Ministers resign over alleged role in bribery

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KATHMANDU, March 11 :Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Gopal Man Shrestha and his Deputy Minister of State Surendra Hamal, who have been engaged in a heated row over a bribery scandal, resigned today amid growing criticism from the opposition parties.

The conflict between these members of the cabinet of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba turned into a public affair after they came out openly against each other. Both of them have now been forced to resign by the Prime Minister after the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) disrupted the parliament proceedings on Monday.

While Minister Shrestha read out his resignation letter at Monday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Minister of State Hamal gave his resignation to PM Deuba.

In his address to the parliament, Minister Shrestha refuted the allegations put forward by his deputy. Minister of State Hamal, in a press meet on Friday, had alleged Shrestha of receiving Rs. 200,000 as a bribe to upgrade the collection capacity of a industry in Nepalgunj and a ruling party MP had acted as a middleman.

"I had approved the documents of Khanal Resin and Turpentine Industries seeking permission for upgrading the resin collection capacity after it completed all the due procedures," Minister Shrestha told the House.

Minister Shrestha claimed that the "Timber Mafia" has played an active role to oust him as he started investigation on the recent forest destruction in several parts of the country.

He also claimed that the transfer of the employees, which has drawn controversy, was performed by the Minister of State himself and not by him.

But Minister of State Hamal, in his resignation letter to the PM, stated that he was made a victim of deliberate intrigue inside the Ministry and the CIAA letter to warn him was part of conspiracy designed by Minister Shrestha.

"Some opportunist members of the cabinet also played a crucial role to oust me ignoring the fact that I have filed a case in the Court against CIAA decision to warn me," said Hamal.

"I have decided to support the stance of party president Girija Prasad Koirala concerning the formation of the Council of Ministers with no more than ten percent of the total parliamentarians," Hamal said.

Deuba inaugurates NDC Secretariat

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today inaugurated the building of the National Defence Council (NDC) Secretariat amid a function held in the Singha Durbar, the central secretariat of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal.

Inaugurating the Secretariat, PM Deuba who is also the NDC Chairman said the new government wing would work towards protecting and promoting the national integrity by eliminating all the challenges and blockades.

This is the first time the government has set up the Secretariat as provisioned in the Constitution to properly regulate the NDC. The Secretariat comprises the Information and Analysis Cell, Planning and Investigation Cell and the Administration Cell. The chiefs of the cells are Colonel Kumar Budhathoki, Brigadier General Keshar Bhandari and Joint-Secretary of the Defence Ministry Baman Prasad Neupane respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Deuba said the Secretariat would help the government by assessing and analysing the factors affecting the country’s security system and its causative factors, and by helping to formulate policy and programmes on security.

"The Secretariat will help in the all-round development of the country by strengthening the security systems," PM Deuba said. "The Secretariat will solicit advice and recommendations from the security experts, thereby helping the government opt for appropriate measures."

The Co-ordinator of the Secretariat is Defence Secretary Padma Kumar Acharya, Joint Co-ordinator is Major General Rukamangat Katwal.

On the occasion, PM Deuba also administered the oath of office and secrecy to the officers of the Secretariat and inspected various cells of the office.

UML disrupts House proceedings

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : The main opposition Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) disrupted proceedings of the House of Representatives on Monday, chanting slogans demanding the Prime Minister’s clarification on the issues related to corruption and comments made by some Ministers on the constitutional amendment.

The opposition lawmakers gheraoed the rostrum for almost four hours demanding the resignation of the Ministers allegedly involved in corruption. The lawmakers from both the ruling parties including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs suggested the Ministers to resign from their posts.

Chief whip of the CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikari flayed Prime Minister Deuba for being delusive towards national problems and allowing the responsible Ministers to speak out against his commitments made before the Parliament.

"The Parliament has been insulted by PM Deuba as he declined to clarify whether the remarks of the Ministers were authentic voices of the government or not," said Adhikari, adding that the government was using the government media to propagate against constitutional amendment.

Leader of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the third largest party in the parliament, Surya Bahadur Thapa said his party was standing for comprehensive socio- economic and political reforms in the country and insisting for constitutional amendment as a way-out of the present political problems dogging the country.

Thapa also left no stone unturned to slam Deuba saying that a mentally and courageously weak Prime Minister can not drive the nation to a right way.

CPN-UML lawmaker Subash Kumar Nemwang accused Prime Minister Deuba of seeking national consensus outside the Parliament ignoring overwhelming support from all the parties for the amendment in the present constitution.

"People will get a negative message if the parliament fails to exercise its power to amend the constitution," Nemwang said. He also warned that the people would adopt unconstitutional means if the constitutional ways of improvement were blocked.

Even the ruling Nepali Congress MP Govinda Bahadur Shah and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Romi Gauchan Thakali suggested the Ministers to quit.

Narayan Singh Pun of the Nepali Congress suggested the government to seek solution of Maoist problems through peaceful means. "Terrorism and insurgency are not similar and the armed insurgency can not be suppressed by use of force," he said.

Chitra Bahadur KC of National People’s Front (NPF) claimed that newly formed corruption probe commission could not wipe out corruption from the country due to its limited jurisdiction.

Pradip Gyawali of CPN-UML said that there was no need of taking people’s consent through referendum for amending the constitution as the parliament represents them.

After almost four hours of disruption, Speaker Taranath Ranabhat adjourned the meeting of the House of Representatives till Wednesday.

Govt to start amendment process

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KATHMANDU, March 11:After the main opposition party in the parliament CPN (UML) adopted strategy to continue disrupting the House proceedings, the government has agreed to expedite constitution amendment procedures within a week.

"Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has agreed to call an all party meeting to form a task team to thrash up the sphere of amendment" a source at Baluwatar told The Kathmandu Post.

The source also informed that the leaders of three major political parties have agreed to float the amendment proposal to different field of life and not to make any decision hastily.

According to a source at Baluwatar, Deuba reiterated government stance to conduct timely reforms in the constitution. " Government has requested all the parties to send a representatives to thrash up the points of amendment," the source said quoting Deuba as saying.

Koirala assured Deuba to provide the report of task team by Wednesday as Deuba complained that the ruling party has not provided the reports of its constitution amendment suggestion task team.

The meeting was attended by PM Deuba, Girija Prasad Koirala of Nepali Congress, Surya Bahadur Thapa of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Madhav Kumar Nepal of the CPN- UML.

Deuba inaugurates NDC Secretariat

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today inaugurated the building of the National Defence Council (NDC) Secretariat amid a function held in the Singha Durbar, the central secretariat of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal.

Inaugurating the Secretariat, PM Deuba who is also the NDC Chairman said the new government wing would work towards protecting and promoting the national integrity by eliminating all the challenges and blockades.

This is the first time the government has set up the Secretariat as provisioned in the Constitution to properly regulate the NDC. The Secretariat comprises the Information and Analysis Cell, Planning and Investigation Cell and the Administration Cell. The chiefs of the cells are Colonel Kumar Budhathoki, Brigadier General Keshar Bhandari and Joint-Secretary of the Defence Ministry Baman Prasad Neupane respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Deuba said the Secretariat would help the government by assessing and analysing the factors affecting the country’s security system and its causative factors, and by helping to formulate policy and programmes on security.

"The Secretariat will help in the all-round development of the country by strengthening the security systems," PM Deuba said. "The Secretariat will solicit advice and recommendations from the security experts, thereby helping the government opt for appropriate measures."

The Co-ordinator of the Secretariat is Defence Secretary Padma Kumar Acharya, Joint Co-ordinator is Major General Rukamangat Katwal.

On the occasion, PM Deuba also administered the oath of office and secrecy to the officers of the Secretariat and inspected various cells of the office.

Guns overtake development as ISDP is virtually scrapped

By Tilak Pokharel

KATHMANDU, March 11 : As the fingers of the security personnel are busy strolling around the gun triggers, the government’s ambitious project to ensure development and security to the people at the same time has unofficially been declared as "have come to a complete cessation."

Senior officials at the National Planning Commission today said all the budget allocated for the development part of the Integrated Security and Development Plan (ISDP) has almost been curtailed, with a hefty amount diverted towards guns and armours. With this, the government’s ambitious plan to lead a road to development has come to a satirical end.

"At a time when regular development programmes have been suspended, implementation of the projects under ISDP has become a mirage," said Bhagwati Kumar Kafle, joint secretary at the National Planning Commission (NPC).

Immediately after the imposition of a state of emergency in November last year, the government had suspended the projects in six out of seven ISDP-implemented districts, except Gorkha, which the government aimed to make a model district. Other districts included Rolpa, Rukum, Pyuthan, Salyan, Jajarkot and Kalikot.

But another joint-secretary at the NPC, requesting anonymity, said the development works have not been carried out properly in Gorkha. Though he denied the official scrap of the ISDP by the government, he conceded that the project has been virtually scrapped.

The officials also said the foreign donors by this time have diverted their assistance from development ventures to weaponry. "In the past when the ISDP was first introduced, the donors were enthusiastic to assist in the infrastructure development," Kafle said. "But now, they have started paying more attention towards security operation to quell the Maoist insurgency."

Even the government has diverted sizeable amount of budget from many development ventures other than those under ISDP to spend on security measures. The government had earlier imposed huge levies on daily commodities to increase the budget for the security wings.

The government had launched ISDP two years ago with the aim of quelling the seven-year-old Maoist insurgency that has already claimed more than 3,000 lives. The Royal Nepal Army was all set to construct 13 roads, among the host of other development activities including hospital management, providing emergency relief to the people, in the seven ISDP-implemented districts. But now the army personnel are busy tracing out the Maoists and gunning them down instead of undertaking the development initiatives.

However, the officials said the foreign donors including the government of the United States, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the British Government have not backed out from the idea of helping the government in implementing the ISDP. "But after the imposition of emergency, they have started working directly with the Ministry of Finance," the official said. "We created favourable environment for the donors to contribute on the mighty projects. But after the emergency, the aspects of financial dealing was taken over by the Finance Ministry."

According to the NPC officials, the government in the last fiscal year had allocated about Rs. 600 million to implement ISDP in the seven districts that were selected in the first lot. The government later extended the programme to six more districts. But the state of emergency has now shattered all the plans before the government even began the implementation of this highly ambitious programme.

5 rebels, 2 soldiers killed in encounters

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : At least five Maoist "terrorists", two army personnel and a civilian were killed in encounters between the outlawed Maoists and the security forces in the last 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said here Monday.

Security forces gunned down three Maoists in different parts of Surkhet district and one each in Pranbung of Panchthar district and Durgauli of Kailali district, the Defense Ministry said.

An army personnel was killed in an encounter after the security forces found a group of Maoists planning to lay an ambush in Argal of Baglung district. Another army personnel who sustained injury in Kabilas of Chitwan district in yesterday’s attack died today in Birendra Army Hospital.

In another incident, the Maoists killed Uma Chaudhary of Harwara of Dang district hacking him with an axe while he was fast asleep, according to the Defense Ministry. Another civilian called Madhu Shah of Dharauni was admitted to Ghorahi Hospital after he was brutally beaten by the Maoists.

The Maoists also attacked policemen Indra Bahadur Ranabhat and Sheshkant Subedi who deployed at famous Manakamana Temple of Gorkha district. They sustained injuries and were brought to the capital for treatment.

The release also stated that the security forces confiscated a large number of weapons and explosives in Surkhet, Panchthar, Rolpa and Gorkha district.

Will Arun generate power for sub-region ?

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : The saga of the Arun river goes on and on. If the latest agreement among officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal is any thing to go by, the Arun River cascading down the eastern hills of the country would become the first river in the South Asian region to generate power for sub-regional use.

And this time, officials say, they are expecting a "real breakthrough". There is a very good reason: officials from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have agreed to develop not only one, but three, hydro electricity projects along the Arun river course for the sub-regional use.

If every thing goes according to plan, the Arun River will generate over 1,100 megawatts — with the capacity of the Arun III to generate 401 MW, Upper Arun 350MW and Lower Arun 355 MW— of electricity that would feed a sub-regional power grid interconnecting the national systems of the four close neighbours.

The water resources and energy secretaries from the four countries, who had converged in New Delhi, India, on March 8-9, agreed to develop the Arun Valley hydel projects, the Ministry of Water Resources said in a press statement Monday.

The officials have agreed to develop the hydro projects as "cascade"—which entails developing several smaller dams along the same river, said Nirjarananda Baidya, the Ministry spokesperson.

And the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to complete technical studies within one year to develop the projects and "boost power trade" among the four countries according to the concept of the South Asia Growth Quadrangle (SAGQ).

The ADB has agreed to analyse the detailed financial and technical aspects of the projects, besides carrying out the comprehensive study of the project’s implementation aspect. The multilateral bank has also pledged to provide technical assistance for the studies.

"After the detailed studies are completed, we will move into the implementation phase," Lok Man Singh Karki, Secretary at the Ministry, who participated in the regional meet told The Kathmandu Post. "Then, we will need to find the co-financiers."

Karki asserted that there would be no dearth of co-financiers as the governments of India and Bangladesh have agreed to finance the projects. "Even the ADB is keen. We will have no dearth of co-financiers," he said.

He added, "Not only the Arun Valley projects, the government of India and the private investors there seem very much keen to develop other medium-size hydel projects—such as Upper Karnali, Budhi Gandaki and Rolwaling—in Nepal. And we are expecting quite a few of them here very soon."

However, there are critics and experts who doubt that the project may not move ahead as expected in the light of the country’s worsening security situation.

And more so, with the Arun’s not-so-encouraging history.

Consider this: the detailed design works and feasibility studies of Arun III had been finished in 1993. So much so that the run-of-river-type project’s tender processes were already underway. But the then government was forced to abort it after the World Bank, which had supported it for 10 years, suddenly decided to pull out in 1995.

And just last year, an American company, Eurorient Investment Group, got a license to carry out the project’s pre-feasibility studies, but disappeared after failing to deposit a minimum amount of money to get the development license.

And there are experts who say that the security issue is a secondary issue. "The primary issue here is how much money can Nepal get out of the projects," said a water resource expert, who refused to be quoted. "Nepal will not have any problem so long as the development cost is at par with the international price—that is less than 1,200 dollars a kilowatt."

He fumed: "Given the recent history (that saw the government awarding license to an elusive French Trust willing to "develop" Upper Karnali hydro project), we are pretty sceptical. The government has already lost its credibility."

However, Secretary Karki said that the financing aspect would be discussed only after the ADB submits its report after one year. "It is a major breakthrough; and it is Nepal that will benefit at the end," he added.

During the New Delhi meet, the officials, among others, discussed the issue of the regional sub grid, which will be possible after the interconnection of the four national grids, the Ministry statement said. The South Asia Regional Initiative (SARI) Energy of the USAID conducted the feasibility studies last year to set up such a grid.

The Nepali officials had proposed that the Arun Valley projects be developed for the sub-regional use in the first meeting of the four countries’ water resources and energy secretaries in Dhaka in November. The officials will meet again in June, 2003, in Nepal.

Even so, there are critics who are quite sceptical. "If a national project (like Teri hydro project) cannot complete in 30 years, who can one expect a regional project like this to complete soon." the expert said.

Certificate investigation moving at snail’s pace

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KATHMANDU, March 11 : No ministry, other than the Ministry of Education and Sports, has actually begun the process of verifying certificates of its employees even as a deadline for the initiation of investigation came to a close last month.

The sub-committee of the Parliamentary State Affairs’ Committee, (PSAC) directed all the ministries and government departments to testify the authenticity of all its employees by the last week of January. However, nobody has paid any heed to this directive, said Parliamentarian Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Coordinator of the Certificate Investigation Committee of PSAC.

‘The sub-committee, probing a reported menace of certificate racketeering in government offices, will sit for a meeting next week to decide on an alternative option. The Committee will then change its decision and will come down to only monitoring how seriously each ministry and its departments are working, and will observe the sincerity of authorized officials in executing orders of the committee before taking further measures," Pandey warned.

According to the Parliamentarian, the Committee will now be more watchful and will cautiously monitor the activities of officials at the ministries responsible for executing the orders of Parliament.

"We have directed all the ministries and government offices to start verifying certificates from the month but none seem to have seriously taken our directives," said MP Pandey, who is a Coordinator of the Certificate Investigation Committee of PSAC.

Lawmakers said that in the last one month, none of the ministries except the Education Ministry had been seen working seriously towards cleaning up the public administration. Showing his discontent over the delay in executing orders of Parliament by the ministries, MP Pandey also expressed his dissatisfaction over the internal delay made by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in clamping down on defaulters and filing cases against them on time.

"We will sit for a discussion on March 14 to decide on an alternative move," said MP Pandey. "After the meeting, the Committee will gear-up the process of verifying as many civil servants as possible and forward them to the CIAA for necessary action if they are found guilty," he said. However, he did not confirm how long it would take to verify the entire bureaucracy, which is said to be offering jobs for around 108,000 civil servants.

"Some of the government officials have already been trying hard to evade action while some were scared away by the recent move of the government to verify their academic claims, have purposely caused a delay in the process of investigating certificates," an official said, requesting anonymity.

In its bid to clean the bureaucracy of the alleged certificates duplicity, the PSAC had earlier directed the ministries and departments to begin investigating their employees, who have been suspected of getting into public services through counterfeit certificates without having to sit for any kind of examinations.

Meanwhile, officials at the PSAC sub-committee said the resignation tendered by chairman of the PSAC, Hom Nath Dahal, has obstructed in the deliberations at the Committee on what they said to be two important proposed bills – the Corruption Control Bill and CIAA (Second Amendment Bill).

The government has recently, claiming to bring a new Bills with changes in impeachment procedures, withdrawn the Bills.

MP Pandey said the Bills that came to a standstill abruptly after its withdrawal by the government, will take years before it becomes an act.