Sunsari farmers fail to sow paddy

Itahari, July 30 (RSS): The farmers of Sunsari district have not been able to sow paddy on nearly half of their cultivable land for lack of rain.

Out of the total 74,541 hectares of arable land in the district, paddy has been cultivated only on 50 per cent of the 57,000 hectares of land on which paddy is cultivated.

The farmers have not been able to cultivate paddy even on the 39,000 hectares of irrigated land due to the drying up of the small rivulets in the district which are the main source of the Sunsari-Morang irrigation project and the district sector irrigation programme.

The paddy seedlings in the nurseries have started to wilt as many paddy nurseries have gone dry and the time for paddy cultivation is also nearing its end. The paddy output in Sunsari district is expected to decrease this year.

Cultivation has not been done on paddy fields in areas lying north of the main irrigation canal of the district. Some of the paddy fields which have been cultivated in areas south of the main irrigation canal also have started to dry up due to the lack of rain, district agriculture development officer Hem Sagar Gautam said.

Paddy production in the district is expected to decrease by 88,350 metric tonnes this year as half of the land remains to be cultivated and still there is no enough precipitation in the district.

Under normal conditions, 3.1 metric tonnes of paddy is produced in a hectare of land in Sunsari district.

Corruption control stressed

Biratnagar, July 30 (RSS): Senior advocate and former Speaker Damannath Dhungana has underlined the need to free democracy from the taint of corruption and giving it a pro-people image by gradually consolidating on the gains of the popular movement.

Talking to local journalists in Biratnagar on Sunday, the former Speaker reiterated that talks should be held between the government and the Maoists.

He called on all to be free from their respective ideological preoccupation and make constructive contribution towards this end.

An authoritarian communist regime is not possible through violence and terrorism as people are sovereign and they are the source of the constitution, Mr Dhungana said.

He added that the constitution cannot function well if the Prime Minister is not strong in a democratic system.

Replying a query, Mr Dhungana alleged that a gap has developed between the people and the constitution in the last 12 years after the restoration of democracy in the country and warned the people might rise again as they are a source of unlimited power.

Fielding a query, youth leader of the Nepali Congress Durga Subedi said that talks between the government and the Maoists will be successful as there is no crisis of confidence between the government and the Maoists.

Reduce number of   appellate courts: report

Kathmandu, July 30 (RSS): The number of appellate courts needs to be reduced in view of various factors like work load, accessibility, proper utilisation of human resources and judicious utilisation of public means and resources

This is the conclusion of a report prepared by the Courts Consolidation Recommendations Committee, which has suggested, among other things, a reduction in the number of appellate courts from the existing 16 to five.

The committee has recommended establishment of an appellate court at Dhankuta with Jhapa, Panchthar, Ilam, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Sunsari, Morang, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udayapur, Saptari and Siraha districts brought under its jurisdiction.

Likewise, it has recommended that the appellate court, Patan be retained and Dolkha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Makwanpur, Chitwan, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading districts included under its jurisdiction.

Establishment of an appellate court in Pokhara has also been recommended with Mustang, Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Kaski, Gorkha, Manang, Syangja, Tanahu, Lamjung, Arghakhanchi, Kapilvastu, Palpa, Gulmi, Nawalparasi and Rupandehi under its jurisdiction.

As recommended by the committee, there should be an appellate court in Surkhet with jurisdiction over Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Surkhet, Mugu, Humla, Kalikot, Dolpa and Jumla under its jurisdiction, and another appellate court at Dipayal having jurisdiction over Bajhang, Bajura, Doti, Achham, Kailali, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Darchula and Kanchanpur.

The committee has also recommended that following reduction in the number of appellate courts, labour, revenue and administrative tribunals should be established in Biratnagar, Hetauda, Butwal and Nepalgunj. The Supreme Court should deal with constitutional questions only.

Power Tariff Structure
Govt writes to India over dam: Minister

Kathmandu, July 30 (RSS): Minister for Water Resources Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar has said that His Majesty's Government has increased the power tariff only after extensive discussions, analysis and study of tariff rates proposed by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) board of directors as per the report the NEA submitted to the Power Tariff Determination Commission on Chaitra 17, 2058 BS.

Minister Gachchhadar said this at the meeting of the House of Representatives today after Speaker Taranath Ranabhat issued a ruling to the authorities concerned to inform the House on July 30 about power tariff.

The Power Tariff Determination Commission has been formed as per the Electricity Act-2049 BS and changes have been effected with the approval and recommendation of the Commission, the Minister said.

Under the new power tariff arrangement, consumers who were paying Rs. 78 for up to 20 units will be required to pay Rs. 80.

Similarly, consumers will have to pay Rs. 299 for up to 50 units, Rs. 510 for up to 80 units, Rs. 664 for up to 100 units, Rs.1,394 for up to 200 units, Rs. 3,244 for up to 400 units and Rs. 5,244 for up to 600 units.

Stating that a minimum consumption system as per ampere capacity has been initiated in the power tariff structure, the Water Resources Minister said this is expected to bring consumers a quality service, ensure proper utilisation of means and resources and help control power leakage.

About 50 per cent of consumers belong to the category who use up to 20 units of electricity, he said adding that the power tariff has been increased very minimally.

In terms of other clients also, the increase in tariff rate is only 11 per cent, he further stated.

Meanwhile, Minister Gachchhadar made it clear that His Majesty's Government is sensitive over the dam construction by India in the Marchabar area, adding that it has undertaken correspondence with India through the Foreign Ministry.

The Minister also informed the House that a technical team has already left for an on site inspection of Marchabar area and it will submit its report by this evening.

Meeting to finalise biodiversity work plan

Lalitpur, July 30 (RSS): The Forest Area Coordination Committee Regional Project on environment and the bio-diversity group met here today to give final touches to the national bio-diversity work plan.

The overall protection programme for bio-diversity in the country's conserved areas, forest, agricultural and mountainous regions, wetlands and pastures has been incorporated in the national work plan.

The work plan will be submitted to His Majesty's Government after being finalised. Following its approval on behalf of the government, the plan will be enforced throughout the country, according to the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation.

Formulation of the work plan had begun some six years ago at the joint initiative of the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Representatives of the Ministries of Forest and Soil Conservation, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Population and Environment and Finance and various donor agencies took part in the meeting chaired by Chief of the Forest Division under the Forest Ministry Dr. Udaya Raj Sharma.

No obstructions for talks with Maoists: Koirala

Biratnagar, July 30 (RSS): President of the Nepali Congress (NC) and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said that the government should move ahead seriously to hold talks with the CPN (Maoists) by keeping the interest of the nation, monarchy and democracy uppermost in mind.

NC president Koirala made this remark in a separate meeting with the activists of the party, Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Women’s Association and Nepal Students Union of Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts at Koirala Nibas, Biratnagar.

Stating that declaration of a cease-fire and calling for holding a dialogue with the government by the Maoists was welcome, he emphasised the need for the government to have the upper hand while holding talks with the CPN-Maoists or else they will dominate the dialogue.

Stating that if the dialogue succeeds, then there would certainly be relief for the Nepalese people, NC president Koirala said that as the process for dialogue had already started, none should obstruct it and all should play a constructive role for its success.

None should oppose the government under the prevailing circumstances, and all should work for the sake of stability, he said adding that the party should extend cooperation to the government and vice versa and then only uncertainty in the country would come to an end and all the problems would be resolved by themselves.

The NC president returned to Kathmandu this afternoon.

He had arrived at his home town, Biratnagar last Thursday to take a rest after tendering his resignation.