NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

NTV, NHK To Air First Sun Rays On The Everest

A Himalayan rang

The state-owned Nepal Television (NTV) has said it will telecast the first sunrise of the new millennium at the Mt. Everest, the highest peak of the world, around the globe with technical cooperation from NHK, Japan's national television. General Manager of NTV, Tapa Nath Shukla said that preparations were already underway in this regard. A joint initiative of NTV and Nepal Tourism Board, the event is expected to promote Nepal as an international tourist destination. According to Shukla, the picturesque views of Mt. Everest and panoramic views of the Himalayas will be telecast from nearby mountains and NTV will later retransmit it from Nagarkot, 32 km east of Kathmandu on January 1, 2000 accompanied by musical programs. International channels like CNN and Asian TV will retransmit the program later, he said. Compiled from reports.

Nepal To Get 70 Million Unit Of Power

Tanakpur Barrage

Nepal is to get 70 million unit of power from India beginning January 1, 2000 as per the much-talked about four-year-old Tanakpur agreement with India. The treaty had a provision saying that India would provide the said volume of electricity to Nepal as soon as it came into effect. Chief of Nepal Electricity Authority's Nepalgunj regional office, R. C. Pandey, said that Nepal would regularly get the electricity from next week as the works to connect electricity transmission sytem with the 132 KV national grid have been completed. "If we had adequate budget, we could have done this job two years ago," he said. NEA officials said that they would be able to earn additional Rs 500 million every year by providing reliable power supply to nearly 42,000 consumers in far-western Nepal after the electricity from Tanakpur is available. Nepal Samacharpatra Dec. 23.

150 People Die In Maoist Related Violence

Officials have said that nearly 150 people have died in Maoist-related violence over the last five months in the mid-western region only. According to the Mid-Western Regional Police Office in Nepalgunj, a total of 134 Maoist rebels have been killed during an encounter with police between mid-July to December 18, this year. Similarly, 11 policemen and two private citizens were killed in Maoist-related violence over this period. More than two dozen people, including 16 policemen were injured during this period and police have arrested nine rebels for investigation, the Office said. Meanwhile, Police said that two policemen have been killed in an ambush laid down by the suspected Maoist rebels in Tandrang VDC in western district of Gorkha on Tuesday. A reinforcement of police team later surrounded the village and carried out a massive search operation, reports said. In a separate incident, two rebels were killed during an encounter with police in mid-western district of Bardiya last week. Compiled from reports Dec. 24.

Telecom Tariff To Go Up Soon

Close on the heels of hikes in prices of electricity and other goods and services, the state-owned Nepal Telecommunications Corporation has recommended raising tariff of local telephone calls but slashing down charges of international calls. The meeting of NTC Board on Wednesday has decided to raise minimum monthly charges from Rs 150 per month to Rs 300 per month. The 10 percent Value Added Tax and 10 percent service charge will continue to be levied on these charges. Similarly, the board has recommended slashing down international calls. The NTC officials said that pressure from international telecom operators, with whom NTC has technical agreements, to reduce the "accounting rate" was one of the main reasons for the changes in the charges. The new tariff would have to be endorsed by Nepal Telecom Authority, an autonomous government agency, before it come into effect. Kantipur Dec. 24.

200 MIillion Rupee Mineral Water Market In Nepal

It is estimated that nearly Rs 200 million worth mineral water is consumed in the urban areas of Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. Industry sources said that the mineral water market in the country was expanding by about 50 percent each year. Of nearly one dozen factories manufacturing mineral water, ten are located in Kathmandu valley. While the consumption of mineral water is quite low during the winter season, it goes up in the summer. According to an estimate, 1.2 million bottles of one liter each and 100,000 plastic jars of 19 liter each are consumed every month during summer. "The mineral water market in the country ahs become quite competitive," said Nirmal Parajuli, marketing manager of H2O brand mineral water. As there is no regular monitoring about quality of such bottled water, risks to public health from them can't be denied. Himal magazine reports.

Most Of The Sectors Y2K Free In Nepal

A bank counter

Officials have claimed that most of the sectors likely to be affected by the Y2K, popularly known as the millennium bug, are free of Y2K problem in Nepal. Addressing the last National Y2K Conference organized in the capital on Monday, director at the National Y2K project, Atma Ram Ghimire said that preparations made so far to address the Y2K problem in the country were largely satisfactory except in the health sector. The National Planning Commission had identified sectors including banking, telecommunications, electricity, aviation, police and health likely to be more affected by the problem. Convenor of the project, Bodh Prasad Poudel, hoped that upgradation in existing computer systems to cope with Y2K may result in improvement in services being provided by different agencies. Leading dailies report Dec. 22.

Commerce Minister Appeals NRNs To Invest In Nepal

Minister for Commerce Ram Krishna Tamrakar has appealed to all Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs) to come forward and contribute toward the upliftment of the Nepalese economy through the utilization of their knowledge, skills, friendship and resources. In a statement issued here last week, Minister Tamrakar expressed hope that the NRNs around the globe, with their enhanced financial strength and contacts, will help in the acceleration of overall development of Nepal. "Today, Nepal has a stable government. There is a favorable atmosphere for export and appropriate environment for investment in diverse sectors including hydropower, telecommunications and tourism," said Tamrakar. He also said that the government would welcome and recognize the contribution of NRNs in Nepal's development. Compiled from reports Dec. 20.