Day: September 23, 2023

After Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ left for a week-long visit to China, the issue related to the operation of Korala transit point bordering Tibet Autonomous Region of China has emerged as a public concern.

In the context when both the countries have yet to materialise operations of Korala transit point, the Prime Minister’s official visit to China has boosted local people's confidence about its operations.

Following the agreement with Nepal to open various eight more transits including Korala point, the Chinese side has completed necessary preparations for the same. At the transit, China has protected its land with a barbed wire fence. It has placed security arrangement and also built a building in the no man’s land. The Chinese side has already blacktopped the road up to the border, and has made all preparations for a port, security post and customs office.

China has completed all preparations for the operations of Korala transit, and it wants a guarantee of security sensitivity from the Nepali side along with preparations, said Namdu Gurung, member of the Gandaki Province Assembly.

As China has completed all the preparations for the operations of the transit, there is a hope for agreement during Prime Minister Dahal's visit for the operations of the transit considered to be a lifeline of the economic development of Gandaki Province, he said. The border is important in terms of both transit and tourism. If the border can be brought into operations, flow of international trade and religious tourism will begin. Largely the transit plays a role in the development of Mustang and Gandaki Province.

"We have been continuously raising our voice on the issue before the provincial government and the Province Assembly. Even the federal government is aware of the matter,” he said.

In the Korala transit lying in the flat land of the desolate Himalayan desert, the only identity of Nepal at the border is the pillar number 24 with ‘Nepal’ written on it. During the official visit of then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in March, 2016, a trade and transit agreement was signed with China. During the visit in June 2018, an agreement was reached between the two countries to open additional transits.

There has been a delay in the construction of the Myagdi section of the under-construction Beni-Jomsom-Korala road targeting the Korala transit. The under-construction Kaligandaki corridor road, which is considered very important in terms of transit and trade, is the basic infrastructure of the Korala transit.

The graveling and blacktopping of the road up to Korala through Ghansa and Jomsom has reached its final stage. But the construction of the road between Beni and Ghansa has been affected due to factors like floods, landslides and river erosion.

While the famous Korala border has drawn widespread attention between the two countries, the trade fair which had been traditionally taking place biannually has been closed for four years, said Tasi Nharbu Gurung, chairperson of the Lo Manthang Rural Municipality.

As the Chinese side has showed its desire to open the crossing this year after completing the construction of the entire infrastructure and halting the trade fair, the news that the issue will be taken up during the visit of the Prime Minister to China has made residents of Mustang become confident that there will be further progress in the border operations, he said.

The acquisition of around 1,000 ropanis of land has been completed for the construction of the infrastructure for an integrated customs office on Korala transit premises, and soil testing has been also done. The soil was tested after the Ministry of Commerce released the budget for the survey and detailed project report.

According to the district administration office, Mustang, a team assigned to test the soil examined the soil in the proposed site to build infrastructures at the Korala transit. Targeting the Korala transit, a border police post has been set up in Lo Manthang, and an area police office at Nechung of Chhoser. Keeping in view of the border security, a border outpost of the Armed Police Force has been established at Nechung, around 20 km away from the Korala crossing.

Source: National News Agency Nepal

New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi who was instrumental in New Zealand's 86-run win over Bangladesh in the second ODI was impressed with the hosts' gesture as they called him back despite he was out at the non striker.

The dismissal, considered as Mankad, which many people believe, doesn't go with the spirit of cricket but it is within the law of cricket as the MCC, the guardians of the law of cricket, endorsed it as legitimate.

Sodhi who eventually scored 35, after being reprieved on 17, helped the side propel past 254 before being all out and then took career-best 6-29 to bundle Bangladesh out for 168 in 41.1 overs.

"We are competitive people. You are competing to win games for your country so it can get a bit heated. I think I was out by such a small fraction, it caught me off guard. I come from a bit of an old cloth when you give the batter a warning. I understand it is not the rules at the moment. I think it was a great gesture by Bangladesh. They handled it really, really well. I was fortunate that they were able to call me back. I'd like to think I'd do the same thing if I was the bowler," Sodhi said here today after the match.

"I am not a very good batter. It was a nice gesture. I would do the same thing as a bowler. I have played under some great captains for New Zealand in the past few years. I think they would have done the same thing. I think Litton Das was exception in the way he handled it.

I hugged the bowler and gave Litton a bit of a handshake. We all respect the game of cricket very highly and really endevour to keep the spirit intact," he added.

He went on to saying: "It is better with getting as many runs as possible. I probably wouldn't throw a Mandak out there. I understand that it is part of the rules of the game now. You've seen it all over the world. It is a bit of a controversial issue. They could have easily let me walk off. They showed huge sportsmanship out there today. We are fortunate to be in the winning side but it is important to keep the spirit of the game alive, especially when we are playing such competitive cricket to win games for our country."

Sodhi was surprised after being dismissed, which he shouldn't be, said Bangladesh senior batter Tamim Iqbal who made 44 on his comeback match.

According to Tamim, Sodhi was reacted angrily.

"I think he also shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't be surprised too. Whether we take it or not, it is the team's call. I was surprised with his reaction. It is not part of cricket," Tamim said.

"I don't see anything wrong in it. The rule is there. If we get someone out, or one of us gets out in that manner, I don't think we should react the way people are reacting nowadays.

Tamim said since it is within the law, there's no need of giving a warning to the batter.

"There's no need for a warning here. It is like a bowled out. Maybe the captain felt that we won't take that wicket. So he called him (Sodhi) back. There's no right and wrong. Either you do it, or you don't do it. Nothing wrong in either. I think we should discuss as a team if we want to do it or not. Going forward, I think you will see a lot of teams taking advantage of this."

"I think it is a team decision. We will definitely talk about it after today's incident. If it is a team decision that we will take wickets in this way, we will. If we don't want to take it, we will not try it. I don't think it looks good to bring back a batter after getting him out. Either we take it, or we don't do it."

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati on Saturday said future tourism should be culture and tourism friendly.

Addressing the ‘Hem Devi region culture and social service award-2080’ distribution ceremony organised here in Pokhara by the Bindhyabasini religious area development committee, the minister said Nepal’s tourism should be developed capitalizing the country’s originality. “The modality of future tourism development should be culture and nature. We can never compete by copying other countries. Tourism of Nepali originality is the integration of culture and nature,” he said.

Tourism minister Kirati said that Nepal would become the centre of tourism in the world in a few years. Stating that millions of tourists from the globe would come to a beautiful land like Nepal for meditation in solitude, he claimed that every thoroughfares, temple, cloths and languages of the country would become a tourist destination.

He stressed the need for connecting two famous religious places of Gandaki Province, Muktinath and Bindhyabasini with religious tourism.

On the occasion, minister Kirati presented the ‘Hem Devi religion culture and social service award-2080’ to Muktinath Peethadhishwor Swami Kamalanayancharya Maharaj (Muktinath Baba). The award carries a purse of Rs 101,000 in cash and a certificate.

Hem Bahadur Pradhan, founder president of Bindhyabasini religious area development committee, instituted the award by setting up a revolving fund of Rs 1.5 million in the name of his parents. Swami Kamalanayancharya was honoured with the award recognizing his contributions to the development of religious places and holy shrines like Muktinath, Bindhyabasini and Panchkot of Baglung, and Sanatan religion and culture, said Gane Bahadur Shrestha, chairperson of the committee.

The award is presented every two years to a person who is active in the social sector of Nepal, said the committee secretary Tirtha Shrestha.

Earlier, Satya Mohan Shrestha, Aatma Nanda Giri, Tulasi Dibas and Durga Ghimire were honoured with the award.

Source: National News Agency Nepal

The Russian Government has approved a list of more than 30 friendly and neutral countries, banks and brokers which will be allowed to trade on the Russian currency market as well as on the derivatives market.

Bangladesh is included in this list, Russian embassy disclosed it on its official facebook page.

The list of other countries included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Qatar, China, Cuba, Malaysia, Morocco, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said people are the main strength of the party, not any foreign country.

"Awami League doesn't care about any sanctions or visa policy of any country. Those who want a free and fair election, they don't have any worry over any visa policy," he told journalists after returning home from Singapore following his regular medical check-up at Mount Elizabeth Hospital there.

Quader said BNP will face problem due to the US visa policy if they create any obstacles to hold election.

At first, BNP was very happy about the visa policy but they got shocked seeing that US President Joe Biden was taking selfie with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the G-20 summit.

Noting that AL government wants a free, fair and neutral election, he said those who want to make the election questionable, they became unhappy after the announcement of visa policy.

There is no alternative to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to protect the country's democracy, he said, adding that his party wants participation of all political parties including BNP in the polls.

Mentioning that elections will be held as per the constitution, he said it is up to the observers whether they will come or not to observe the polls and if they come, they will get all-out cooperation.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha