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KING GYANENDRA HAS APPOINTED Keshab Raj Rajbhandari as the Chief Elections Commissioner (CEC). He was one of the names proposed by the Constitutional Council for the position. The CEC position had been remaining vacant for the last three months. The King also appointed Damaru Ballav Bhattarai, Dil Bahadur Karki and Jayaram Singh Bohara as commissioners at the Election Commission. A BUS EN ROUTE FROM KRISHNANAGAR (Kapilbastu district) to Sandhikharka (Arghakhanchi district) met with an accident on Thursday (December 4) resulting in the deaths of 15 people. The bus fell down 100 m from a cliff in Kot VDC of Arghakhanchi district. Twenty-nine passengers were injured in the incident, many of them seriously. The injured are being treated at the Lumbini Zonal hospital in Butwal. THE NEPAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY (NEA) has reached into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with domestic Independent Power Producers (IPP) for buying 14.5 MW of electricity. The NEA reached into two separate PPAs regarding 10 MW-strong Madi 1 and 4.5 MW-strong Nyadi electricity project. Along with these two, the total volume of electricity that NEA buys from IPP has reached to 135 MW. In these two projects, the NEA has agreed to buy electricity at the rate of Rs 4.25 per unit during the winter season and at the rate of Rs 3 per unit during summer season. The buying price of electricity produced by foreign-invested Khimti and Bhotekoshi project, in which NEA has to pay in dollars, is, on average Rs 8 per unit. The NEA sells the electricity at the rate of Rs 6.81 per unit, on average. THE BRITAIN’S DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL Development (DFID), German Technical Assistance (GTZ) and World Food Program (WFP) have withdrawn their development activities from the Dailekh district following the killing of a social development worker Durga Rana. The three development agencies have withdrawn their programs in the district till the situation becomes clearer and stable. Rana, who was earlier reported to be associated with the WFP, was later found out to be a local NGO worker. She was killed by the Maoists on charges of being an informer. JIA QINGLIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CCPPCC), arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday (December 2) at the invitation of Parshu Narayan Chaudhary, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Raj Parishad. The Chinese leader met with King Gyanendra during the visit. Qinglin had a meeting with Chaudary as well as Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat where he discussed Chinese support in controlling Maoists, among other things. In a press statement released, Qinglin is quoted, “China is giving Nepal 80 million Yuan for her economic development.” Likewise, the pres statement further states, “The Chinese side is willing to encourage creditworthy and reliable Chinese enterprises to make more investment in Nepal.” JEAN MARY PHUKURI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that the refugees returning home should be cautious after their return. Speaking at a meet with the representatives of the organizations working for Bhutanese refugees in Damak of Jhapa, Phukuri said they should be cautious as the situation in Bhutan is still hostile for repatriating refugees. “It is a great thing to get a chance to return despite the adverse condition,” he said, adding that the UNHCR would continue to monitor, along with required support, the situation of the repatriated refugees. JULIA A. GOLD, A SENIOR FULBRIGHT lecturer/researcher gave a presentation on “Dispute Resolution: Theory and Practice” at a program held on December 5. Ms. Gold, who teaches at the University of Seattle, is currently in Nepal teaching at the Nepal Law Campus. An authority on conflict resolution, Ms. Gold presented an insightful deliberation on the natures of conflict and ways of resolving them. The program was organized by the American Center in Kathmandu. Nepal Delegation Visits San Francisco
By MEG DIXIT SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Ready to utilize the surplus of Hydro electric power in Nepal, a delegation known as Kathmandu Electric Vehicle Association (KEVA) visited with the Department of Environment here to tour San Francisco’s renowned energy-efficient transportation. The three-day mission was sponsored by the USAID. The group stayed at the St. Francis Hotel in Union Square after attending an environmental safety conference in Long Beach, California. While in San Francisco, the delegation studied electric cars used by the city, and examined San Francisco’s world-famous cable cars, as well as underground subway systems of the Muni Metro and the Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART). According to Rick Ruvalo, from the Department of Environment, both Kathmandu and San Francisco are major tourist destinations so the two cities have similar needs in maintaining sound metropolitan environments. The delegation was assisted by city officials and volunteers from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and other organizations. Future visits by the group are likely as Kathmandu progresses with her clean air programs. |
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