Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra receiving credentials from the newly appointed American ambassador James Francis Moriarty

AS THE PARTNERS OF THE COALITION GOVERNMENT differed over the appropriate modus operandi to conduct the local bodies – the tenure of whose nominated heads expired beginning July 16 – the Council of Ministers has decided, on Thursday (July 15), as per the proposal by the Local Development Minister and the standing committee member of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Yubaraj Gyawali to hand over its management to the civil servants for the time being. According to the minister, former elected representatives would be soon appointed to head the bodies upon achieving consensus among the government partners. As per the temporary decision, the Local Development Officers will run the District Development Committees (DDCs) whereas secretaries will run the Village Development Committees (VDCs). Among the government partners, the UML is vehemently pushing its proposal of reinstating the previously elected representatives whereas other parties including the Nepali Congress (Democratic) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) favor using a consensus approach in appointing all party representatives. Meanwhile, Thursday’s Council of Ministers meeting also decided to formally adopt the 43-point Common Minimum Program (CMP) framed by the coalition partner parties.

HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY representatives have demanded that the government form an independent National Peace Commission to carry forward the peace process with the Maoists. The Civil Society for Peace and Development – an NGO – has floated a concept about the commission. According to Dr. Sundar Mani Dixit, the president of the NGO, the commission will work towards realizing the peace hopes. Daman Nath Dhungana, former facilitator of the peace talks, said that the civil society needs to put pressure on the government to set up the commission. He said, the commission would be able to make use of national and international experience in conflict resolution. The commission will include representatives from the political parties, Maoists, government and experts.

BHUTAN’S CURRENT AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND Chenkyab Dorji has been named the next secretary general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat. Dorji will be the eighth secretary general of the regional grouping and his nomination is expected to be endorsed at the two-day meeting of SAARC foreign ministers beginning in Islamabad on July 20. The present secretary general Q.A.M.A. Rahim of Bangladesh will complete his three-year tenure on January 11, 2005.

INDIAN WATER RESOURCE MINISTER Priyaranjan Das Munshi has said that a comprehensive study on the construction of Kosi High dam will be initiated soon. Responding to queries by Indian MPs in the parliament, Munshi said the study will be initiated in Nepal. The Bihar MPs had raised queries regarding the flooding in Bihar state due to Kosi river. An MP Nitish Kumar had said that the Bihar’s flood problem would persist until the Kosi high dam is constructed in Nepal. Minister Munshi also added that studies will be conducted about constructing dams in Kamala and Bagmati river.

THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING TO CONSULT with donors and international partners over the issue of re-introduction of agricultural subsidies. Concluding that the scrapping of subsidies has resulted in the erosion of competence of Nepalese agricultural products, the government is mulling to roll back the earlier decision. “The current government gives high priority to agricultural subsidies,” said Hom Nath Dahal, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, adding, “I have already talked with the Finance Minister regarding this issue. We will take some sort of decision to re-introduce subsidies in some manner only after consulting with the donors.” Minister Dahal indicated that some program to help farmers would be announced in the forthcoming budget itself. “Due to the absence of subsidies, fertilizers and irrigation services have become too expensive. As their cost has increased, our farmers are unable to compete with their Indian counterparts,” he said, adding that even the World Trade Organization (WTO) provisions do not prohibit a Least Developed Country (LDC) like Nepal from providing minimum subsidies to its farmers.

THE MAOISTS EXPLODED A BOMB IN FRONT OF the Nepal Telecom office in Jawalakhel in Lalitpur district on Thursday (July 15) morning killing an elderly woman. Maya Dahal Chhetri, 70, was instantly killed after the explosion ripped her apart. Another lady was slightly injured in the incident. Maoists have owned up the responsibility of the explosion and have claimed that the action was taken against Nepal Telecom for selling only the half of the promised 50,000 lines of pre-paid mobile to the public and selling others in black market. On July 18, the Maoists exploded a bomb in Koteshwore resulting in the death of a local barber.

WITH THE ARRIVAL OF INDIAN CARGO TRAIN along with 75 containers of goods, the much-awaited Inland Container Depot (ICD) of Birgunj has finally come into operation beginning July 16. The ICD opened three and a half years after its construction was completed. The cargo train made the maiden delivery of maize-flour imported by the World Food Program (WFP). The dry port had been constructed with the financial assistance worth Rs 760 million by the World Bank.

FOUR PERSONS DIED IN A TRAGIC INCIDENT that occurred in Nare Phant of Koteshwore in Kathmandu on Monday (July 12). Manoj Gautam, a local lad had entered into the well in order to fetch a bucket. Due to lack of oxygen, he began to shout for help. Another lad named Rohit Chhetri took a plunge to rescue him. He, too, died. Two other persons – Chitra Bahadur Magar and Diwakar Karki – went into the well one after another only to kill themselves. Karki’s father Kedar, too, took a plunge. Luckily, by that time, the neighbors had already called in police who rescued Kedar alive. Police said that the persons died as there was severe lack of oxygen inside the well.