Nepal urges to equip airport for safety

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 22: Discussions were held extensively on satellite-based communication, surveillance and air traffic management, aviation safety, security and issues related to regulatory aspects and promotion of technical cooperation at the 37th conference of the chiefs of the civil aviation authorities of Asia and the Pacific Region held in New Zealand, said the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Medini Prasad Sharma.

Sharma, who had headed a three-member Nepalese team, said the international meet gave the team a valuable opportunity to share experiences among aviation officials.

"The conference was very fruitful as it evaluated the implementation aspects of the resolutions passed by the previous conferences," Sharma said.

The theme of the conference, held from November 13-17, was "Institutional Arrangement and Organisational Development of Civil Aviation Administration in the Changing Context."

The Nepalese team included Yagya Prasad Gautam, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Ram Prasad Neupane, Deputy Director at the International Department under CAAN that looks after International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Air Agreement.

On behalf of Nepal, four working papers entitled Organisational and Institutional Development of CAAN, Bird Strike Problem at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Aviation Security in Nepal and Communication Navigation Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) Implementation in Nepal were presented at the conference.

"The international community also came to know about our mission, vision and strategy. We also held talks with the leaders and representatives of various countries and donor agencies," he said.

According to him, the participants agreed to strictly follow the standards set by ICAO for enhancing safety and security at the airports. They reached a consensus to identify an effective mechanism to extend necessary support to those member countries that have been facing various problems. Other resolutions of the conference include continuing ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, extending support to successfully organise the World Radio Council (WRC) meet in 2003 and ICAO’s protection of aviation frequency spectrum programme, launching standard and valuable training programmes and sharing the experiences of the Cooperative Development of Operators Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Programme (COSCAP-South Asia) with other countries.

The conference was jointly organised by the government of New Zealand and ICAO. Around 122 participants from 35 different countries, including the representatives of ICAO, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Federation of Airlines Pilots Association (IFALPA), took part in the conference.

The topic of the 38th conference to be held next year will be "Regulatory, Economic and Management Aspects of Airport and Airspace in the Context of Recent Development."

Meanwhile, the seventh meeting of the Steering Committee of COSCAP-South Asia was also held in New Zealand recently under the chairmanship of CAAN’s Director General Sharma, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committe of COSCAP-South Asia.

Welcoming the aviation chiefs of the South Asia Region, Sharma highlighted the activities and achievements of the project. He informed that more than 1,500 civil aviation and airlines officials have been provided training so far. He also stressed on the harmonisation of regulations among the member countries and the sustainability of the project.

‘Workers’ rights must be honoured’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 22: The three-day regional seminar on the Application of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work concluded today by setting the course for strengthening fundamental rights at work by raising awareness of rights at work, reviews of legislation and promotion of core Conventions.

The main purpose of the seminar was to achieve the objective of ‘decent work’ as focused in the ILO Declaration of 1998 and, according to a Roger Bohning, Director of ILO, In Focus Programme on Promoting the Declaration, Geneva, the Asian countries are now more positive towards the Declaration. There has been an understanding in the promotion of workers’ rights in development procedures, he said.

When the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work was adopted in 1998, several countries, mainly in Asia, had opposed the Declaration. The declaration include among others there should no forced worker, no child worker, no discrimination,

But now, Ms. Mitsuko Horiuchi, Regional Director of ILO’s Asia Pacific Region, said there has been some progress even in Asia, but institutionalizing this spirit will take time. She said ratification of ILO core Conventions are rising steadily (the Convention has now been ratified by more than 50 countries), along with firm conviction that economic development must come with social development and social justice and that the exercise of fundamental workers’ rights is not only a human right, but also a development right.

She even added that the crisis in South East Asia also showed that social stability cannot be achieved without understanding workers’ rights and economic growth alone cannot improve the quality of life.

The meeting, second of its kind in the region, was participated by government representatives, employers’ and workers’ organisations from more than 20 ILO member countries in the Asia Pacific region. It was jointly funded by the governments of Japan and the United States.

According to the press release issued after the conclusion of the seminar, the tripartite participants from each country have drawn up plans that will serve as the basis for ongoing work carried out either by the partners themselves, or in cooperation with the ILO.

During the course of the meeting, ILO launched a US$ 3.5 million bonded labour project in Nepal. The project is funded by the US government and will be run as a pilot project under the ILO’s declaration of fundamental principles and rights at work.

Bohning said the objectives of the project are to fight poverty by creating job opportunities and enabling people to make choices to achieve the objective of ‘decent work’.

EurOrient’s time-buying move for Arun III

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

Kathmandu, Nov 22: More than three months after it applied for the survey license of Arun III Hydropower Project, EurOrient is still seeking around two months extension on tomorrow’s deadline to pay the performance guarantee for the resurrected hydroelectric project.

This, after already getting two deadline-extensions for the payment in the last two months.

The American Company has already faxed a letter requesting the government for the extension of the deadline to pay the Rupees 4.2 million performance guarantee, according to Binaya Amatya, EurOrient’s Local Agent here.

"We will be submitting the letter to the Department of Electricity Development tomorrow," he said today — one day before the deadline to submit the performance guarantee ends.

In the letter, according to Amatya, EurOrient has cited what it calls the inadequate operation of American Insurance Companies in Nepal as the reason behind the delay in the payment of the guarantee money.

"Because there are very few American Insurance Companies here, EurOrient needs some time to work out the agreements with European insurance companies for the guarantee payment. Hence, the need of the additional time."

DED Officials, however, label the reasoning as a lame excuse. "It was the same company that had boasted of having above US $ one billion cash in hand," said a senior official with the Department.

"And even if it needs the help of the insurance companies, how come the last three months were not enough for the work?"

What must have shaped the DED officials’ interpretation on EurOrient’s attitude is the latter’s reluctance to pay the performance guarantee now.

The American Company, said DED officials, had earlier approached the Department with an idea: It would pay the performance guarantee amount only while acquiring the construction license.

Meaning that, it wanted to pocket the survey license without paying the Rupees 4.2 million.

"And we could not agree to that because the Terms of Reference clearly explains that the company should pay the guarantee before getting the survey license," said Angira Acharya, Senior Divisional Engineer with DED.

In line with the TOR , the Department last August had asked the Los Angeles-based investment banking group to submit, among other documents, the performance guarantee to acquire the survey license for the 402 MW hydro electric project.

Since then, EurOrient has already bought time twice with the department — once on September and for the second time some 15 days ago.

"During our latest correspondence with EurOrient some 15 days ago, we had extended the deadline by a fortnight," said Acharya.

The American Company is required to have the survey license for around one year by when it will have to sign a Power Purchase Agreement with India and furnish its financial arrangements for the one billion US Dollars hydropower project.

Only then will EurOrient be entitled for the Construction License of the Arun III Hydropower Project.

But, ever since it applied for the survey license in August this year, the American Company has been clearly balking at coughing up the guarantee money.

"And it is all due to the risks involved," said a senior official at the DED. "Since there seems to be no development in signing the PPA with India, EurOrient seems to have become cautious to spend the 4.2 million Rupees for the survey license. It knows that if it does not get the PPA signed, it will lose the guarantee money it will have paid for the survey license."

The run of the river project, Arun III is basically designed to export power to India. Which means, EurOrient has no way out but to sign the Power Purchase Agreement with the immediate southern neighbour if it wishes to win the project.

The 402 MW hydroelectric project — to be built in Arun Valley — already has a detailed design officially prepared with the assistance of the World Bank in the mid 90’s.

Once popularly known as Baby Arun, the project was initially designed with the installed capacity of 201 MW. After creating much controversy, this junior version of Arun III died in 1995 after the World Bank decided to pull out from the project-funding spectrum.

Interestingly, this embryonic project was estimated at the cost of US Dollars 5,000 per Kilo Watt of power. While, the present Arun III — with doubled installed capacity — is estimated to cost only US Dollars 2,500 for its every kilo watt electricity.

EurOrient is one of the five applicants for survey licenses of the five different hydropower projects the government has decided to allow private parties to build.

Among these, Dudhkoshi, with the installed capacity of 300 MW, tops the list after Arun III.

Regular interaction among writers emphasised

Kathmandu, Nov. 22 (RSS): A five-day SAARC Writers’ Conference organised by the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi in collaboration with the SAARC Secretariat, Tribhuwan University and the Royal Nepal Academy kicked off here Tuesday.

On the first day of the conference the participating writers pointed out that interactions should be held regularly between writers and artists of the SAARC region, an agenda drawn up for such interactions, advanced information technology used to a greater extent and translated versions brought out among them from time to time.

Secretary General of SAARC Nihal Rodrigo, while welcoming the guests, called on the writers of the region to adopt information technology, explore the potential market, have regular exchange of visits, organise a book exhibition and carry out literary translations.

Founder president of the academy Ajit Kaur demanded that a separate institution be set up under the universities in all SAARC member countries to undertake studies in the literature, arts and culture of this region.

During the programme, participating litterateurs recited their poems.

Messages received from Foreign Minister Charka Prasad Bastola and ex-Prime Minister of India V.P. Singh were also read out at the function.

Auto Show 2000 kicks off

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Nov. 22: The five-day ‘2nd Auto Show 2000’ kicked off at Bhrikuti Mandap today. The show was inaugurated by Raj Sabha Standing Committee Chairman Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi.

Organised by the Global Exposition and Management Services (GEMS) in co-operation with Nepal Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA), the show has brought together over four dozen domestic and foreign organisations in the automobile sector.

The participants, among others, include Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Suzuki, Isuzu, Daihatsu, Hyundai, Daewoo, Tata, Maruti, Hulas Sherpa, Yamaha, Hero Honda and Kawasaki Bajaj.

These event has the latest models of passenger cars, utility vehicles, trucks and buses, two and three wheelers, accessories, air-condition equipment, electrical components and sub-assemblies, environment friendly and safety equipment, tyres and tubes, fuels batteries, lubricants and cleaning systems on display. It can be accessed through the Internet at www.itnti.com/autoshow2000.

"The show will provide an ideal forum to Nepalese and foreign automobile dealers to market their products and services and to explore mutually beneficial opportunities," NADA President Lok Manya Golchha told the inaugural ceremony.

"Besides, it will provide the potential buyers a special opportunity to see, compare and choose the products they like," he said.

Golchha said that automobile dealers were facing problems with the implementation of Nepal Vehicles Emission Standard - 2056 which he said had "technical and practical errors".

"The standard has a provision that Nepalese automobile dealers import only Euro-I complaint vehicles but the fuel supplied is not up to the standard," he said and appealed to the government to make sure that the fuel supplied is lead free.

President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Pradeep Kumar Shrestha appealed to the government to allow the private sector to import petroleum. "The private sector’s entry in petroleum will create a competitive environment in fuel supply." Till now, only the state owned Nepal Oil Corporation is allowed to import petroleum.

Shrestha also called upon the business communities to explore the opportunities in the automobile sector and capitalise them.

President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Rajesh Kaji Shrestha said that the policies related to the imports of automobiles and spare parts should be amended keeping in view the infrastructure of the country.

GEMS Chief Executive Vijay Chhetri delivered the vote of thanks.

The five-day show is expected to be visited by 75,000 people. The first auto-show held in November 1998 had attracted by 40,000 visitors where more than five hundred motorcycles and over a dozen of cars were booked.

Nepal annually imports over three billion worth of automobiles and spare parts which amounts to more than five per cent of the total national import.

Motorcycles imports top the list with about 12,000 units per annum followed by some 2,000 cars, 1,500 trucks and buses, and 700 multiple utility vehicles.

Preparation for immunization in mid-west Nepal

Nepalgunj, Nov. 22 (RSS):  Preparations have been made in all l4 districts of the mid western region for the National Immunization Day to be held on December 9, according to the regional medical store here.

Arrangements have been made for dispatching banners, posters, pamphlets and reporting and recording forms to the district health offices concerned, says store chief Prakash Raj Pant.

But the polio vaccines will be sent only four or five days before National Immunization Day as arrangements for storing the vaccines are not adequate in the those districts, it is stated.

Nine hundred vials of vaccine returned from Dolpa district health office because of inability to store them for lack of kerosene are now being preserved at the regional medical store.

According to store chief Pant, problems are being faced in dispatching the materials because these have not been received by the regional store from the center on time failure to release budgets on time, and lack of regular air links to the remote hill districts.

Public school teachers stage sit-in

Kathmandu, Nov. 22 (RSS):  The teachers of the public schools in Kathmandu district staged a sit-in at the Central Regional Education Directorate today.

President of the Nepal Teachers Association Ishwor Prasad Sapkota said as the Maoist-backed All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU, Revolutionary) has pressurized public schools not to collect fees, to refund the amount collected so far, not to sing the national anthem and stop Sanskrit classes, the sit-in was staged.

President of the Nepal Teachers Organization Ramsharan Ghimire demanded that the government should take responsibility for the security of teachers’ life and property.

President of the Nepal National Teachers Council Kathmandu Birendra Vikal complained that headmasters of 104 public schools in Kathmandu were forced to submit their resignation since there is no situation to continue classes at the present moment.

President of the Nepal Revolutionary Teachers Association Kathmandu Bhaktaman Maharjan accused the government of not trying to fulfill its responsibilities.