Heavy casualties in Jumla, Gorkha attacks

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Nov 15: Fifty six policemen and four soldiers were killed when Maoist terrorists launched simultaneous vicious attacks on Khalanga, the headquarters of Jumla district in far west Nepal, and on Tarkukot in Gorkha, in west Nepal, Thursday night.

Thirty-three policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Shiva Narayan Mandal, and four soldiers were killed, in the attack on Khalanga. Another 30 policemen and some soldiers were wounded. They are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Also killed in Khalanga, the district headquarters, were Chief District Officer Damodar Pant, and two civilians in the battle that lasted throughout the night.

So far the bodies of 51 Maoist terrorists have been counted. According to our Khalanga correspondent, the terrorists, who came in the thousands at around 10 at night, attacked the district headquarters from all sides, using sophisticated weapons they had seized during previous raids on the army posts. This inflicted heavy damage on the Regional Police Unit, the District Police Office and other government offices in the remote hills of Karnali zone. The Jumla airport has been totally destroyed.

After attacking the police posts, they went after the Royal Nepalese Army barracks situated to the north of the headquarters, killing four armymen and injuring a few others.
Communication with Khalanga were cut off. And the night vision helicopters from Nepalgunj sent to reinforce the security forces had difficulty landing there as the terrorists laid siege to the district headquarters until they were repulsed Friday morning.

Security forces have so far recovered the dead bodies of 51 terrorists. The exact casualty on the Maoists' side is yet to be ascertained as the terrorists are believed to have carried away an equal number of bodies in dokos (baskets) and stretchers, according to locals. The casualty figure could, thus, rise to more than a hundred.

Security forces have recovered four SLR rifles, seven .303 rifles, one shot gun, seven other guns, bullets and spare parts of automatic weapons and explosives from Khalanga, according to the Defence Ministry.

About 800 security personnel, including the Devi Dutta Battalion of the Royal Nepalese Army and the Regional and District Units of the Nepal Police, are stationed in Khalanga. From Gorkha, our corespondent Kishore Jung Thapa reports that 23 policemen, including two Assistant Sub-inspectors died and 10 others were injured, when Maoist terrorists attacked the Tarkukot Police Post in the northern part of the mid-western hill district at about 10:15 Thursday night. The casualties on the Maoists' side has yet to be confirmed. The Maoists carried many of their dead and injured with them.

The terrorists had taken the police post under control within 30 minutes of fighting. Four policemen, out of the 59 manning the post, were on leave. According to the District Police Office, Gorkha, contact has been established with 24 other policemen of the post.

In yet other encounters with the Maoists, the Army is said to have inflicted damage on the Maoists in Dhangadhi in far west Nepal. The encounter took place at ward No. 8 in Dhangadhi municipality for about half an hour at midnight of Thursday after the security forces intensified their search operations following the brutal murder by the terrorists of ex-UML MP Chakra Prasad Dagaura Chaudhary. The security personnel and the Maoists also fought briefly in the wee hours of Friday morning in the jungles of Dhangadhi.

23 policemen attain marty domin Gorkha

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Nov 15:The policemen who were killed at Tarkukot of Gorkha are Assistant Sub-Inspectors Sakhkhu Malla of Mainhiya, 9, Rupandehi, and Shesh Kant Ghimire of Bahundanda of Lamjung; three police sergeants Iman Singh Gurung of Aruma Ramang, Gorkha, Jhapat Bahadur Hamal of Deupur, Parbat and Chetnath Banjada, of Tandrang, Gorkha.

The other policemen of Tarkukot Police Post who lost their lives fighting the Maoists are policemen Dambar Bahadur Basnet of Ismadauli, Gulmi, Suk Bahadur Gurung, of Arupokhari, Gorkha, Dhirendra Kumar Chaturbedi of Bidhyanagar, Kapilvastu, Bhimsen Thapa of Bhalbad, Kapilvastu, Gopal Marashani of Arkhale, Gulmi, Chet Bahadur Rayamajhi of Kopaba, Kapilvastu, Satyanarayan Majhi of Bonigawa, Morang, Sukdev Khanal of Kopaba, Kapilvastu, Shankar Kumar Shrestha of Satmuhane Deurali, Kaski, Rabindra Kumar Lonia of Sukauli, Nawalparashi, Kumar Shrestha of Mirkot, Gorkha, Rabindra Bahadur Chhettri of Triveni Susta, Nawalparashi, Bhakta Bahadur Thapa of Kamala Mai municipality, Sindhuli, Ishowr Devkota of Simjung, Gorkha, Resham Bahadur Subedi of Nayasangu, Gorkha, Indra Bahadur Kauchha of Hadhade, Gulmi, Prem Bahadur Thapa of Jamune Tanahu and Nara Bahadur Gurung of Arupokhari, Gorkha.

Last rites of ex-MP Chaudhari performed

RSS

DHANGADHI, Nov. 15: The body of former MP and CPN-UML National Council member Chakra Bahadur Dagaura Chaudhari, killed by the terrorists last evening, was cremated at the bank of the local Mohana river. Former MP Dagaura Chaudhari, 35, was shot at his own house at Dhangadhi municipality by the terrorists.He was elected to the House of Representatives from Kailali Constituency No. 3 in 2051 B.S. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

His body was kept at his own house in the morning and at the party district office in the noon for the people to pay their last respects to him.

Activists of the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and Nepal Sadbhavana Party, journalists and people of various walks of life paid homage to him.

Govt outlay, trade deficit increase: NRB

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Nov 15: Total government expenditure, on cash basis, in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2002-03 has increased by 7.4 per cent mainly due to a sharp decline in the development expenditure. The slow growth of total resources, compared to expenditure, during the review period resulted in higher budgetary deficit, according to Nepal Rastra Bank.

During the period, both broad and narrow money supply declined as in the same period of last fiscal year. Interest rates on both the treasury bills and in inter-bank markets slumped, the NRB's report on the recent macro-economic situation of Nepal said. The rate of inflation on a point to point basis has remained lower than that of the same period last year.

On the external front, increase in imports and decline in exports has resulted in sharp trade deficit. Due to the increase in the trade deficit and sharp decline in service income, the current account deficit has further widened. Since the capital income could not make up for the deficit in the current account, the ultimate balance of payment (BoP) position turned negative during the review period. Gross foreign exchange reserves of the banking system (inclusive of valuation change) increased by 2.6 per cent, to Rs. 106.43 billion in mid-September 2002, compared to the corresponding period last fiscal year. This reserve is sufficient to cover merchandise imports for about one year and goods and services imports for 11 months.

As a result of the decline in net domestic assets by 0.9 per cent, broad money (M2) supply went down by 0.4 per cent, amounting to Rs, 0.87 billion, during the review period. Similar negative growth of 1.4 per cent had been registered during the same period last year. Narrow money declined by 5.7 per cent, to Rs. 4.55 billion, during the same period. Both broad money and narrow money had declined by 2.1 per cent last year.

Net foreign assets of the banking system increased marginally by 0.4 per cent to Rs. 89.45 billion as against a decline of 1.6 per cent last year. Domestic credit of the banking system registered a marginal growth of 0.4 per cent to Rs. 0.87 billion.

Marginal growth in the claims on government and government enterprises contributed to such a growth in domestic credits. Credit to the private sector also grew by 0.1 per cent to Rs. 134.35 billion during the review period compared to a growth of 0.2 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
Total government expenditure during the review period increased by 7.4 per cent to Rs. 6.7 billion, as against a rise of 9.7 per cent, during the same period last fiscal year. development expenditure on cash flow basis declined sharply by 56.4 per cent, to Rs. 332.4 million, as against a decline of 11 per cent last year.

Higher growth in total government expenditure compared to that of total resources led to a jump in budgetary deficit by 172.4 per cent, amounting to Rs. 262.4 million during this period.
Total exports declined by 25.9 per cent, to Rs. 6344.2 million, as against a decline of 2.5 per cent during the same period last year. Exports to third countries declined by 13.6 per cent as against a decline of 29.2 per cent during the same period last year.

POL price-hike fears create shortage

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Nov. 15: With Nepal Oil Corporation hinting at a price hike of petroleum products, saying it could fold up if it did not do so, an artificial shortage created by dealers is sending consumers running from shop to shop.

Nervous buyers stood in long queues outside filling stations and kerosene sellers' booths Friday.
"The artificial shortage of the POL products is sure to create trouble to the consumers," said an official at the NOC. The government was expected to decide about the hike, but the cabinet could not sit today, he said.

While consumers are bearing the brunt of the scarcity acted out by the profit-motivated distributors, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) says it is running a loss of Rs. 20 million everyday because of the cross-subsidy it provides on POL products. "Since the POL products are being smuggled to India due to price differences, it has become necessary to review the price of POL products," said Rudra Bahadur Khadka, General Manager of the NOC. He added that it was the only way to financially rescue the corporation. NOC is the sole distributor of POL products in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal on Thursday had said that the government would soon announce new prices for POL products in its bid to rescue the NOC.
Narayan Pokharel, a consumer who could not manage to get a cylinder of cooking gas, expressed his anger over the government's hasty statement which prompted the dealers of POL products to hide their products and create an artificial shortage. "Had the government not hinted about the price hike, the dealers would not have been able to deceive the consumers," he said.

Talking about the financial crisis faced by the NOC, GM Khadka said that the Corporation owed Rs. 1.5 billion to Indian Oil till the end of this year while it is expected to earn only Rs. 900 million. "How can we pay the amount while we are facing losses of Rs. 600 million every month ?" he asked.
As the price of oil in the international market is rising, it is imperative for us to increase the price," he added.

The NOC has been subsidising the price of kerosene and diesel, although it earns a profit on the sale of petrol. The current price of kerosene is Rs. 17 per litre while its actual price goes as high as Rs. 25. Similarly, the NOC has been selling one litre of diesel at Rs. 26.50 while its actual price is said to be Rs. 33.