BPC sell-off brews another controversy

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 The three-year long lingering privatization of Butwal Power Company (BPC) inched ahead after the financial bids of the two rivals – Independent Power Company-Nepal (IPC-Nepal) and Interkraft Nepal – were opened today.

Though the quoted amount of the both rivals are higher than their previous offers, the third-round of privatization process has kicked up yet another controversy following allegations that the financial bid submitted by Interkraft Nepal is incomplete.

According to a source close to the bidding process, the financial bid document of Interkraft Nepal "seriously lacks some of the important elements as the bid documents does not explain in detail the capacity to pay for the shares."

The government is privatizing 75 per cent of BPC shares. BPC is a 30 megawatt company comprising of various hydroelectric projects.

Given the latest controversy, it is unclear how the government will proceed in the matter. It should be recalled here that during the second round bidding for the purchase of the BPC’s shares, the technical bid of the IPC-Nepal was canceled on the grounds that it failed to produce authorized signatures in the covering letter of the bid. IPC-Nepal then was ousted from financial bidding, leaving Interkraft alone in the battlefield. The financial bid of Interkraft was also canceled later as amount quoted in words and numbers differed in the financial bid. Both the companies have been rivals since the first bidding.

Of the latest bid, sources said that the Interkraft bid documents also failed to produce convincing arrangements of funds from its financier to ensure the availability of the funds if the finance is not being made from the existing resources.

In the like manner, the bid documents also lacks a written confirmation from its bank guaranteeing specific amount of finance for future commitments, a high-ranking source said.

The source argued that Interkraft’s bid documents are invalid on the grounds that it has failed to comply with the bid conditions clearly stated in the one of the clauses in the bid documents.

However, a source associated with the Interkraft Nepal refuted the allegation and said that the financial bid of Interkraft "contains all the requirements set by the Information memorandum and bid documents."

In the financial bids that opened today Interkraft has quoted around Rs 950 million that includes 874.2 million in Nepali currency and US $ 1 million. The remaining 30 per cent of the total amount is payable later, according to the bid. Similarly, the IPC-Nepal has quoted Rs 866 million, fully payable during the signing of the handover agreement.

The financial bids of the both the rivals, opened today and would be thoroughly examined by a 5-member committee and is expected to submit its final report within two weeks.

Gajju Babu passes away

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 23 One of the prominent political leaders of the country Gajendra Narayan Singh died here Wednesday afternoon. He was 73.

Singh succumbed to the heart and respiratory problems he had been facing for some time. He died at the Norvic Escorts Health Centre where he was taken on Tuesday evening after complaining a chest pain.

Gajendra Narayan Singh has been the President of Nepal Sadbhawana Party since 1991. Nepal Sadbhawana Party, a national party, has five members in the House of Representatives, the Lower House of the bicameral parliament. But Singh was a member of the National Assembly, the Upper House. Popularly known as "Gajju Babu," he championed the cause of the people living in the Terai region throughout his political career.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and neighbouring India’s Independence Movement, Gajju Babu entered politics in 1947 through Nepal National Congress, which later turned into the present ruling Nepali Congress.

He was one of the prominent leaders to take part in the Satyagraha (Fast unto death) against the then 104-year-old Rana regime in 1949. Since then, he spent many years in jail and in exile.

Besides, being a Member of Parliament in the then Panchayat system, which was overthrown in 1990 by the Popular Movement to establish present democratic system, Gajju Babu played a crucial role in Nepali politics on many occasions. He became the Minister of Supplies from 1995 to 1997 and later took charge of various ministries of like local development, science and technology and industry.

Those closely working with Gajju Babu term him as the leader of the millions of Madhesis, people living in Nepal’s Terai region. As per his motto, "Society of Equals", he always fought for the rights of the Terai citizens.

His love for the Terai cause was so evident that he always used to wear dhoti kurta in the Parliament, where the Nepali National Dress daura suruwal is compulsory. Despite continued protests from other political parties, Gajju Babu always spoke in Hindi in the parliament, representing the voice of the Terai people.

Meanwhile, Singh’s body has been kept at the NSP office on Wednesday, giving his party workers a chance to pay last tribute to their "dear leader." His body will be kept at the Open Air Theatre in the morning. His last rites will be performed in Rajbiraj of Saptari where he was born.

Nepal Sadbhawana Party has termed Singh’s demise as the great loss of millions of Madhesis and other downtrodden communities. The party has decided to close down all its offices throughout the country from Thursday to Saturday.

Ruling Nepali Congress has termed Singh’s demise as the loss in the process of consolidation of democracy in Nepal. Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, in his condolence message, praised Singh’s contribution in the restoration and consolidation of democracy.

NC has decided to close its office for a day Thursday in respect to the contributions of late Singh and has decided to keep the party flag at half-mast.

Main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) said today that Nepal has lost a responsible politician due to the demise of Singh who played an active role in the restoration and consolidation of democracy. Singh had been involved in creating a consensus among various political parties at this moment of national crisis, the UML said in its condolence message.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party said that the country has lost a prominent fighter of democracy.

‘Nepal to insist on breakthrough’

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 Nepal would insist on some sort of breakthrough in the forthcoming Nepal-Bhutan 12th Ministerial Joint Committee (MJC) meeting on the Bhutanese refugee issue likely to be held in Kathmandu next month.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post on Wednesday, Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said, "We want the forthcoming talks to be fruitful and don’t want the process prolonged anymore. There is no point in meeting and deciding the dates for the next meeting." Dr Mahat is expected to take part in the two countries’ foreign ministers’ meeting.

Little more than a week ago, some Bhutanese leaders in the capital had expressed scepticism about the 12th MJC meet, saying it would not reach any breakthrough but would merely decide the dates for the next meeting.

Nepal had proposed the third week of this month for the meeting but Bhutan expressed its inability to attend the meeting at the time and instead has proposed second or the third week of February, revealed the minister.

The main agenda of this forthcoming meet is the harmo-nization of the two countries’ differences over the categorization of nearly 100,000 refugees staying in the seven camps in eastern Nepal. The repatriation of over 12,000 Bhutanese refugees of the Khudunabari camp, already verified by the Joint Verification Team (JVT) would also figure in the talks, said officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

‘India for equitable agreement on trade treaty renewal’

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 Indian Ambassador I. P. Singh today said that the Indian Government is going to initiate the process of negotiation for the renewal of Nepal-India Trade Treaty signed in 1996.

"We are going to make a very equitable kind of agreement in order to get the treaty renewed," he told the press. However, he did not elaborate the issue.

He said that as India had some problems, the Treaty could not be renewed in time and India had already issued a notice prior to the expiry of the treaty.

"India had some problems to renew the Treaty then, so the Indian government issued a notice and the Treaty was extended by three months so that the problems could be sorted out," said the Indian Ambassador.

He said that the items listed in the "export surge" by India neither helps Nepal nor India, but it hurts the individual industries in India. So, India has been requesting Nepal for some value addition to those items.

India has enlisted copper wire, vegetable ghee, steel pipes, zinc oxide and acrylic yarn in the list of "export surge."

"Nepal buys these goods paying in dollars and exports them to India and gets Indian currencies. Above all, Nepal does not make any value addition from them," Singh said. "Therefore, the issue should be considered seriously by Nepal."

The Treaty, which expired on December 5, 2001, was extended by three months in the wake of the declaration of the state of emergency.

Regarding the repatriation of over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing in the camps in east Nepal, he said that India can only persuade both Bhutan and Nepal but cannot interfere with their internal affairs.

The Indian diplomat fully supported the Nepal government’s move against the Maoists. "India has tightened its border to check the infiltration of terrorists and the Indian Government is helping the Nepal Government at various levels," he added.

He also stressed the need to harness the rich resources of hydropower in Nepal, as India too is facing a major problem in the sector. "Both the nations could benefit from harnessing the water resources of Nepal," he said.

Emergency ‘excesses’ comes under FAHRC fire

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 Members of the Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Committee (FAHRC) and party leaders in the emergency monitoring committees of various parties on Wednesday expressed their "serious concern at the human rights violations, especially by the security forces, stage-managed surrenders and arrests of people who had earlier given donations to Maoists out of fear".

The concerns were aired at the meeting today of the FAHRC within the parliament premises. The party leaders also called upon the government to immediately issue directives under Article 115 (7) of the Constitution on what the citizens could or could not do during the emergency.

They also "felt" that the surrender by the "Maoists and their sympathisers was conducted by different political parties and after the surrender there was mad rush to induct the "erstwhile radicals".

Pradip Nepal of Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) and Arjun Narsingh KC of Nepali Congress (NC), both spokespersons of their parties, suggested that the surrenders be conducted under the aegis of either district bar associations or the Red Cross. They also called upon the government to formulate a policy on the surrender by Maoists. KC warned that in the race to induct the rebels, some hard-core Maoists were being sheltered by some parties.

Speaking about the "plight of those who had given food, shelter or money to the Maoists under threat", lawmaker Lilamani Pokharel of United People’s Front (UPF) charged that "even Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had paid Rs 9000 to the Maoists in the last instance". He also alleged that he had information that four ministers had donated Rs one million and 14 lawmakers from the NC, some Chief District Officers (CDOs) and police officials too had given money to the Maoists. "Can the security forces arrest the PM and the ministers?" asked Pokharel.

Taking part in the discussions today, the party leaders drew the attention of the FAHRC chairperson and the government to check the "excesses by administrative machinery and security forces". Members of the monitoring committees of all the major parties and those represented in the parliament, except the NC, briefly presented instances of such violations.

Even the NC spokesperson and a member of the party’s monitoring committee KC admitted that violations mentioned by the opposition leaders did indeed take place. However, he added that during the emergency, some infringements of rights were not unusual.

He called upon the opposition parties to support the government to "fulfill the goal of emergency, that is of defeating the Maoists". "We cannot do it alone," said KC. He also said that the NC, along with the opposition, would put pressure on the government against any misuse of power during the emergency.

The opposition leaders alleged that the security forces have been "shooting innocent people suspecting them to be Maoists, torturing the arrested civilians and harassing them". They also alleged that the indiscriminate arrests were done without any proper investigation, and guided more by personal vendetta. "Sick people being taken to hospitals have been shot; those performing worship of their family gods have been shot and also those in social and religious gatherings," said Rajendra Pandey of CPN-UML, adding, "The army has banned even the simple gatherings in several districts." He also alleged that there was no co-ordination between the civilian and military authorities in the far-flung districts.

Similarly, Arjun Prasad Joshi of NC and Navraj Subedi of National People’s Front accused the army of "committing excesses". Ishwor Pokharel of UML accused the government of "politicizing" the distribution of compensation for the kith and kin of those killed by the Maoists, by giving bigger amounts if the NC member was killed and less if other parties were involved.

Almost all the leaders urged the government to ensure that the innocent relatives of the Maoists and their sister organization were not tortured. They also asked the FAHRC to take the lead in ensuring the protection of human rights.

BCCI wears a new look for CAN Info-Tech 2002

By Ram Sharan Sedhai

KATHMANDU, Jan 23 The Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) once again wears a new look thanks to CAN Info-Tech 2002. Pedestrians can hardly pass by without giving a quick glance at the centre. Some even make their attempt to enter the majestic building in their pursuit to quench their curiosity. Exhibitors have been working round the clock to decorate their stalls while visitors are anxiously awaiting the event.

The surroundings at the BICC try to delude the people as if there is a grand fair inside. The exhibitors and the visitors equally seem to grip with this fever.

Though people from teens to octogenarians visit the fair, it is the young generation, the event targets at. This is the only event for the cyber-savvy people and the inquisitive school and college students to keep themselves abreast of the new technology.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is inaugurating the mega information technology (IT) show amid a function Thursday, which will run from Jan 25 to 29. The much-hyped Eighth CAN Info-Tech and Nepal Information Technology Show and Conference 2002 is expected to showcase the latest products and services of the IT companies.

Named after the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), the organizer of the event, it is one of the rare events which is ever supported by the government.

Visitors are also wont to seeing and experiencing the latest technologies during the annual event as most of the IT companies make the debut of their new products only at the show. Exhibitors use the event as a platform to make their presence feel among the customers.

CAN Info-Tech, an annual show, draws a very large numbers of visitors especially the young ones basically students of schools and colleges. The young generation attaches more importance to the fast-changing technology. One of the major attractions of the event is that many IT institutes provide scholarships and discount on enrolment in their faculties.

Besides, the two-day IT Conference is an occasion which provides an opportunity to the IT professionals, experts and entrepreneurs to share their knowledge on latest trend in the IT industry and exchange their views with internationally eminent IT experts. The embryonic IT industry of the country can benefit a lot from these experts.

In keeping with the increased participation of IT professionals in the event, CAN has been organizing the international IT Conference since last year and the conference has been a very good occasion for the brainstorming of the country’s budding IT professionals and experts.

IT experts of international repute like Asia-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) Secretary General Lucas Lim, President of INBITON OY Lasse Laaksonen, Chairman of TEMENOS Holding George Koukis are already in the city to participate in the event, which gives much weightage to the event and enhances the image of the country as well.

They all are the keynote speakers of the IT conference.

Apart from the brainstorming conference, various other talk programmes and sideline conferences are also held during the fair in order to cater to the need of various types of participants. Exhibitors also slash the prices of their products and services in a bid to attract a greater number of customers during the show.

The organizer’s fear of low number of participants and visitors has abated as there is no stall left unbooked and even on the eve of the inaugural ceremony demand for space is still pouring in.