NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

Nepal, India Agree On Flood-Control Measures

Nepali and Indian officials have agreed to start the construction of a 7-km-long embankment along the right bank of Rapti river to mitigate the problem of submersion on the Nepali side, reports said Sunday. The decision was taken at the end of the five-day 11th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Committee formed to resolve the problem, in the Nepali capital Friday. The meeting also agreed to immediately construct about 2.5 km of the 15-km embankment along the right bank of Rapti river as proposed by the Nepali side and construct the rest of the embankment after further study, officials of the Department of Irrigation said. According to reports, the committee agreed on flood-control measures along the Rapti river in Banke district and Bagmati river in Rautahat and Sarlahi districts. Nepali and Indian officials also agreed to immediately start construction of an about 7-km embankment along the right bank of the river in Rautahat district and about 15-km embankment along the left bank of the river in Sarlahi district. A joint team also inspected areas submerged by the Rapti river and the site of embankment along the Bagmati to be constructed with Indian assistance. RSS reports Jan. 14.

EU And US Hail Progress On Bhutanese Refugees

The European Union and the United States have welcomed the recent understanding between the governments of Nepal and Bhutan toward resolving the decade-old Bhutanese refugee problem. In a press statement received here Saturday, the European Union said it welcomed the recent important steps taken by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal to resolve the question of verification of Bhutanese residing in refugee camps in eastern Nepal and the determination shown by the two governments to find a lasting solution through bilateral dialogue in a spirit of good neighborliness. The EU welcomed the prospects of a speedy verification process leading to the repatriation of refugees and the ultimate closing down of the camps. We will closely follow the work of the Ministerial Joint Committee and the Joint Verification Team, the EU said. In a separate statement, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Friday that his country plans to continue working with all concerned parties, at their request, to facilitate a just resolution of the long-standing humanitarian problem of Bhutanese refugees. The United States has encouraged Nepal and Bhutan to resolve this refugee issue fully and fairly, and "we applaud their recent measures to do so." Recalling that the US government has long been a major contributor to the humanitarian needs of Bhutanese refugees through the Office of the UNHCR and the World Food Program, the statement said the US government was pleased to note that Nepal and Bhutan were moving to implement their recent agreement to resolve the long-standing problem. Nepal and Bhutan had agreed last month to begin verification of refugees within this month through a joint verification team. Compiled from reports Jan. 14.

Govt. Considering Reducing Public Holidays

The government is planning to scrap more than a dozen public holidays, Kantipur daily reported Saturday, quoting a highly placed source at the Cabinet Secretariat. According to the newspaper, the government was considering a proposal to slash Dashain holidays to five days from the present nine and scrapping the public holidays on Gaijatra, Indrajatra, Rakshyabandhan, Sri Krishnajanmastami, Sripanchami, Fagupurnima, Chaitedasain and Ramnavami. The government is yet to reach a final decision on whether the two-day weekly holiday in Kathmandu valley should be cut to one day. The two-day weekly holiday was introduced in the capital valley on an experimental basis over a year ago. There are more than 140 public holidays in Nepal (including weekly holidays). Compiled from reports.

RNAC To Increase Foughts

State-owned Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) will increase the number of its flights on the international sector and begin flying to new destinations from March this year, the corporation said Friday. In a statement, the scandal-ridden national flag carrier said it is going to increase its flights to New Delhi from the present 12 a week to 14 and those to Bangkok from two a week to three. The flights to Mumbai will be increased from three a week to four, those to Singapore from two a week to three and those to Hong Kong from three a week to four, the corporation said. With the induction of a Boeing 767 lease purchased from Lauda Air, an Austrian airlines company, in December last year, the RNAC has decided to fly twice a week directly to Osaka, Japan, with only a third flight stopping over in Shanghai. The RNAC is also spreading its wings to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where it will fly twice a week. The corporation is also planning two flights a week to Seoul, South Korea, via Shanghai. The airline serves the international sector through four Boeing aircraft in its fleet. Compiled from reports Jan. 13.

More Companies Expected To Bid For BBC

Officials have said they are expecting more bidders to buy majority shares of the Butwal Power Company (BPC). A total of six companies, including Independent Power Company of Britain, Intercraft of Norway, Pacific Hydro Company of Australia, Sanima of Russia and one company each from India and China have responded to a tender bid to sell 75 percent of the shares of the profit-making company. "We expect more bids before the deadline expires on January 31 this year," said Kiran Malla, general manager of the company. The BPC owns and operates the 12 MW Jhimruk hydropower plant and the 5.1 MW Andhi Khola hydropower plant. The company, which is supplying electricity to about 20,000 people in four rural districts in western Nepal, also owns shares in Khimti hydropower project, Nepal Hydro and Electric (P) Ltd. and Hydrolab Company. Compiled from reports Jan. 13.

Terai Bandh Passes Off Peacefully

The 'terai bandh' called by the terai-based Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) ended largely peacefully Friday. A policeman and some demonstrators wereinjured during skirmishes at Parwanipur in Bara district during the 'bandh.'The clashes took place after police intervened to stop the demonstratorsfrom pelting stones at speeding vehicles. Businesses and public transport came to a halt in eastern terai districts. There was no major impact of the shutdown in the western terai districts, reports said. The NSP had called the 'bandh' to protest against the targeting of Indian businesses and people of terai origin during the violent protests in the capital late last month. Compiled from reports Jan. 13.

Seven Maoist Rebels Killed

At least seven suspected Maoist rebels were killed during an encounter with police in the remote northern district of Kalikot Thursday, leading dailies reported. According to the reports, the rebels were killed during a nearly two-hour gunbattle with police at Phurkot. The police had reached the area after receiving reports that armed rebels were organizing an 'open meeting.' Police recovered locally made guns, socket bombs, explosives and bullets from the site. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said two Maoist rebels were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police at a jungle in Accham district Tuesday. Police said the rebels took away the dead bodies of their comrades. Compiled from reports Jan. 12.

19 Rhinos Eead In The Last Nine Months

At least 19 rhinos have died, six of them due to poaching, in and around Royal Chitwan National Park in central Nepal, over the last nine months, officials said. According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), a total of 40 rhino deaths had been recorded last year. "We have fewer incidents of poaching this year because of countermeasures we have taken," said Narendra Babu Pradhan, assistant ecologist at the department. The DNPWC together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has set up anti-poaching units in and around Chitwan and Bardia national parks, home to Royal Bengal tigers, one-horned Asiatic rhinos and dozens of other exotic wildlife species. Compiled from reports Jan. 9.

Drastic Fall In Gold Imports

After the government's decision in this year's budget to authorize Nepal Rastra Bank to sell gold within the country, imports of the precious metal has fallen drastically, a news report said. In accordance with the budget provision, the Department of Mint (DoM) of Nepal Rastra Bank has been selling gold to the public since July last year. Damodar Prasad Sharma, chief manager at the DoM, said his department has been able to sell only 74 kg of gold so far. Traders say people are not interested in buying gold from the department because the price there is higher than in the open market. According to the central bank, the import of gold in the first three months of this fiscal year has declined by nearly one-third compared to the same period last year. Nepal had imported gold worth Rs 7690 million in the last fiscal year. The government had decided to restrict imports by the private traders after most of the gold imported by Nepal was found to be re-exported to India because of the price difference. Kantipur Jan. 10.

Institute Of Engineering Ranked Third In Asia

At a time of widespread disenchantment over the education system in Nepal, here is some good news. The Bangkok-based Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) has ranked Tribhuvan University's Institute of Engineering (IOE) third among Asia's top 10 engineering institutes. The ranking was made on the basis of judging the performance of the Masters Level students in 2000. The IOE had stood fourth and sixth among the ten best institutes in Asia in 1999 and 1998 respectively. Established in 1972, the IOE has produced 985 civil engineers, 64 electrical engineers, 61 electronic engineers, 46 mechanical engineers and 21 architects so far. A 20-year strategic plan has been formulated to develop the IOE as a center of excellence to produce more capable and efficient manpower, said Dr. Jib Raj Pokhrel, dean of the IOE. The IOE has 5,000 students, 500 teachers and 500 employees. Compiled from reports Jan. 9.