UML proposes to end stalemate in parliament

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KATHMANDU, March 19 – The main opposition party Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) today said that it will let parliament resume normal proceedings Tuesday if Prime Minister agrees to listen to them and then present his stance in parliament.

"We have officially forwarded this proposal to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala," said Madhav Kumar Nepal, leader of the main opposition party at a press conference organized by the CPN-UML at its party office today.

Nepal said that there was no point in Prime Minister addressing the parliament or giving a statement of public importance unless he listens to the opposition lawmakers.

The main opposition party’s new proposal for a way out from the present stalemate in the parliament is a flexible stance compared to its earlier demand that it would not let the parliament run its business unless Prime Minister Koirala resigns.

However, this doesn’t mean that the opposition party has totally backtracked from its demand for PM’s resignation. "We will hear PM, provided he listens to us first…but if we are not convinced with his clarification on the Lauda Air deal we will continue to press for his resignation," said Nepal.

The opposition party also informed that they would even take to the streets to oust Koirala if they were not satisfied with PM’s clarification. CPN-UML has already announced another mass meetings in major cities during the first week of April to press for Koirala’s resignation. Such programs would be extended to village levels, warned UML leaders.

All the opposition parties in the parliament, except Nepal Sadbhavana Party, have been demanding Prime Minster’s resignation for his alleged involvement in the controversial Lauda Air deal. But Prime Minister has denied the allegations and is sticking to his guns that he would not resign under "opposition’s unconstitutional pressure."

Addressing the press conference, another CPN-UML leader Khadga Prasad Oli said that PM has already lost moral ground to announce mid-term election, though it is prerogative of the Prime Minister. "How could a Prime Minister, who is being alleged in the controversial scam opt for mid term polls….he has already lost moral ground for that," Oli said.

"But in case PM announces the mid-term poll, CPN-UML is ready for that…our party is not afraid of going to mid-term polls", said Oli. However, Nepal, who has differences with Oli regarding the mid-term poll, chose to remain quiet on the issue during the press conference.

There is speculation in the capital that PM could go for snap polls if the current impasse continues. However, even majority of the ruling party cadres have opposed the idea of mid-term polls.

Responding to the queries, Nepal denied that his party was maintaining a liberal stance or even growing close with the Maoists. " They (Maoist) are still threatening our cadres and attempting bid on their lives, how can we grow close with them?" Nepal said.

However, he accepted that the two parties shared the same forums during CPN-UML’s recent programs in various parts of Rapti zone, where they basically pleaded for peace and end of violence. "Sharing the same forum should not be construed as our growing proximity with the Maoists," he said.

NC gathering adopts a new strategy to save PM

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - The Nepali Congress party has come up with a unique strategy to save Prime Minister and party President Girija Prasad Koirala. It has come up with an anti-corruption campaign to save the Prime Minister, a person who stands accused of indulging in massive corruption in the controversial Lauda Air deal.

The announcement of the anti-corruption campaign was made by party spokesman Narhari Acharya on the concluding day today of the party’s two-day jamboree in Kathmandu. The meeting was called to present a united stand against the opposition who are demanding Koirala’s resignation for his alleged role in the Lauda Air controversy.

"All the district level offices of the Congress will begin the anti-corruption campaign from April 8" Acharya said. He also informed that the Congress would also wage a campaign against violence.

However, the most important decision reached at the meeting, at least to the Prime Minister, was that the party vowed to support him in his difficult tussle with the opposition. Acharya said that the meeting decided that Koirala need not resign as demanded by the opposition parties, including the main opposition CPN-UML.

Acharya further said that, party workers also called on Koirala not to call snap polls as he has threatened. Moreover, the NC is also to appeal to all the opposition parties to break the parliamentary deadlock and allow House proceedings to be conducted.

Though the majority of Koirala supporters show a united stand in the Congress, the truth is that there is a sizeable disgruntlement against him in the party.

Chiranjivi Wagle, a top member of the dissident group within the party told The Kathmandu Post that all dissidents who spoke during the two-day meet demanded Koirala’s resignation.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, who leads the anti Koirala faction, is said to have lambasted the Prime Minister in strong terms. Deuba reportedly said that Koirala should resign in order to show that there is a uniform standard while measuring the performance of an individual within the party. Deuba was referring to the fact that former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was made to resign because of the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

"The law and order situation in the country has deteriorated a lot more than before. If Kishunji had to resign due to that fact, then it is high time Koirala do so now," Deuba reportedly said.

Khum Bahadur Khadka, Bimalendra Nidhi, Bijaya Kumar Gacchadar, Pradeep Giri and Chiranjivi Wagle among others are said to have demanded Koirala’s resignation.

Sailaja Acharya, a leading figure in the NC and one of the strong Koirala supporters said that since the resignation of the PM was not the solution to the existing turmoil, she did not support the demand of the opposing group.

"There is a strong conspiracy going on against the Congress and the democratic system," she said. "At this juncture all the party-men have to support the Prime Minister and protect the party and democracy."

10,000 more tax-payer in 4 months

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the Finance Ministry has set a target of bringing additional 10,000 potential tax-payers into the tax net within the next four months of the current fiscal year.

The major challenge of the government is to strengthen revenue administration and bring more potential tax-payers into the tax net for which the government is going to reintroduce the voluntary disclosure of income scheme (VDIS), Mahat said.

Finance Minister Mahat said this at a meeting with the local representatives of the donor agencies and donor countries here Monday. The Ministry has made extra efforts to review social expenditures and has formed different committees to recommend the government so that they could be incorporated in the new budget, the Finance Minister said.

"Though the annual budget was presented earlier last year with a view to enhance implementation, there has been no progress in the practice. Therefore, we are doing homework for the new budget by forming working groups which will analyze different issues and furnish recommendations", he said.

I would like to assure you that there would be no such mistake in the days ahead, he added.

There has been a problem in maintaining the financial balance due mainly to the hike in the pay of the civil servants, which has added an additional burden to the government expenditure, he said.

The regular expenditure has gone up by 21.6 per cent in the first six months of the current fiscal year, which needs to be below 15 per cent for the better fiscal balance, he said.

However, the macro-economics situation is good, which is likely to achieve 5 to 6 per cent economic growth in the current fiscal year, he said. During the last fiscal year, Gross Domestic Product grew by 6.4 per cent.

"We are committed to economic reform. We are working hard to reform the entire financial sector including the two major commercial banks", he pledged.

He also said that the ministry is analysing the impact of the Indian federal budget on Nepal and the government is working towards giving the management contract of the two commercial banks to private party. He said that the deteriorating law and order situation has badly affected the investment.

Finance Secretary Bimal Koirala said that the government is fully committed to implement the second phase of financial sector reform program.

Park fire razes on

KATHMANDU, March 19 (PR)– The fire ravaging through the Sagarmatha National Park since Thursday continued unabated today, creating panic among the wildlife inside the Park and the human settlements outside it.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Tirthaman Maskey, Director of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), confirmed that the fire was still raging and spreading. "We still don’t know the extent of the damage caused to the Park and the places affected by the fire. We also don’t know yet the exact cause of the fire."

Maskey added that a warden would be sent to the Park on Tuesday by a helicopter to assess the damage caused and to find the ways and means to control the fire, believed to be caused due to lack of snowfall and winter dryness this year.

Hospital staff call off strike

By Pragya Ghimire

KATHMANDU, March 19- Lab technicians and other staff of pathological department of Bir Hospital today decided to return to work from Tuesday after a meeting with the top hospital authorities.

The lab technicians of the oldest hospital of Nepal went on strike since last Thursday demanding revival of the practice of giving 25 per cent hazardous allowance, which the government had slashed since this fiscal year’s budget.

All the services in the pathological department had remained closed for six straight days except the emergency services after the technicians had gone on strike.

Kuber Thapa, a lab technician working at the emergency department of Bir Hospital said, "We have decided to call off our strike for now because the hospital administration has asked us to wait till March 28. Other hospitals have already started to pay the allowance."

A study report, prepared by Dr Shankar Sharma, member of National Planning Commission, will be submitted to Ministry of Health Tuesday.

Staff members expect that the report will be favourable to them, said Thapa.

The strike has paralysed the pathology department leaving poor patients on the mercy of private pathological labs. Kabir Ojha, 53, says, " My daughter’s further treatment has stopped due to the strike and she is in critical condition. I cannot afford to take her to private pathological labs".

Maoists target dogs in Kalikot

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KALIKOT, March 19 - Maoist rebels who have been held responsible for the deaths of over 500 police and civilians are now targeting man’s best friend, the dog.

The rebels have asked villagers in the remote villages of this district to kill their dogs and they too have begun to hunt down dogs themselves.

The rebels have already killed almost all the dogs of Sipkhana, Syuna, Phurkot, Kokhatha, Kumalgaon, Malkot, Sukatia, Mugraha, Jibidha, Pankha and Chhapre Village Development Committees (VDCs) of this district and they have ordered villagers to kill dogs in other VDCs too.

Locals say that the Maoists issued this order by posting pamphlets, which were signed by the respective in-charges of Local People’s Government, the "administration" run by these rebels.

A public notice signed by Sunil of District No 1 - Area No 2 - Cell No 10 has ‘appealed’ the people to help the Maoists’ "People’s War" by killing the dogs. "Anybody who defies the appeal will be severely punished by the People’s Government according to the people’s decision," the notice said.

Deepak Thapa, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Kalikot, said the main reason behind killing the dogs was that the dogs could bark at the rebels and disrupt the silence while they attack the police posts stationed near the villages. The villagers were not willing to kill the dogs, but the rebels have compelled them to do so, DSP Thapa said.

Political analysts say that the strategy of killing the dogs was the first of its kind as initiated by the Maoists. They say that it could help them attack the police posts without any warning during the nights. Police posts are stationed in the above stated VDCs.

Students bring out fresh protest programmes

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - Just a day after the Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs decided not to entertain the 50 per cent concession demand made by the students, All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), made public their fresh set of agitation programmes here today.

ANNFSU has been demanding 50 per cent concession to students on all public transport vehicles.

According to ANNFSU, about 500 students have been taken into custody and about 153 students were injured during the past agitation programmes.

The union also informed that it would start a fresh campaign to press for their demands from March 21-28 with nationwide torch rally from March 31 to April 4.

It also announced that there would be nation-wide chakka jam (blockade) on April 5 and 6 and nation-wide strike on April 6.

Cause of fire still unknown

KATHMANDU, March 19 (PR)- The government has failed to show any concern to the Friday night’s fires that damaged two shopping complexes, one store and a carpet industry, local businessmen said today.

The incidents of fire which mysteriously started in these businesses have damaged goods worth tens of millions.

Chairman of Suraj Arcade Chamber of Commerce Him Bahadur Rawal said neither the Finance Minister or the Home Minister nor the Industry, Commerce and Supply Minister has made a visit to the ravaged shopping complexes.

"Only the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu and a tax officer has visited us in past three days," he said. The reason behind the fire which broke out at Suraj Arcade, Pashupati Plaza and Sherpa Trekking Goods Store of Kathmandu and one carpet factory of Lalitpur is still not known.

Police sources said that an independent electrical engineer has been appointed at the District Police Office Kathmandu to investigate. But no other clues have been recovered to indicate possible new reasons.

Yoga ... best companion for modern medicine

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DHARAN, March 19 - Yoga, which was first developed in the South Asian region over 5,000 years ago as a psycho-physical discipline, has become a way of life for thousands of people all over the world.

And with even the modern medical science backing up Yoga as an excellent mode of therapy, its popularity is gaining momentum.

Doctors at the renowned B.P Institute of Medical Science have included Yoga as a mandatory course for aspiring doctors and say their research prove that Yoga can play a significant role in curing diseases which even modern techniques are not able to cure.

The specialists of medical science claim that 40-60 per cent of the disease can be cured by Yoga practice if it is incorporated in modern ways of treatment.

Doctors at the Institute have already experimented with the theory with 352 of their patients. The physiology department has been running Yoga practice for these patients once the doctors prescribe this form of treatment.

Since the practice was first introduced two years back, there has been a noted increase in the number of patients in the department.

According to Bishnu Hari Poudel, Assistant Lecturer of the Institute, in the beginning there were only about 52 patients but now the number has increased to 352. "Among these patients, over 100 of them are suffer from high blood pressure," says Poudel.

The doctors claim, this is the first such practice in Southeast Asia that Yoga has been incorporated with modern technique.

"All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) followed suit only after this practice came into being in this institute," said Dr. Shekhar Koirala, vice-chancellor of the institute.

Now it is mandatory for students, enrolled in MBBS courses, to study the significance of Yoga. Treatment becomes more effective if the Yoga practice is incorporated in with modern technique.

Most people take Yoga as spiritual practice and exercise but are unaware of the fact that it can also be used to treat chronic diseases. According to department chief Dr. Nina Bhattarai, mental peace can be acquired through Yoga practices.

It is believed said that there used to about 8,400,000 different Yoga positions in the ancient times. Now the positions have decreased to 84. And the Institute at present practices 45 of these positions. Besides the patients, there are over 100 people who are practicing Yoga for their interest but not for the treatment.

There is no age barrier for practicing Yoga. "It can be proved fatal if it is not practiced properly," says Physiotherapist Mahesh Kumar Parajuli.

With an aim of developing the practice of taking the modern technique and the traditional Yoga practice side by side, the Institute holds regular seminars. One such meet is slated to kick off March 22.

However, there are doctors, who believe in modern medical science, refuse to admit that Yoga can be incorporated with modern technique. They say these are two separate practices.

RNAC on ‘damage-control’ move

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KATHMANDU, March 19 – As a damage-control attempt, Royal Nepal Airline Corporation (RNAC) officials today tried to explain the two-year add-on fuel agreement with three oil companies.

Reacting to the report about a huge fuel deal carried by The Kathmandu Post today, former RNAC executive chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha said, "The deals are above board; there is no irregularity." When asked about the reported inflated quotation of the aviation fuel prices, Shrestha said that he was not in a position to say much as he was on summons from the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

Pressed for his comment on the "inflated prices", the former chairman said that he would have to check the documents before he could make any comprehensive comments. The former chairman is under suspension for the Lauda Air deal.

Tirthalal Shrestha, one of the RNAC board members, charged that he and former chairman Shrestha were being made victims of witch-hunting. "There were four Board members when the aviation fuel deal was approved. But it is being made out as if only we two had signed the deal," retorted Shrestha. The other two Board members when the fuel deal was given the green signal were Rameshwar Prasad Khanal and Siddha Raj Joshi.

Board member Shrestha added that it was "a propaganda spread by disgruntled local agents who are not happy with the way we are operating". He claimed that he had pressed for making public the names of the local agents of all the foreign companies who do business with RNAC. "but this could not happen as a few of the board members refused," he added declining to name the members.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Raj Dali, executive chairman of RNAC today asked the Flight Support Services Department to explain to him the reported excess quotation of over Rs 275.6 million in the aviation fuel deal. When asked to comment on the latest controversy on the fuel deal, Dali said that it was still too early for him to comment on the scam.

Regarding the meeting with the Lauda Air team that returned yesterday, Dali revealed that the "additional" luggage containers for the Lauda B-767 wide-body jet would be provided by the RNAC. According to him, a "fully equipped wide-body jet" has 30 containers which the Lauda aircraft was supposed to provide. Anything beyond that, the RNAC has to bear the costs." However, Lauda Air has been providing only 14 containers at present. He was silent on as to who was to foot the bill, at present, for the remaining 16 containers.

The executive chairman also revealed that the RNAC had conveyed its protest to the visiting team from Austria to ensure adherence by the jet crew to its flight schedule. In December and January, the wide-body crew had frequently disregarded the RA fight schedule on one pretext or the other.

Police arrest 22 UML supporters

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ANEKOT (Kavre) March 19 - Police arrested at least 22 CPN-UML supporters, including ward chairman from Manegaon village of the Anekot VDC, ward No 6 & 7, following an encounter with Maoist rebels in the village. Locals said that the police also beat them up to forcibly extract information about the Maoist rebels.

However, a district level Maoist leader claimed that non of the rebels had been arrested after they clashed with the police. Maoists had planned to organise a cultural program in the VDC.

A landmine was also detonated during the exchange of fire between the two sides, locals said.

Sarkiman Tamang, father of the arrested UML elected ward chairman, Kulman Tamang, accused the police of inflicting mental torture on the nine old men, including him, for three hours. While the old men were later released, the youth are still under detention, said Tamang.

Most of the males from the village were not at their homes. According to a villager, the police arrested mostly those who were working in the fields or doing their daily chores. Meanwhile, according to a policeman, they went to the place on Sunday after being tipped off that nearly 300 rebels had gathered to perform cultural program in memory of killed rebels.