Indian response on refugees better: PM

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept 16 - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala returned home today after attending the UN Millennium Summit at New York and meeting Nepalese ambassadors to European countries in Geneva on his way.

Speaking with the mediapersons at the airport, PM Koirala talked about a host of issues he dealt with in his two week long foreign trip.

Bhutan not positive

"I sought India’s intervention in resolving the Bhutanese refugee issue and its response is not negative like before," said Koirala. India had all along been maintaining that it was a bilateral issue between Nepal and Bhutan.

"I also pointed out to Sadako Ogata (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) that Bhutanese King and the prime minister are positive when they talk (on refugee issue) with you," said Koirala, adding "but at the UN, I did not find their (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bhutan) attitude positive." Koirala also said he had told Ogata that Bhutanese "are clever and use sugary tongue" while holding dialogue and "you (Ogata) have been influenced by it".

"Even the European countries remarked why Nepal should suffer from Bhutan’s wrong-doings." Replying to a question, Koirala said there would be no policy change vis-a-vis the level at which talks are held between Nepal and Bhutan, terming the foreign ministerial level talks "progressive".

UN needs restructuring

"The UN has given importance to smaller nations and for the first time there has been separate group interaction between different countries," said Koirala, talking about his experiences at the UN Summit.

"Nepal has highlighted that in the light of Information Technology revolution, UN needs restructuring," added the PM. He also said Nepal’s suggestion of closing the gap between the haves and have-nots, which otherwise would pose security threat to UN, was appreciated by many nations.

SAARC Summit uncertain

The Prime Minister said all the SAARC member-states, except India, were in favour of immediate holding of the SAARC Summit. "India said it should be done at an appropriate time," remarked Koirala, without specifying the time-frame for the Summit.

Ambassadors not briefed

While speaking about the challenges faced by Nepalese envoys, Koirala admitted that the ambassadors are not up-to-date with the happenings in Kathmandu due to faulty mechanism. "The agreements signed by different ministries do not get reported to the Foreign Ministry. So our ambassadors are in the dark." PM Koirala added that he had asked the ambassadors to focus on economic diplomacy.

Koirala also sought help of UN Human Rights Commissioner to help make Nepal’s Human Rights Commission independent. "I told the Commissioner that if our HRC depends on the government, it will lose its credibility."

Swiss help sought in banking sector

Speaking about bilateral assistance, the Prime Minister said he had asked Switzerland’s help in strengthening banking services and promoting village-based tourism in Nepal. "The Swiss have assured cooperation."

Koirala also added that he had requested Italy to reestablish their diplomatic mission in Nepal. "Their prime minister said that it was closed due to economic constraints and they would reconsider the matter."

Kaligandaki-A to run only after 2002

By Hari Bahadur Thapa

BELTARI, Syangja, Sept 16 - The 144 Mega Watt (MW) Kali Gandaki-A hydel project, which was scheduled to be completed this year, may start generating power only after the monsoon of 2002. To add insult to the injury, the project’s cost too is increasing substantially.

The new date given by the officials at the project site here contradicts claims that the project could be completed by the end of 2001. The project’s completion time had been postponed on two previous occasions. The company was supposed to complete the project by February 21, 2001, according to the latest agreement.

Moreover, thanks largely to the delay, the government may need to cough up as much as Rs 6 billion in the project, according to the estimates of Parliamentary Finance Committee.

Technicians and project officials here blame "adverse geological conditions" at the tunnel construction site, coupled with a series of strikes by the project workers, as the reasons leading to the delay.

According to the agreement reached between the government and the Italian contractor company, the US 450 million dollar project’s tunnel construction works should have completed by now. But only 63 percent works have been completed as of now.

The delay came to the notice of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) -- the state-owned entity responsible for the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity -- last month after the contractor company issued a letter putting forth some demands, and warning that the project could face further delay of up to six months.

According to the project’s in-charge Niranjan Kapali, the contractor company in its letter has demanded an additional sum of US 800,000 dollars setting deadline of September. The company has stated it plans to conduct test of the tunnel by March 4, 2002.

But no official decision has been reached on the contractor’s demands as yet, according to Kapali.

The six kilometre long tunnel’s 800 meter digging works are yet to be completed while the dam, desander slope and the power house are under construction. Seventy eight percent works of the dam, 56 percent of the tunnel project and 83 percent of the power house’s construction works have been completed as of now, according to project officials.

While Italy’s Impreglio company is overseeing the project’s civil works, a Japanese company and another German company are looking after the electromechanical works.

While the government is funnelled its US 32.8 dollars and NEA’s US 100 million dollars for the Kali Gandaki A, US 450 million dollar loan received from ADB and US 160 million dollars received as Japanese government’s Official Development Assistance have also been invested.

‘Citizenship against national interest’

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept 16 - Lawyers today said the sixth amendment on Citizenship Act is against national interest because it will open floodgates of citizenship seekers from all sides of the border.

The 18th session of Parliament had passed the bill with a simple majority and is waiting for Royal approval.

Presenting a paper on "Controversial Citizenship Bill", a senior advocate Borna Bahadur Karki said, "Since Nepal is between two densely populated countries, this bill will add more population to the already crammed country if ever implemented." Karki was presenting the paper at a seminar organised by Nepal Intellectuals’ Council, Lalitpur.

"Indians living in the Terai belt of Nepal and Tibetan refugees living in the northern parts can easily acquire Nepali citizenship certificates after the amendment is implemented," Karki said.

The lawyers said that the government had taken the step to directly amend the act without looking for other remedies. "Instead of amending it, it would have been much better if they had taken steps to correct the loopholes," advocate Karki said.

Commenting on the paper, advocate Yubaraj Sangraula said, "The passing of this bill has challenged the sovereignty of the country."

"The Nepali Congress lawmakers passed the bill without broad discussion on its social and economic consequences," Sangraula said. "It would be better if the bill was passed after closing the border with India for ever."

5 of two families die in landslide

By a Post Reporter

BAJHANG, Sept 16 - Five members of two families died here when landslides hit their two storey houses early Friday morning while they were asleep. The incident happened at Syadi Village Development Committee-5, lying about 45 km west of the district headquarters, police said.

According to District Police Office Bajhang, Arjun Bohara’s mother Pirma, 60, his wife Harka Devi, 40, and two children Parbati, 13 and Narma, 3, were among the dead.

In another incident, a three-year-old Manaki Bohara, daughter of Gunnu Bohara, also died after a landslide buried her while sleeping in her home located at the same place, police said. The two-storey houses were completely destroyed by the landslide, according to the police.

Those who were rescued from the debris were rushed to the district hospital and they are out of danger. A rescue team of police personnel went to the site soon after the information about the incident reached the headquarters.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chhabilal Joshi said Arjun Bohara and Gunnu Bohara escaped the calamity as they were out of their homes when the landslide occurred.