MPs’ development fund not fully utilised yet

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MORANG, July 5 - Six of the seven Members of Parliament elected from the district have not been able to spend all the amount ( one million rupees of the MP’s Fund) for different construction and development works in the current fiscal year.

They are authorised to spend this amount in development works at their disposal.

According to the DDC, six of them have spent only Rs 666,000 in their constituencies from the MP’s Fund during the current fiscal year.

More than 75 percent works of the projects initiated with the fund are also lying incomplete. The remaining amount ( Rs 334,000) is also not likely to be spent for construction and development works this year, DDC sources said.

Minister for Education and Sports Amod Prasad Upadhyaya has implemented 31 projects in Morang Constituency-1 from the MP’s Fund, but 24 of them are yet to be completed.

Similarly, in Constituency-2, MP Bharat Mohan Adhikari has run seven projects but there has been no settlement of account of even one of the projects.

It is only MP Lal Babu Pundit of Constituency-3 who has spent the entire amount which he was authorised to spend from the MP’s Fund. He has implemented 22 development projects and six of them have been completed.

In the same way, MP Harka Man Tamang of Morang Constituency-4 has initiated 22 development works. Only four of them have been completed by now.

According to DDC sources, Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya who has been elected from Morang Constituency-5, has carried out 14 projects, but there has been no settlement of account of any project.

Similarly, MP Hari Narayan Chaudhari of Constituency-6 has run 21 projects and completed 6 projects while MP Badri Prasad Mandal has run 52 projects and completed 15 projects, according to DDC sources.

All the seven MPs have included road, school, irrigation, temple and tubewell construction in their constituencies.

MPs receive the fund in three installments after submitting the project schemes. Six MPs have not demanded for the third installment.

According to project officer in Morang DDC, Nutan Chapagain, the amount of the MP’s Fund which remains to be spent this year will be given to them again next year.

Students (R) fix fees for private schools in Nawalparasi

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NAWALPARASI, July 5 - The All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), which is affiliated to the underground CPN (Maoist), has fixed the admission and monthly fees for private schools in this district effective from this academic year.

At the talks held between the union and PABSON representatives at Bardghat on Wednesday, it was agreed that compulsory Sanskrit subject will be removed from the school curriculum, existing national anthem singing will be stopped and the new student admission fee will not exceed Rs 1,000 excluding monthly fees. The two sides have agreed on various seven points.

According to the agreement, fees for nursery and class ten will not exceed Rs 260 and Rs 600 per month respectively. In the same ways, separate fees have been decided for all the classes.

As for the admission of old students of the school, schools will not charge more than Rs 500 at the primary school level and Rs 700 at the lower secondary and secondary school levels.

Further, no matter whatever has been mentioned in the agreement, the schools cannot increase fees from what they had charged the previous year.

Following the agreement reached between the students union and PABSON representatives, about a dozen boarding schools are required to make reduction in their existing fee structure. On the other hand, schools which have been charging fees below the level now fixed by the union, they will have to be content with what they have been charging.

Nothing has been mentioned with regard to stationery, tuition and transport fees being charged arbitrarily by the boarding schools.

There are in all 125 private schools although only 70 schools have been affiliated with the PABSON.

The agreement was signed by Central Committee member of the union Tika Ram Gautam on behalf of the Revolutionary Students’ Union and Central Committee member of PABSON Suman Gopal Acharya and other representatives.

Maoists capture private land in Kailali

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THAPAPUR, Kailali, July 5 - Maoist-aligned All Nepal Peasants’ Association captured almost 30 bighas of land and planted paddy in various villages of this far-western plain district over a week, according to a report received here.

The report said that the rebels captured Ram Dhwoj Chand’s 11 bighas of arable land at Thapapur VDC-6, located about 85 km south-east of Dhangadhi, the district headquarters and about 15 km south of Tikapur Municipality.

Chand, the owner of the land, landlord, has been living in Kathmandu for the last three years. He had assigned an Indian national to look after his entire farm.

The Peasants’ Association also captured more than six bighas of individual and government land at Dhansing Pur VDC-8 and Pahalman Pur VDC-1 and planted paddy on the captured area.

Maoist cadre captured these land in the presence of local farmers on Wednesday. According to a local farmer, Sitaram Adhikari, they used 30 tractors to plough the land and two pumping sets while planting paddy in Chand’s farm.

"We had no other option than to support the Maoists’ land seizure campaign following the government’s lukewarm response to our plight," said Birbal Chaudhary, an ex-bonded labourer from the VDC.

Life of the ex-bonded labourers has turned to be more complicated than one year ago when they were liberated from the age-old bonded labour system in five mid-and far-western Terai districts.

The Bhajani-based area police outpost said it had no knowledge about the seizure of the land until Thursday morning though it is located only 10 km away from the VDCs, where the rebels captured individuals’ land.

Parsa DDC chief accused of taking commission

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BIRGUNJ, July 5 - Parsa District Development Committee (DDC) member, Jaleem Miya, accused the DDC Chairman of receiving commission from local contractors violating economic rules while awarding contracts for scrap and rice-husk tax.

Miya alleged that DDC Chairman Janardan Singh Chhetri awarded the contracts to his close people without fulfilling the required tender rules one day before the last date of submitting the tenders on June 24.

He said that other eligible contractors were prevented from contesting independently on the million rupee tender call for scrap and rice-husk tax.

A complaint has already been lodged at the District Administration Office against the DDC Chairman for his alleged involvement in "irregularities." The complaint has also demanded the Chief District Officer to annul all the procedures reached so far.

Miya alleged that DDC Chairman’s decision to this effect has caused heavy loss to the DDC’s revenue. He alleged that contract for scrap tax was awarded to Abbas Miya on quotation basis for Rs 6.7 million while the rice husk contract was given to Isahak Miya for Rs 1.5 million for the coming fiscal year.

Asked to comment on the allegation, DDC Chairman Chhetri said it was a baseless accusation against him and added that there was no evidence to prove it.

"The decision to award the contracts to the said people was taken by the DDC board meeting abiding by the prevailing economic rules," Chhetri told The Kathmandu Post.

DDC member Miya, however, claimed that there was a big deal of commission before awarding the contracts to those people.

Affected people seek compensation for land

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KATHMANDU, July 5 - The organisation of the people affected from the Marsyangdi Hydro-Electric Project today demanded just compensation of their land being taken away for the undertaking of the project.

Speaking at a programme organised by the Marsyangdi Affected Peoples’ Organis-ation,President Hari Kant Khanal said that there are 105 families directly affected from the construction of the Marsyangdi Hydro-Electric Project.

Khanal blamed the committee formed under the District Administration Office, Lamjung of being discrimiatory while compensating locals of their land taken for the undertaking of the project.

"We have also filed an appeal at the Home Ministry for the rightful compensation," said Khanal. "There has been discrimination even in the encroachment of land," he added. According to Khanal, there are 105 families affected in the Bhotewadar VDC from the construction of the hydro-project.

Role of UNESCO highlighted

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KATHMANDU, July 5- Various members of UNESCO- associated School Co-operation Council, Nepal Thursday shed light on the mission of UNESCO for taking its programmes related to education, culture, science and peace to villages.

Observing its 7th anniversary at Padmodaya Secondary School on Thursday, speakers present on the occasion highlighted the objectives and goals of UNESCO-associated school council which had made remarkable progress in the education field of children.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Trailokya Nath Upreti, former vice-chancellor of Tribhuwan University said that UNESCO had done a commendable job but it has still various new types of problems that remains to be solved.

"UNESCO’s main objective is not only to impart education but also to bring changes in the attitude of people in general," said Dr Upreti. On the same occasion, Daman Nath Dhungana, former speaker of the House of Representatives said education is vital for building talented young men for the future of the country and also for good governance. He urged the council members to organise student-oriented programmes in the future.

Hem Raj Gyawali, Chairman of Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd, informed that UNESCO supported programmes will soon be launched in all the 75 districts. Now it has the membership of 65 schools in Kathmandu only and 10 schools outside the valley.

"From the time of the establishment of Kathmandu UNESCO office, various programmes have been undertaken by UNESCO for the welfare of the Nepalese society", said Ramesh Prasad Gautam, Headmaster of Padmodaya Secondary School.

Keshav Raj Jha, former ambassador, Umesh Shrestha, vice-president of PABSON and founder of Little Angels’ School, Babu Ram Pokhrel, principal of V.S. Niketan, also expressed their views on the occasion.