LPG shortage may ease by weekend

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - The mounting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) shortage may enjoy a short respite, as an additional 200 metric tons of cooking gas will arrives in the Kathmandu Valley at the end of this week.

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had arranged for the import of 200 metric tons of cooking gas from Haldia, India, to meet the widening demand and supply gap for the cooking gas. A small fraction of the procurement has trickled into the Capital so far.

Ajit Kr Jha, senior engineer with Nepal Gas Udyog, said, "As we have already procured the gas, we expect it to arrive in Kathmandu by the weekend." He also commented that the second trench of import, consisting of 36 metric tons would arrive here by Tuesday.

The arrangement is only a short-term crisis management measure and will not address the problem in the long run. "The present supply is not enough to cope with the rising demand," Subhas Khetan, Treasurer of LP Gas Association (LPGA) said. The shortage will not subside unless an additional 1000 metric tonnes of gas are imported immediately and 4000 metric tons are imported every month thereafter," The LPG shortage has continued unabated for the last three months with NOC officials and gas dealers blaming each other for the protracted shortage.

NOC strongly asserts that it has been supplying sufficient LPG to meet domestic demand. "Since the Barauni refinery is functioning smoothly, NOC has been importing 3,500 tons per month, which is enough to cope with the increased demand," Madan Raj Sharma, Executive Director of NOC. The perceived shortage is due to poor a distribution network of private gas distributors, he added. NOC recently raised its monthly LPG imports from 2500 tons to 3500 tons. Sharma pointed to this week’s gas import delay by Nepal Gas Udhyog as a case in point. "We arranged for 200 additional tons of gas supply from Haldia refinery as per the demands of Nepal Gas Udyog, however, it took over a week for Nepal Gas to import it," Sharma said.

However, dealers counter-charged NOC, the state-owned monopoly, in the import of petroleum products, to be working to fulfil its vested interest. " NOC is trying to project the private sector as inefficient in the internal supply of gas so that it could be used as a pretext for it to enter into the gas supply business," said Jha.

NOC has already decided to establish its own bottling plant to start its distribution network but this is yet to be sanctioned by the government.

The nation has been facing an acute LPG shortage since October, when NOC, the monopolist importer of petroleum products into the country, announced a hike in petro-prices. A hike in the price of kerosene by 100 per cent promptly led low- income group consumers to switch to LPG as their chief cooking fuel. Likewise, the soaring use of LPG by industries and gas-powered vehicles has exacerbated the shortage. Currently there are over 1000 such gas-powered vehicles (700 three-wheelers and 300 microbuses) consuming over 500 tons of LPG monthly.

‘APF no solution to insurgency’

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - At a time when the government is working to establish Armed Police Force (APF) to contain the Maoist insurgency, senior government officials and researchers, say APF will not help in resolving the five-year old insurgency.

"Neither the army mobilization nor the formation of APF will help solve the Maoist problem," said Govinda Kushum Thapa, Joint-Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, who claimed to have been engaged in a research on the Maoist movement. "The problem should be resolved through bilateral dialogue, which is the only solution," he added.

Speaking at the National Symposium on Maoist Movement in Nepal organized by PRAGYA here today, Thapa said both Maoist and the government would win if they tried to solve the problem through dialogue. "The continued indifference for dialogue would lead the country to civil war," said he.

Presenting a paper in the symposium, Executive Director of PRAGYA, Anand Aditya, revealed that people belonging to Chhetri caste constitute the highest number of people to have been killed during the insurgency. Altogether 353 people (168 by police and 185 by Maoists) belonging to this caste have been killed. Similarly, 310 Magars (224 by police and 86 by Maoists), one of the backward ethnic caste in Nepal, have lost their lives so far. According to Aditya, the year 1999 saw the highest number of people losing their life in the insurgency. 469 people lost their lives in 1999, while 409 had been killed in 1998.

Speaking on the occasion, Superintendent of Police at Armed Police Battalion No 2, Chunda Bahadur Shrestha, who is conducting research on Maoist movement, said, the use of force would solve only 10-20 per cent of the problem. Other options should be tried for the permanent solution, he said. "It is because of the failed governance and police machinery, that the insurgency has escalated to the present state."

Human Rights lawyer Gopal Siwakoti "Chintan" said that the government has "militarized" the judiciary of the country by establishing Special Court (SC) to deal with the Maoist-related cases. And mobilization of APF is only another way of mobilizatizing the army, Chintan said.

‘RNAC paid Rs 8 m extra to Lauda Air’

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - The state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation - RNAC - has paid an additional Rs 8 million, not incorporated in the original deal, for purchasing spare parts for the recently-leased Lauda Air jet, according to a source.

According to an RNAC source, Lauda Air has already received the money as per the directive of Executive Chairman, Haribhakta Shrestha, who was recently suspended on the recommendation of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). CIAA has implicated Shrestha in irregularities surrounding the Lauda deal. The CIAA interrogated Shrestha six times before recommending his suspension, stating that the accused might destroy, obstruct or conceal the evidence while the investigation was underway.

The corporation has leased the Lauda Air jet with an agreement to use it for at least 300 flight hours per month. The aircraft clocked up merely 240 flight hours in December 2000 and RNAC has paid the money to Lauda Air for the unused 60 flight-hours. The source also revealed that the RNAC bore losses of Rs 150 million in December only.

Locals face tough time as NC meet nears

By Binaj Gurubacharya

POKHARA, Jan 15 - At least for now, Teku has moved to Pokhara. The central office of the governing Nepali Congress (NC) has temporarily moved to this resort town, which will be host to the party’s 10th General Convention.

A yellow building near the Mahendra Bridge, that is connected to the main-street by a narrow alley, for now will be the central office of NC for the next one week. Chief Secretary of the NC central office, Basanta Kumar Gautam has arrived in Pokhara with his entourage for the meet that will formally kick off on Friday at the Pokhara Stadium.

Already this sleepy resort town, more accustomed to tourists from both home and abroad, is gearing up to welcome the visitors who will be storming the streets.

Organizers expect at least 1,500 participants, about 500 volunteers and another 500 on the management team. This figure does not include the number of party activists who will be following their netas around.

"The 26 sub committees that were assigned with various tasks to prepare for the meet have done their jobs and we expect the meet to go smoothly," said Shukra Raj Sharma, Coordinator of the Convention Management Committee.

Leaders of the six national political parties are expected to arrive here along with guests from at least 30 countries.

Leaving the festive mood behind, locals here are already complaining not just about the added number of people, pollution and publicity but the pressure being put on them.

Businessmen here say they have been forced to toss into the party funds and mostly by force. Owners of hotels, restaurants and stores across the town say people who claim to be associated with the Convention Finance Committee have approached them. "People are being subjected to extortion and professionals and businesses have been forced to contribute to the fund," said a store-owner who has business in the heart of the valley.

Like him, many say that "volunteers" issue receipts for donations ranging from Rs. 5000-25,000 judging by the size of the businesses and professionals like doctors are asked to contribute between Rs. 5,000-10,000 depending on the years of their practice and income.

Organizers have also brought in caterers from Kathmandu, which was not approved by the committee but by the two seniors of the party — Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. Besides that, the streets between the City Hall where the closed sessions will be held and the party office at Chipledhunga are being hastily patched up at a cost of around Rs. 1 million.

However, the project is getting much criticism since these roads are going to be completely torn apart and new ones constructed in the next couple of months.

"For many people this Convention has become nothing but a mode of making millions off the state and party funds," said another local who did not want to be named. "This patch up work is being done by the Road Department we will begin work in March," said Mayor of Pokhara Sub-Municipality Krishna Thapa, who did not elaborate on the project.

Security has been beefed up. Additional forces have been mobilized and patrolling of the streets doubled. Inspector General of Police and the Home Secretary had visited the town last month to assess the situation.

"We have made all the security arrangements inside the meeting venues and I am sure the local administration will take care of the security outside," said Sharma. However, with the meet electing the party president and 18 members to the Central Working Committee (CWC) party officials are not ruling out trouble.

Sher Bahadur Deuba is challenging Prime Minister Koirala, who for now commands much influence in the party. Deuba had led a rebellion against Koirala last month and had filed proposal of no confidence against Koirala in a failed bid to oust him from the office he has held for the past nine months.

Writ filed against public holidays

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - A writ petition has been filed at the Supreme Court today, terming the government’s decision making procedure regarding public holidays through directives and notices as unconstitutional and that the court issue mandamus to such act.

Chairman of the Forum for Independent Thinking, Bharat Jangam, filed the writ petition stating the government can issue directives regarding public holidays only after making proper laws.

The petition also argued that the government prescribing public holidays on Sundays, that too confined only to Kathmandu Valley, violated the constitutional provision 11 (1).

The petition stated that civil servants enjoy about 200 days of holiday in a year. "A civil servant working for 20 years is entitled to a pension as guarenteed by the act. However, the same act facilitates him to work for less than five years in the entire 20 year period," the writ stated. The figure is arrived at by including the five years study leave and three years extraordinary leave.

"There is a provision that a male civil servant is entitled to 15 years and 4 months and a female to 15 years and nine months holidays. The state can not realise effective return compared to what it has invested upon these civil servants as they are entitled to too many holidays," stated the writ.

According to the writ, the public holidays do not exceed 110 days even in advanced nations like the US and the UK. "Even if the central government of India has given 2 day off in a week, the public holidays there don’t exceed 115 days," the writ stated.

The filing of the petition on Monday comes at a time when the government itself is planning to scrap more than one dozen public holidays. However, no final decision has been reached on the issue due to differences of opinion among the high ranking officials regarding wheather the two-days weekend off in the Kathmandu valley should be reduced to one. The government, more than a year ago had announced two-days week off in the valley on an experimental basis.

The petition has named Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Home, Ministry of General Administration, Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs and State Affairs Committee of the Parliament as respondents.

Govt yet to make code mandatory in quake prone Nepal

n By Surendra Phuyal

KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - All the young school children and elders participating in the procession organized to mark the third Earthquake Safety Day Monday were attempting to drive home a single message: Hey guardians of the city, will you take extra precautions while building houses and other structures?

Aware of the fact that earthquakes do not kill people, but it is the falling structures that do, children and youths alike were reminding every one of the bitter memories of the 1934 (Magh 2, 1990 BS) Nepal-Bihar earthquake, also called the ‘greatest earthquake of the century’--and the 1988 (Bhadra 5, 2045 BS) Udaypur earthquake.

Situated on the lap of the mighty Himalayas that, as scientists say, were formed approximately 50 million years ago as a result of a collision between the Indian and the Tibetan (or Eurasian) plates, Nepal is prone to earthquakes. History shows that there have been incidents of major earthquakes at intervals of every 50-60 years or so.

The plates are continuing to slide past each other at the rate of 2 centimetres per year, resulting in tremors of varied intensity. While the big intensity tremors like the 1988 earthquake lead to the loss of lives and properties, small ones leave people petrified for days.

But have the guardians of the city(ies), or the government, done anything to make sure that the buildings and houses that are being constructed are quake-resistant? If so, what are the measures taken? And, are these measures sufficient?

Experts closely following the developments actually laud a few of the moves taken by the government--such as the introduction of the National Building Code and the announcement to celebrate Magh 2 (January 14 or 15) as Earthquake Safety Day. Both the moves came in 1998.

Nevertheless, they say that this is insufficient as the building code has not yet been made mandatory for every citizen. "The code should be made mandatory for everyone, be he a village dweller or a city dweller, and be it a government entity or a private entity," says Senior Geologist M R Pande of the Department of Mines and Geology.

"If the government does not do so, ultimately it will be the same government which will have to bear the loss (of lives and properties) resulting from a big earthquake," he adds.

The code has not yet been made compulsory for government bodies either, although a few--private individuals and government bodies--have started to follow it while constructing new houses or buildings.

Amrit Man Tuladhar, an engineer at the Department of Housing and Urban Planning, which sells the five-year-old code to aspiring quake-resistant builders, says that a few individuals and organizations have become techno-savvy by following the building code.

He says that the buildings constructed after following the code can "withstand tremors like that of 1988".

According to him, the Department has constructed model quake-resistant houses in Harishiddhi village in Lalitpur and in Solukhumbu, besides providing training to masons in different districts. In the last five years, the department has already trained about 700 masons.

Aside this, Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Reduction Project (KVERMP), a non governmental undertaking, too, recently joined hands with the government to make a few of the government-run schools in the Valley quake-resistant. Recently, the project renovated five schools in the Valley in such a way as to withstand powerful earthquakes.

It does not cost much to construct quake-resistant houses, engineers at KVERMP say. It only cost five to six percent more than the initial cost.

If an earthquake of the 1934 intensity (8-plus in Richter scale) were to occur again, experts warn that most of the public houses in Kathmandu Valley would come crashing down, killing thousands of people and damaging properties worth billions.

Recent researches and studies have shown that the surface of the Kathmandu Valley, which was a lake millions of years ago, is still "very soft", and that is why detail engineering designs need to be drawn up before going ahead with construction works.

General Court to look after pending cases

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15 - The Spokesperson of the Supreme Court (SC) today said that general court will look after pending cases that presently falls under the jurisdiction of the Special Court.

Spokesperson Kashi Raj Dahal said, "Confusion has been created among the general public as to who will look after the pending cases related to crimes against the state, drugs, foreign exchange transactions and women trafficking. They should be clear that the ongoing cases will be looked after by the concerned courts where the cases were filed."

"The general court has only stopped registering such cases, but will still look after the pending cases," said Dahal talking to reporters today at his chamber at SC. "Unless the act does not clearly specify, the cases will be handled by those courts wherever they are filed," he added.

Publishing a notice in the gazette on December 25, the government had established the Special Court to look after such cases stating it would start functioning within 15 days.