. The 127-odd diesel-operated micro-buses that remained parked in India’s Raxaul for weeks have finally started arriving in the capital.

Krishna Murari Sharma, Director General at Department of Transport Management today said that the Toyota vehicles, imported via Calcutta port, were allowed to enter Nepal after the importers submitted such necessary documents as Conformity of Production and Type Approval certificates in line with Nepal Emission Standard 1999, the Nepali version of Euro I Emission Standard.

The vehicles, which have been offered heavy discount on customs duty by the government, are supposed to replace diesel-run Vikram tempos that were banned from the Valley last September.

Last month, 79 petrol-operated Chinese micro-buses, with a capacity to accommodate up to 19 passengers, made their way into the capital city. The vehicles, however, are required to be converted into LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)-run within three months after their entry into the country.

Sharma said a total of 560 micro-buses are being imported into the capital. While a few dozen Mitshubishi micro-buses have arrived at the Calcutta port, dozens of other Nissan micro-buses are on way to Raxaul, India’s Bihar, adjoining the central Terai’s commercial town of Birgunj.

Youth Programme : An icing in Nepali football

By Suman Malla

KATHMANDU, July 6 - The favourable outcome of the 9th Asian Youth Championships qualifiers comes as a thin icing on the Youth Development Programme. The result also helps shatter one irony of Nepalese football: That a good determined work never pays.

Nepali booters will now travel to Vietnam to take part in the 9th Asian Youth Under-16 finals slated for September 3-17. It finished ahead of favourites Uzbekistan from Group V in the recently concluded qualifiers in Kathmandu.

"Nepal, indeed, has very bright future in football," says the national team coach, Stephen Constantine, who guided the side to the unprecedented success. "It is the beginning of a production line which now allows Nepal a 10-year surplus to cement its footballing structure."

The fact that investment on youth guarantees a good return became evident in the just concluded Euro 2000 where the southern European teams - France, Italy, Portugal and Spain - with strong youth programmes were the ones to dominate. French stars Zinedine Zidane, Thiery Henry, Nicholas Anelka are all products of youth coaching programmes. The finalists Italy have been European Under-21 champions four times in the last five attempts: in 1992, ’94, ’96 and 2000.

Obviously, this is all not a chance but a design.

The recent Kathmandu success has boosted All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)’s ambition of at least reaching the level of a "second-tier" among the footballing countries in Asia. The current ANFA set-up took over in 1995 to provide impetus to the national programme luanched by the German coach, Holger Obermann in the early 90s.

Football in Nepal has gone through positive changes in recent times, especially at the grassroots level," says ANFA President, Ganesh Thapa. "As a carefully contructed youth development programme is already underway, we won’t have dearth of players in any age group."

ANFA has been running the Youth Development Project under which it selects 40 children of below 12 years every two years. Along with training them on their footballing skills, the youngsters are also provided education and accommodation.

However, football experts believe that only having a good youth programme does not ensure the long-term growth of the Nepali football.

"To be sure, Nepal cannot hope to look to such peaks just as yet but it is never too soon for the country to work to gain its status in Asia," says Nepal’s 36-year-old English coach.

According to him, with the youth programme gradually gathering momentum, the Nepalese football now requires a football calendar, engaging players for at least half of the year.

He suggests platforms for youngsters to sharpen their skills and gain mental strength. "That calls for a solid base in club football which is the only way that Nepal can catch up with the rest."

The idea is shared by Maheshwor Mulmi, coach of Nepal Youth Under-19.

"Players as well as clubs have much to gain from a well structured national league," the former coach of NRT said Tuesday, a day before he left for Dhaka, Bangladesh with his team to participate in the 32nd Asian Youth Under-19 Championship pre-qualifiers.

Dato Peter Velappan, the Secretary-General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), during his short visit here last month, urged all football associations to pay more attention to improve their club football.

Proposals for eleven hydel projects accepted 

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - The government has accepted proposals to develop 11 hydel projects across the country, including Arun III, officials said today. Likewise, proposals from six more companies have been accepted to carry out feasibility study of six other potential projects.

The proposals were officially accepted by a cabinet meeting on June 28, according to the officials. Currently, Ministry of Water Resources officials are in the process of inviting the companies to develop, or carry out feasibility study of the projects.

Officials at the Department of Electricity Development (DED) on Thursday said eight of the 11 power projects, including the 402 MW Arun III, will be developed by private sector power development companies from around the world, while the remaining three will be developed with the assistance of World Bank and the Korean government.

According to information made available by the privatization division of the Department, proposals of India-based Birla Corporation’s Cement Coordination and Planning Cell has been accepted to develop the 20 MW Budhi Ganga, Australia-based Pacific Hydro Limited to develop the 51 MW Likhu-4, USA-based Combined Energy Companies to develop the 101 MW Tamor-Mewa, Trans HP Development and Euro Orient company, USA to develop the 176 MW Andhi Khola, Canada-based ASTQ Holdings Corporation to develop the 301 MW Dudh Koshi and France-based Coyne Et Beller to develop the 60 MW Kankai.

Minister for Water Resources Khum Bahadur Khadka on Tuesday said in the House of Representatives that the government has accepted proposal from Eurorient Investment Group, USA to develop the Arun III project.

"The same company will be allowed to develop the (335 MW) Upper Arun too if it satisfactorily and successfully completes Arun III," Sarada Sharma senior official at the Ministry told The Kathmandu Post Wednesday.

Likewise, the 30 MW Chamelia will be developed with the assistance of Korean government, while the 30 MW Kabeli-A and the 27 MW Rahughat will be developed with the assistance of World Bank.

"Negotiations are on with the World Bank to develop the two projects under the Bank’s Power Development Fund (PDF)," the Department’s Deputy Director General Bishnu Bahadur Thapa said.

Likewise, the government has accepted proposals from Norway-based Stalkraft SF to carry out feasibility study of the 27 MW Khimti Khola II, Brazil-based Braspower to study the 308 MW Lower Arun, Canada-based ASTQ Holdings to study the 660 MW Kali Gandaki 2, Australia-based Pacific Hydro Limited, to study the 300 MW Upper Trishuli, Sanima Hydropower Limited, Nepal to study the 60 MW Mai Loop project and Sulzer Hydro Limited, Switzerland to study the 121 MW Upper Marshyangdi 3.

The evaluation committee formed to look into the proposals, however, was undecided on the two proposals--that of Snowy Mountain Engineering Corporation, Australia and SMTQ Holdings, Canada--seeking to study the 600 MW Budhi Gandaki. No proposal was submitted to study the 203 MW Tila river, he 245 MW Naumure, the 207 MW Tama Koshi-2 and the 287 MW Tama Koshi 3, according to the Division.

Pay cards on NTC’s menu 

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) will soon introduce pay cards for the general public, said an official today.

"The Smart Card Pay Phone System will start as soon as Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) reduces the cost of obtaining license," said Madhu Sudan Karmacharya, business department manager of NTC at Bhadrakali.

"We are going public as soon as we obtain the license," said Karmacharya. The cost of obtaining license from NTA is Rs 3 million.

"We are just complying with the Telecommunication Policy - 1999 and charging the rate accordingly," said Ratna Kaji Tuladhar Deputy General Manager of NTA.

Tuladhar further said," We realise the license fee is very high and so we are very soon requesting the government to reduce the amount."

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are just paying Rs. 300,000 for the license whose service is meant for upper class people while pay card is meant for the general public who currently has to pay a huge amount, he said.

"The cost of operating the pay phone system is very expensive, however we shall provide subsidised rate for the local calls," said Manager Karmacharya.

NTC has already started the services at various premises of its own office complex.

NTC currently plans to install about 200 pay phone sets, 18 of which are external and the rest internal.

Internal sets are said to be installed at places like airports, bus-stops, hospitals, nursing homes, colleges, etc.

Mountaineering royalty hiked 

By Ang Tshering Sherpa

KATHMANDU, July 6 - Nepal Mountaineers’ Association (NMA), has increased the mountaineering royalty for 18 peaks. The new rates will be effective from 2001.

The royalty from 18 peaks ranging from the height of 5,000 to 6,900 meters is the only income source of the NMA. Under the revised tariff, any team of four persons willing to climb the mountains under the ‘A’ category will have to pay US$ 350 and each person of the team will have to pay US$ 150 additional. There are 4 mountains under the A category in the Solukhumbu range -Island peak, Lobuche peak, Merapeak and Farchema peak.

Previously, any team of ten people attempting to climb the peaks under the A category used to pay US$ 300 and if the team exceeded ten persons, the team had to pay US$ 7.5 extra per person.

Under category B, each team of four persons will have to pay US$ 300 and additional US$ 100 per person.

"We had to raise the charges due to financial crunch," said general secretary of NMA Bhumi Lama. According to him, NMA has not altered the charges since 22 years. NMA gave permission to 786 teams -- total 4,338 persons last year and earned an estimated amount of Rs 150 million.

Other than the 18 peaks under NMA, the government has 107 peaks under its management and charges far bigger amount than the newly-revised charges of NMA.

The government charges US$ 1,500 for peaks ranging from 6,500 to 7,000 metres, US$ 2,000 for peaks ranging from 7,000 to 7,500 metres. For peaks ranging from 7,500 to 8,000 meters, the government charges US$ 4,000 and for the peaks above 8,000 metres the government charges US$ 10,000 plus liaison officers.

Doti prison dilapidated 

By a Post Reporter

DOTI, July 6 - The district prison at Dipayal-Silgadhi Municipality in this mid-western district is in a dilapidated state and is in need of immediate renovation.

A leaking roof along with cracked walls has made the prison cells damp and shabby.

"We are living under a constant threat. The building may crumble down anytime. With the onset of monsoon, its condition has worsened",says prisoner Gangaram Luhar.

Prisoners are living a perilous life inside the dilapidated building, along with a series of discomforts mainly due to lack of proper sanitation and medical facilities.

"There is neither water nor proper drainage system.The prison cells are so filthy and nauseating that we feel choked,"laments prisoner Luhar." Water supply is irregular and scanty.I have not had a bath for months."

Most of the prisoners called for immediate renovation or construction of a new prison building."We are paying for more than the sin we have committed.But this building is too much,"they told The Kathmandu Post.

Doti Prison building which has a capacity to accommodate 45 persons currently has 22 prisoners.It is divided into four compartments of which three are for males and one for females, which is at present vacant.

There is no official record which specifies the exact date of the construction of the prison building.According to local elderly people, it was constructed before 1934 AD.

Chief of the Prison Satya Swarup Joshi acknowledges the urgent need to repair the building." But due to paucity of budget, nothing has been done to repair it", We are providing facilities to the prisoners through the available resources", he says.

The prisoners are provided 700 gm of rice everyday , Rs 15 daily allowance, clothes and bedding twice a year.However, there are no recreational facilities. The only T.V is out of order since the last three years.

Once in a while, the prisoners are given training on knitting.

" Our products (sweaters), however, do not fetch good price at the market," they say.

Leaders of major political parties who had a bitter experience in the jail before the restoration of multiparty democracy have done nothing to change this place for better, said the prisoners.

St Xavier’s keeping torch of learning high 

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, July 6 - Fifty years in the service of the country’s education history is special indeed, especially since the torch of learning was kept lit while the nation passed through many storms during the period.

As St. Xavier’s School, Kathmandu kicked off its yearlong battery of activities last week to celebrate its Golden Jubilee in July 2001, there is a certain magic that marks its footsteps followed by various laurels.

Ever since the school was established in July 1951 with 65 students in the then Cadet Training Centre in Godavari, more than 2,819 from 43 classes have graduated from St. Xavier’s since the first batch sat for its Senior Cambridge exam back in 1956.

Kendra Bikram Shah, one of the first five Senior Cambridge graduates of the school and presently an architect working with the American Embassy, Kathmandu says "Nepal would have reached places" if more schools like St. Xavier’s had evolved then.

"Things were so simple in those days...Even the motorable roads to Kathmandu were just being constructed. Many of our Alumni are now leaders in their professional field creating a climate of innovation and collaboration," says Shah. "Nepal definitely would have advanced more in this high-tech world."

The school now boasts of a series of prominent alumni members: Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah; Chief of Army Staff Prajwalla Shamsher Rana; senior surgeon Ashok Banskota; journalist Bharat Datta Koirala; former Campus Chief of Shanker Dev Campus Bidya Man Shakya; tourism expert Yogendra Shakya, and Bijay Krishna Shrestha, Allen Tuladhar and Sanjeev Rajbhandari, all notable names in the country’s cyber savvy, among many others.

The school’s history dates back to 1950 when General Mrigendra Shamsher Rana, then the director at Public Education Office during the Rana regime, had requested Father Moran, principal at St. Xavier’s School in Patna, India to establish a school in Nepal. The school was finally established 32 days after King Tribhuvan returned to Nepal after the dawn of democracy.

Fr. Moran, the first catholic priest to have entered Nepal after the death of the last Capuchin monk two centuries earlier, also became the first principal of St. Xavier’s.

According to Rajendra Man Sherchan, another former student and one of the two co-chairmen of the school’s Golden Jubilee Organizing Committee, St. Xavier’s was first established to provide quality education in the country itself for the increasing number of Nepali youth who were flocking to India for better education.

Subsequently, some 300 applicants were screened out of which 60 boys - 18 of whom were Nepalese students in Patna - got selected as the first batch of students.

Now, the number of students in Jawalakhel stands around 960 while Godavari has some 500 students.

Many say that the padaris, who were behind the establishment of St. Xavier’s and many who now hold Nepali citizenship, have also contributed in the preservation of Nepali history and culture. "Fr. Stiller, who holds a PHD in Nepali history, has written seven books on the subject, Fr. Locke has written three books on Nepali culture while Fr. Cap Miller on Nepali anthropology," says Sherchan.

On the other hand, many have been saying that St. Xavier’s has been serving basically the elitist in the social circle. Fr. Lawrence Maniyar, the present principal of St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel, dismisses such remarks.

"We have roughly 40 students studying on full scholarship and other 60 on partial scholarship until their higher secondary education, in spite of our monthly fees still standing at some Rs. 800 monthly, one of the cheapest amongst schools," he says.

"Ultimately, we plan to admit 25 percent of underprivileged students of the entire new admissions," he adds. St. Xavier’s Godavari turned into a village school and has now started admitting only locals, while St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel took in its first batch of girl students this year. The school in Jawalakhel has also opened its own ten-plus-two wing.

Similarly, Fr. Eugene Watrin, the oldest Jesuit and who acts as a moderator of the school’s alumni, is also in favour of providing an opportunity to the underprivileged students.

"So far, we have tried our level best...We will definitely continue serving the underprivileged," he says. "We’ll even talk to the old boys to support us as anything is possible with their joint effort."