‘Top priority to public facilities’

Rajbiraj, Feb. 2 (RSS): Minister for Housing and Physical Planning Chiranjivi Wagle laid the foundation stone for a Mutani Bridge located between Patthargada and Malekpur VDCs along the Rajbiraj-Siraha Hulaki or postal road today.

The 60-meter bridge to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 20 million will be completed within two years.

On the occasion, Mr Wagle said the government has given top priority to providing electricity, water, health, education, access to information and other facilities to the people and called on them to cooperate with the army and the police to end Maoist terrorists in the country.

The government will extend utmost cooperation for developing historic Chhinnamasta Devi Temple as a site for religious tourism, he further said.

Saptari DDC Chairman Dinesh Kumar Yadav , Director General of the Department of Roads Madan Nepal also spoke at the function chaired by chairman of Patthargadha VDC Shiv Narayan Shah.

KC denies signature campaign

Kapilvastu, Feb. 2 (RSS):Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh KC has said that the high level monitoring committee constituted after the proclamation of the state of emergency in the country will submit a report at the meeting of the central committee.

At a meet the press programme today at Janakpuardham, he said that the party has initiated the conference programme at various districts to boost the morale of the security forces and provide dynamism to the role of the civic societies.

Responding to the questions posed by journalists, he said that there is emergency in the country and the Nepali Congress has been thinking of how to surmount it. He however denied that the signature campaign to oust the government is taking place.

Let’s face problems collectively, says Koirala

Janakpurdham, Feb. 2 (RSS): Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said that Nepali Congress workers should move ahead collectively in facing the ‘very grave situation’ existing in the country without caring the minor differences.

Koirala made this remark while meeting Nepali Congress party workers from Dhanusha, Mahottari and Sindhuli districts in Janakpurdham today.

President Koirala insisted that there is a need of broad democratic alliance for translating the national unity and reconciliation policy of the late B.P. Koirala into action.

He claimed that 95 per cent of those killed by the Maoist terrorists were Nepali Congress workers.

The Neapli Congress would become successful in its objectives if it moves ahead on the ideological path propounded by the late B.P. Koirala, he said, calling on the party workers to become free of the tendency of neglecting fellow party workers while in power.

Meanwhile, in Mahottari, Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said that Broader Democratic Alliance (BDA) intends to bring all the political parties having faith on the country, monarchy and democracy under one umbrella.

Inaugurating the first district convention of NC Mahottari here Friday, Koirala said as a new conception has become necessary in order to relieve off the nation from the politics of murder and terror the BDA has been introduced in pursuance to the policy of national reconciliation of the late BP Koirala.

NC joint general secretary Govinda Raj Joshi said the BDA is not only to face the problem of the Maoists but for the development of the country.

NC spokesman Arjun Narsingh K.C., chairman of the Justice, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Committee Mahendra Yadav Madhukar, MP Ramchandra Tiwari and other speakers also expressed their views at the programme chaired by NC Mahottari president and MP Mahendra Kumar Raya.

Concerted effort for welfare of disabled urged

Janakpurdham, Feb. 2 (RSS): Minister for Population and Environment P. L. Singh, while inaugurating the Second National General Assembly of the Nepal National Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NNFDHH) in Janakpur today, said that as there are a lot of people who are disabled and deaf, all the government and social organisations should work actively for addressing their problems.

Minister Singh said the emergency rule has been imposed to control terrorist activities, adding that whether to extend it or not will be discussed in Parliament.

At the programme presided over by national president of NNFDHH Shambhu Prasad Sherchan, various other speakers including central president of the National Federation of the Disabled Muniswor Pandey, DDC chairman Ram Charitra Saha and Janakpur Municipality Mayor Bajrang Prasad Shaha also expressed their views.

The general assembly was participated in by 100 representatives from 33 branches of the federation.

The number of the deaf and hearing impaired is 700,000 among the 2.4 million disabled people in the country.

‘Rs 50M allocated for land compensation’

Pokhara, Feb. 2 (RSS): Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Bal Bahadur KC has said that Rs. 50 million has been allocated for providing compensation to the land to be acquired for the proposed International Airport at Chhinedanda in Pokhara sub-metropolitan city and works will be initiated soon under the BOT system.

In a meet-the-press programme organised by the sub-metropolitan city office today, Minister KC spoke of the need to stop Phewa Lake from being filled up and also stop building houses at the distance of 65 kms from the lake.

Warning that the life of the lake would not be more than 100 years if it continues to get filled up at the present ratio, the Tourism Minister spoke of the need also for intellectuals and local people’s representatives to preserve natural resources.

The Ministry is considering developing Pokhara as a tourist city, he said, adding that natural resources, Phewa Lake, forest, culture and language form the basis of infrastructure for tourism development in Pokhara.

Assistant Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Prakash Bahadur Gurung and others also spoke at the function.

Minister KC also inspected the under-construction landfill site and Phewa Lake today.

Sushil urges to fight against mafia

Mahottari, Feb. 2 (RSS): General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala has said NC is committed to the overall development of the country by ending the existing poverty and illiteracy.

Addressing a concluding function of the first district conference of NC Mahottari at Jaleswor today, Koirala called on the party workers to fight against the mafia.

NC organisational department chief Krishna Sitaula said the broader democratic alliance is aimed at strengthening nationalism, and safeguarding the constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy.

Party central regional co-ordinator Dr. Ram Baran Yadav said the Maoist problem is a terrorist problem rather than political.

Party eastern regional co-ordinator K. B. Gurung called on the NC workers to become united.

MP Ram Jiwan Singh called for disarming the Maoists and lifting the emergency.

At the function presided over by NC Mahottari president and MP Mahendra Kumar Raya, various other speakers including ex-MPs Mahendra Mishra, Mahendra Yadav, Basant Kumar Gurung, Hari Shankar Mishra, broader Janakpur chairman Narendra Mishra, Kameswor Pandey, Kalpana Gurung, NC constituency presidents Chiranjivi Hamal, Shambhu Pathak, Baliram Pandey, Om Narayan Mahaseth and NC district secretary Hari Narayan Yadav also expressed their views.