Students protesting against the Taliban regime’s decision to destroy ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan, Monday.

Japan to help build Kulekhani III
Detailed engineering works to begin soon

By Surendra Phuyal

KATHMANDU, March 5 - After Kulekhani I and II, the government is now all set to go for Kulekhani III, which is proposed to generate 42 megawatts of electric power especially during the peak season.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) officials today said that Japan has shown "keen interest" in the project, and that a team of experts is arriving here "very soon" to start the detailed engineering works of the project.

Officials at NEA’s Planning Division say the project will replace the diesel-run Thermal and Multi-fuel plants once constructed. The diesel-run plants currently generate a total of 28 megawatts of electricity.

Based in Hetauda, Marshyangdi and Biratnagar, these fossil fuel-run plants are operational mostly during the dry seasons (winter and spring) when hydropower generation from the country’s run-of-river projects drops to a minimum.

"JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) officials informed us last week that they are interested in the project," Prachar Man Singh, Director in Chief of the Planning Division told The Kathmandu Post today. "An appraisal mission comprising of Japanese engineers and officials is coming here very soon. They are slated to arrive here during the second or third week of this month (March)."

According to Singh, survey and feasibility works of the project have already been carried out by NEA, the state-owned power authority that is solely responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. "Geological survey works are still being carried out there," he said.

"If everything goes according to the plan, the project will start operation before 2005," he added.

Uttar Kumar Shrestha, another senior NEA official, said it could take one year to complete the detailed engineering works and another three years to actually build the project. "Actual cost of the project can be worked out only after the assessment and detail engineering works are over," Singh added.

On completion, Kulekhani III will be the third power plant run mainly by the monsoon water stored in the Kulekhani reservoir, height of whose mammoth dam stands 114 meters. Meant specifically for dry season, Kulekhani I generate 60 megawatts, and Kulekhani II generates 32 megawatts of electricity from the water discharged by the former.

Now Kulekhani III is set to be in the pipeline means that the plant will again generate electricity from the water discharged by the Kulekhani II power plant, officials say.

The Kulekhani I was constructed with the World Bank assistance in the early 1980s and the Kulekhani II with the Japanese assistance in the mid-1980s, according to Singh.

Need for a power plant like Kulekhani III, NEA officials say, stems from the fact that power generation from run-of-river hydro-projects drops drastically during the dry season, directly affecting the installed power generating capacity of all the remaining projects which are run-of-river type. Kulekhani is the only reservoir-type project in the country.

According to information made available today by NEA, as of March 1 existing power plants in the country were contributing a total of 312 megawatts of electricity to the National Power Grid. They contribute nearly 400 megawatts during the wet season.

Due to the rising demand for power, NEA is currently distributing 378 megawatts of electricity to its consumers, out of which 66 megawatt is exported to neighboring India.

According to Singh, power generation from Khimti-I plant - which has an installed capacity to generate 60-plus megawatts of electricity - has now dropped to 24 megawatts, and Bhotekoshi plant - with an installed capacity to generate 36 megawatts - is producing only 28 megawatts.

Visit to put Nepal on priority list: PM

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 5 - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala left the capital this morning on a four-day official visit to France, describing his first visit to the European republic as "an effort to place Nepal on the (priority) list of donor countries".

"This is my first visit to France...My efforts will be focussed on placing Nepal on the (priority) list of donor countries. This is going to be a total working visit," PM Koirala told reporters, prior to his departure at the VVIP bay of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

When asked if the visit was appropriate at a time when the nation was presently facing political impasse, PM Koirala said that he was going to France "to strengthen closer ties between the two countries and it was upto oneself to think if the trip was suitable or not."

"It would have given a negative impression if the visit was cancelled this time too," he said. Former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai had also planned a France visit last year in March, but was ousted from power by Koirala before he could embark on the trip.

"...French aid in the recent times have only poured into French speaking nations," he further said, once again implying that his visit will help in providing continuity to French aid flowing into Nepal. Though Nepal and France have signed seven financial protocols so far, Nepal has not received any French grant since 1998.

Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, who is also a member of the entourage to France, had hinted that the two countries would sign another financial protocol during the visit at a Face to Face program yesterday.

Apart from Minister Mahat, Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola, some senior government officials and a seven-member business delegation are in the Nepali team. PM Koirala’s daughter, Sujata Koirala, is also on the squad.

A contingent from the Royal Nepal Army presented a guard of honour to the PM. Ministers, high-level government officials and foreign dignitaries were also present during the occasion. However, none of the Opposition party leaders could be seen at the VVIP bay.

PM Koirala, who boarded a Quatar Airways flight to Doha, Saudi Arabia is also slated to tour the Arabian nation before he heads for Paris, the capital of France.

Nepal established diplomatic relations with France on April 20, 1949. About 20,000 French tourists are estimated to have visited Nepal last year. Nepal’s total trade with France stood at Rs. 900 million last year. Nepal exported 22 items to France in 1995 whereas the number has now shot up to 95. The number of items imported from France alone stands to 190 presently.

New initiatives for govt, Maoist talks

KATHMANDU, March 5 (PR)- Renowned Human Rights activist who had previously brokered talks between the government and the Maoist today made public that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has shown new initiative for renewed peace talks with the rebels.

"Just this morning I came to know through the Maoist sources that Prime Minister Koirala himself has taken fresh initiatives for the talks," Padma Ratna Tuladhar said.

Tuladhar said that the apprehension that arose after the government released Dinesh Sharma is gradually eroding.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Tuladhar said he met Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Ram Chandra Poudel today. "DPM Poudel is also positive about the talks," he said.

The much-hyped peace talks brokered by Tuladhar around the Dasain festival broke down after the rebels accused the government of failing to show sincerity during the talks.

The government had conceded to the rebels demand for Sharma’s release but had held a press conference where he said he was leaving the rebel group to live a life under the present system. Immediately in the evening, Sharma changed his statement that prompted the Maoists to cut off the talks and promise from their leaders that they would never ever hold any dialogue with the present government.

However, with the new developments human rights activists like Tuladhar are beginning to see hope in the horizon.

"We are developing a mechanism to bring the two parties to the negotiating table. For this, representatives from 11 Human Rights Organisations are meeting on Tuesday," Tuladhar said.

"President of the Nepal Bar Association Sindhu Nath Pyakurel, Former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana and HURON President Sudip Pathak and myself are working together to bring these two parties to the table," he said.

Since the Maoist rebels took to the jungles five years ago and began fighting a guerrilla war from the hills of central and midwestern parts of the country, over 1,600 people have been killed and thousands either maimed or displaced from their homes.

Two-minute House session

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 5 – The House of Representatives today witnessed possibly the briefest session of all time – everything was over under two minutes from the time the Speaker announced the commencement of the proceedings.

Besides this "record", there was hardly a new development in the House. Speaker Taranath Ranabhat declared the Zero Hour and called upon Ajay Kumar Chaurasia of the Nepali Congress to speak. The Opposition demanded special time like on other days while going towards the Well of the House. Soon the slogans rent the air with calls for Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s resignation who left for his official visit to France some three hours before.

The Opposition’s demand for the PM’s resignation made the Speaker crack a joke. He reminded the Opposition lawmakers by saying, "PM is not here, the person you are looking for". After about 50 seconds of sloganeering, the Speaker adjourned the House till Thursday.

Ordinances will get through: DPM

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, Mar 5 – Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel today exuded confidence about the passage of the Armed Police Force (APF) and Local Administration (4th Amendment) ordinances during the current session of the Parliament.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, DPM Poudel, who had tabled the ordinances on the very first day of this Winter Session on February 8, said, "We are confident of these ordinances being passed in the current session."

When asked how that was possible in the face of the belligerent mood of the Opposition that has been disrupting the House from the very beginning, the DPM said, "There is still time left."

"I am not willing to say anything now. You can yourself check the precedents in other countries," said Poudel, replying to a question on how appropriate it would be to re-promulgate the ordinances if they are not passed this time round and lapsed.

His confidence does not seem far-fetched, at least regarding the APF ordinance, with an Opposition lawmaker, Yagyajit Shah of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP), expressing his resolve to support to the ordinance, despite the opposition’s disruption of the Parliament.

"As a member of the State Affairs Committee (SAF), I have long asked for such an ordinance. It is already late and cannot be delayed any further," Shah told The Kathmandu Post. "Even if my party issues whip on not supporting the ordinance, I will oppose it and help pass of the ordinance. However, I am confident that my party will not issue a whip against the ordinance."

Commenting on the rumours that he was ostensibly in Kathmandu to bail out the government on the ordinances, Shah said that he was not concerned about bailing the government, "but I am concerned about the fate of the APF ordinance". When categorically asked whether he would sit back to help pass the ordinance if five opposition parties walked out of the parliament, the NSP lawmaker replied that "It is my duty to see it get through to check the deteriorating law and order problem."

The ordinances will have to be passed by March 22, when the 60-day deadline as set by the Constitution will come to an end. According to Article 9, Clause 2(c) of the Constitution, an ordinance has to be passed within six months from the date of its promulgation. However, if there is House session in between, then the ordinance should get the parliamentary approval within 60 days. Since the 19th session began on February 8, the two ordinances will have to be passed by March 22.

The fates of the APF and Local Administration ordinances, along with the one on health, remain uncertain since the parliament has not been able to conduct regular proceedings with the opposition vowing to disrupt the proceedings until the Prime Minister resigned from office for his alleged complicity in the infamous RNAC-Lauda Air jet lease deal.

The government has already gone ahead and appointed the chief and other high-level officers of the new security unit that will ostensibly be used against the Maoist rebels. Similarly, the government has already selected the five regional administrators from the rank of joint secretary, generating, although, some controversy with the appointments.

One of the appointees, Chandi Prasad Shrestha, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has declined to accept his new posting and has gone on a long leave. He is reportedly unhappy as he was expecting to be promoted to the post of Secretary. Besides, he was not willing to take up his new assignment as the future of the post of regional administrator is under cloud due the stalemate in the parliament.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the appointments, the DPM said that they were of "temporary nature and may not lead to confirmation, which will depend on the assessment of the work of the appointees". DPM added that a committee under the Chief Secretary would first draw a list of 23 candidates at the joint secretary level and shortlist 15 from it. The ultimate five would be chosen from the 15 short-listed candidates, said DPM Poudel.

Measles toll reaches 34

KALIKOT, March 5 (PR)- The death toll of the recent measles outbreak in the district has now reached to 34.

It has been reported that till Monday, at least 5 people have died in Gola VDC some 23 kilometers from the district headquarters’ Manma.

Similarly, two people have died in Mumra and one in Fukot, 25 and 33 kilometers respectively from the district headquarters. At least 26 people were reported dead due to the epidemic in the district on Saturday.

Three people with measles have been brought to the headquarters for treatment from Chapre, Pakha and Bharta.

"Most of the children in the village are in bed either with measles, dysentery or pneumonia," says Purmananda Neupane from Chapre.

So far, only a handful of medics have gone to the affected areas with medical supplies from the headquarters. It has been learnt that a team of medics with additional supplies will be reaching the affected areas from the neighbouring districts on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Navaraj Shahi, Health Assistant of Siskhana Sub Health Post has refused to go to the affected areas as the police have kept him in prohibition suspecting him to be a Maoist.

Similarly, Danbahadur Rawal, Health Assistant of Mumra Sub Health Post is presently being treated in Nepalgunj. Rawal was beaten by policemen from Siuna Striking Base a few days ago suspecting him to be a Maoist cadre.

Fresh storm brewing in the ‘census’ drill

By Razen Manandhar

KATHMANDU, March 5 - The once in a decade census that determines everything from the fiscal budget to future planning for the country is being conducted this year. Yet, people especially the ethnic minority groups are expressing their doubts that the results would be anything close to the reality.

Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) is conducting a nation-wide census from June 10 to 21 that is suppose to show statistical reality of a country.

But even before officials leave for the cities, towns, villages and remote dwellings knocking on doors, these groups are already crying about conspiracy. And it is not just them ... Majority groups too are crying foul here.

On one hand, Nationalities associations claim that a big conspiracy is being woven to project non-Hindus and people outside the Bahun and Kshetris communities fewer than their actual number in this country that is known for its rich ethnic diversity; Hindu organisations say that this census is an attempt to dismantle the only Hindu Kingdom in the world.

Balkrishna Mabuhang, the general-secretary of Nepal Federation of Nationalities (NFN) said that the nationalities are not confident about results of the coming census.

"We (Nationalities) are not assured that the government would publish true facts. As in the past, they will show that majority of the country is comprised of the Hindus that include Bahun and Kshetris," he said.

He charged that CBS, which is controlled by these predominant caste groups, deliberately ignored NFN’s co-operative approaches and refused their help in the census.

According to him, the bureaucrats want to hide the reality from the world because they do not want the world to know about who suffers the most in economy, education, employment and health and that they belong to the lower class people and the Nationalities.

Similarly, chairman of Dharmodaya Sabha, the leading Buddhist organisation, Lok Darshan Bajracharya said that he believes that only 60 per cent of the figures in the census result could be regarded as credible.

"The government is trying to show that there are only handful of Buddhist in this country," he said.

In 1961, 1971 and 1981, the percentage of the Buddhists was projected as 9.3, 7.5 and 5.3 respectively in CBS reports.

He accused the government that the enumerators are not selected democratically, CBS has never held discussions or interaction programmes with activists and concerned citizens and that is the reason why the present census format is faulty.

He particularly blames the government body for not making the people aware of the objectives, importance and process of census, among the mass.

The Hindus, who are estimated to be 80-to-90 per cent of the total population of the country, too are also not satisfied with the present census pattern.

Senior vice-chairman of World Hindu Federation-Nepal, Bharat Keshar Singh said that a grand plot is being designed to fragment the only Hindu Kingdom and this census is part of the plots.

"Over 40,000 people are working actively to take advantage of this census to bring down the percentage of the Hindus to 17 per cent and then to make this country a secular one. Then they will one day challenge our Hindu King also," he claimed.

"So many new Nationalities and religions have suddenly appeared in this small country. This is a cleverly planned strategy to break the country into small pieces," he claimed.

CBS, the government authority to hold census, however, says the bureau is working hard to compile the true statistics from all over the country.

CBS Deputy General Director Radha Krishna GC said, "We are positive that the result of the census would be conscientious because the people have become fairly aware by now and we are also well prepared."

Trainings on various levels are in the offing and questionnaires and other related documents would be dispatched to the districts next month, he said.

About advertisement, GC admits that due to lack of budget, CBS has not been able to disseminate basic information about the census all over the country.

66,000 cases pending in courts

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 5 - Of the 66,000 cases estimated to be pending in various courts of the country, the Supreme Court has 16,321 cases, the Appellate Courts have 14,470 cases and the districts courts have 34,966 cases.

According to a recently published annual report of the Supreme Court, there were 142,278 cases in various courts and the number have been reduced to less than 70,000. The report states that 76,521 cases have been settled of the 142,278 cases in various courts during the fiscal year 2000-01.

There were about 23,000 cases, including writ petitions in the Supreme Court, of which about 7,000 cases have been settled. "Currently there are 16,321 cases in the Supreme Court," stated the report.

There are currently 14,470 cases in various appellate courts. There were 34,294 unsettled cases in 16 different appellate courts. Most number of unsettle cases is with the appellate court of Patan where the number is 7,778 while the appellate court of Surkhet, with only 167 unsettled cases, is with the least number of such unsettled cases.

According to the report there are currently 34,966 cases in various district courts. There were 84,977 cases in these district courts of which 54,372 were civil cases and 30,605 criminal cases. The Kathmandu District Court has 8,507 cases while the district court in Manang has only two cases.

About Rs. 148 million have been raised as revenue by the various district courts, and this amounts to about 80 percent of the administrative cost of these district courts.

The report states that most number of cases that are filed in various courts are those related with the land ownership. There are more than 30,000 cases related to land issues alone, stated the report.

There are 237 judges working in the various courts of which only five are female judges.