Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra graces the Samyak Mahadan ritual

THOUSANDS OF BUDDHISTS ATTENDED THE Samyak Mahadan ceremony, a ritual celebrated every 12 years, at Bhuikhel, next of Swayambhu hill on Friday. The idols of Dipankar Buddha decked up in colorful attires and jewelries were displayed and worshipped on the occasion. King Gyanendra, as the patron of the program, graced the ceremony.

THE NEXT SUMMIT OF THE South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is to be held on February 6-7 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, official sources said. Earlier the date of the Summit scheduled for the second week of January had to be put off due to Tsunami disasters in Sri Lanka, India and Maldives.

THE GOVERNMENT IS SAID TO BE CONSIDERING to intervene to settle the payment dispute between the Bhote Kosi Power Project and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The dispute emerged after the Bhote Kosi demanded payment for ‘additional’ 180 million units of electricity per year – which cumulatively stands at nearly US$ 4 million at present. Panda Energy of the United States is an important investor of the project and it has been pressing for the settlement of the dispute. Because of this dispute an important bill that could have provided duty free and quota free access to Nepalese apparels to US market is lying idle at the US Senate. As an alternative for the settlement, the government (Water Resource Ministry) is setting up a high level committee comprising of experts, lawyers and officials that can intervene on both the parties ‘wherever needed.’ Sources said that the government is planning for a settlement that will not hurt any of the party. “Since it is not practical for either of the party to knock international court, we will try to settle the dispute (to their satisfaction),” the source added. Likewise, the source added that the vice president of Panda Energy International could soon come to Nepal after the government has clarified its stand on issues like dispute settlement, license amendment etc. The committee would also look into the informal proposal put forth by the Bhote Kosi project.

BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY GEOFF HOON said he has asked the Ministry of Defense to carry out a wide-ranging review of the terms and conditions of British Gurkhas’ service amid public “unease” over the treatment to the Gurkha soldiers. Hoon told British MPs that the study would look at whether difference in their terms and conditions were “absolutely justifiable.” He said, “Public criticism and unease continues over differences between Gurkhas’ terms and conditions and those of the wider Army,” adding, “We are, therefore, anxious to ensure that such differences are absolutely justifiable as well as fully understood and accepted by our Gurkha soldiers.” According to a news report of Joe Churcher, chief parliamentary reporter, and sent here by Gopal Siwakoti Chintan, legal advisor of the Gurkha Army Exservicemen’s Organization (GAESO), Hoon said, “We want to ensure that the MoD’s position, both legally and morally, is beyond reproach.” In a written House of Commons statement, Hoon said, “This will be an extensive piece of work and we will endeavor to take account of the views of all those with a legitimate interest. This new revision will build on earlier findings, including work to date on the review of Gurkha Married Accompanied Service but its scope will be much wider and it is aiming to complete in autumn 2005.”

ADDING ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE SAGA of governor appointment, Supreme Court (SC), on Wednesday (January 12), stayed the appointment of the governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) till further orders. Justice Badri Kumar Basnet issued the order after hearing of a public interest litigation challenging the suggestion of three names by a three-member committee headed by the finance minister. The petitioner has challenged the legality of one of the members of the committee – former governor Ganesh Bahadur Thapa – who holds a senior position in Alpic Finance – a private company.

WATER AND ENERGY COMMISSION has approved the National Water Plan, which aims to provide electricity to all in the next 20 years. Likewise, it also aims to provide irrigation facilities and clean drinking water to all in the period. The plan is now on the process of being approved by the cabinet. The plan is to be implemented under three phases – short, medium and long term. The plan has been formulated to implement the “water resources strategy”. The strategy had been prepared with the assistance of the World Bank two years ago. According to the plan, around Rs 1219 billion will need to be invested in this sector in the period. The total investment has been divided thus: 19 percent in drinking water sector; 22 percent in irrigation; 42 percent in hydroelectricity; 11 percent in electrification; 3 percent in water disaster control, 1 percent each for environment and other financial use; and 3 percent in institutional reforms. Likewise, the plan proposes to spend 9 percent of the total investment in the current Tenth Plan; 19, 21, 24 and 27 percent in the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Plan respectively. In the first phase, the plan proposes to provide electricity service to 45 percent of Nepalese and increase the per capita power consumption by cent percent. At present the per capita power consumption is 60 units. By 2017, the plan proposes to cover 65 percent of the population by generating 2100 MW electricity. In the final year of the plan (2027), it proposes to cover 100 percent of the population by generating 4000 MW of electricity for internal consumption.