Day: June 27, 2024

The bridges under construction on the Jhapa-Sunsari section along the Madan Bhandari Highway have seen 85 percent financial progress and 90 percent physical progress. According to Information Officer at Madan Bhandari Highway Planning Office, Subhash Kumar Dutta, 22 out of the 37 bridges under construction have been completed. The completed bridges are 40 to 400 meters long. Out of the 15 bridges remaining to be completed, approach roads of only nine are yet to be constructed. The work has been halted for no permission to cut down trees in the forest area located in the construction sites. He further informed that basis structures of six bridges are yet to be constructed. Bridges have been built over the rivers in Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa and Ilam, he shared. The bridges have been constructed at Dale, Mugu, Khudum, Morange, Nusari, Sukhani rivulet, Sahadattasthal, Buddhisukhani, Tangting, Bayang Teli, Bijuwa, Bukuwa and Ratuwa rivulets. Although the original structure of nine bridges has been completed, th e hassles in getting permission for cutting down trees has made it difficult to construct the approach road, information officer Dutta said. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: The Public Accounts Committee of the Federal Parliament has formed separate sub-committee to conduct a comprehensive study of the two new international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara. Chairperson of the committee Rishikesh Pokharel shared that two separate parliamentary sub-committees have been formed to study and Gautam Buddha International Airport located in Bhairahawa and the Pokhara International Airport. According to him, a 12-member sub-committee has been formed under the coordination of MP Rajendra Prasad Lingden who is also President of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party to study the Pokhara International Airport, and an eight-member sub-committee has been formed under the coordination of MP Yogesh Bhattarai who is UML Secretary to study the Gautam Buddha International Airport. The sub-committees will carry out on-site monitoring to study of the two airports to review why the projects of national pride and made with huge investments are not able to give returns, said the secretary of the committee, Yekram Giri. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: The top leaders of major three political parties have come univocal to forge consensus on the remaining issues relating to transitional justice (TJ). The leaders agreed to finalize the TJ at a meeting held at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar this evening, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri said. "The leaders were united to finalize the disputed issues based on a consensus," Giri said. Minister Giri shared that the meeting was focused on the ways to advance the bill on transitional justice and completing the remaining tasks of the peace process. "Most of the issues of the TJ have been settled. Some three or four points are yet to be agreed on. We will make a breakthrough after forging consensus on this too," he added. The parties are yet to settle the issues of serious violations of human rights, recruitment of children in the military, reparation for the conflict-hit and some other issues. Present on the occasion were Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centr e) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (UML) Chair KP Sharma Oli and other leaders from the three political parties. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: The monsoon is becoming further active from Friday afternoon. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology issued a monsoon bulletin on Thursday evening, urging all concerned to stay prepared in the wake of rising rainfall from tomorrow. Low pressure belt of monsoon has developed and moved north that the average area nearing Nepal for some days, thereby causing further rains in the country. Meteorologist Prativa Manandhar said the weather would be generally cloudy and witness light to moderate rainfall across the country. However, few places are predicted to have heavy rainfall, caused by the monsoon winds. Few places in Gandaki and Lumbini are seeing heavy rainfall, while it will rain heavily along with lightning in one or two places of Madhes and Karnali Provinces and some places of the rest of the provinces from Friday onwards. Source: National News Agency Nepal

The stakeholders concerned have underlined the need of private sectors' assistance in disaster preparedness. The speakers at a programme organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law here Thursday viewed there is great role the private sector could play on disaster preparedness. Further collaboration with government is imperative, they added. Red Cross Karnali Province Committee Chair Leela Ram Subedi said the humanitarian agency was devoted to humanity and ready to extend cooperation to the government in disaster preparedness and rescue and relief efforts. Karnali Province representative of FNCCI, Prem Singh Bhandari, also showed readiness that private sector was already together with government in terms of coping with disaster. But, the government itself was indifferent to private sector, he blamed. Nepali Army official Ashim Shrestha informed that NA was standby round the clock. It had worked during Karnali earthquake despite huge risk. Nepal involves in search, rescue operation of the disaster victims and relief distribution to the survivors, he added. Engineer at Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Urban Development in the province, Bisesh Sharma, informed that upgrading of road and construction of quake resistant structures were prioritized. Source: National News Agency Nepal

A feasibility study for the construction of a tunnel route connecting Kushe Rural Municipality in Jajarkot to Jumla district has been completed. The route lies along the Lumbini-Rara road section. Initiated some three years ago, the Department of Roads had signed a deal with ITECO-TMS-RAYS JV last year to carry out the feasibility study. The company submitted its report to the Department by completing the feasibility study in more than a year's time. Chief of the JV, Rajiv Jha, said that the pre-feasibility study report has been submitted to the Department. The project, once completed, is 10 kms long and connects Sangta of Kushe Rural Municipality-8 in Jajarkot and Imilchaghari of Tatopani Rural Municipality-8 in Jumla. As estimated, the project is likely to cost Rs 35 billion and the distance to travel to Rara Lake through Dang, Salyan, Jajarkot and Jumla will be cut short. Likewise, the pre-feasibility study team has concluded that the construction of a tunnel there will be appropriate. As per the pre- feasibility report, the Department of Roads shall advance the detailed project report for the advancement of the work. Politician and former minister from Jumla, Naresh Bhandari, said the tunnel project shall open multiple doors to development in Karnali if the project is completed. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: The government has made national identity card mandatory for transaction related to real estate. The Ministry of Home Affairs has published a notice in the gazette, making national identity cards mandatory for buying and selling land or house with effect from January 14, 2025. Prior to this, citizenship certificate was required for the same. The provision has been made with the goal of bringing the national identity card into effect, said Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. The Ministry has also made the ID mandatory for services related to banking and financial institutions, social security fund, health insurance, pension, revenue (personal income tax registration), driver's license, company registration and renewal to be applied in different districts. According to Bhattarai, from January 14, 2025, it will be mandatory to submit national identity card to get a SIM card for mobile telephone service. In order to receive public services pro vided by government agencies, organizations and the private sector, it is now necessary to submit national identity card or a national identity number instead of a citizenship certificate, reads the notice by the Ministry. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Lakhiram Murmu, 50, from Gauriganj rural municipality-1 has been swept away by the Kamala stream. The stream swept away Murmu while he was taking a bath at 3:00pm Thursday, according to the locals. The Armed Police Force, Civil Police and locals searched for the missing Murmu but in vain. Earlier on Wednesday, the Baniyani stream swept away a teenager, Milan Bishwokarma, 13, from Jholunge Tole of same locality, according to District Police Office. The teenager was swept away while crossing the stream along with his friends, returning home after playing football. Information to this was shared by police inspector Anish Budhathoki. Moreover, Budhe Besra, 28, from Shivasatakshi municipality-2 was found drowned. He drowned in a pond nearby his home on Thursday morning, Budhathoki added. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: Nepal Police has arrested a person on the charge of taking a woman hostage after taking her to China in the pretext of marrying a Chinese citizen. The Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau arrested 31-year-old Sundari Rai of Udayapur Triyuga Municipality-1 Jogidah on the charge of trafficking women to China. Superintendent of Police Gautam Mishra of the Bureau shared that the victim woman was taken hostage by a Chinese citizen after marrying her and taking her to China on a visit visa. However, investigation found that the Chinese citizen had sold the victim woman for Rs 150,000. Accused Rai contacted the victim woman through Facebook Messenger and invited her to meet with a Chinese man to get married. SP Mishra said that it was revealed that the Chinese held the victim women hostage at home and subjected her to physical and human torture. The Nepali Embassy in China arranged for the victim to be rescued and returned her to Nepal. Police arrested Rai after the victim came to Nepal and filed a complain t against her. Further investigation into the case is underway. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: The National Assembly (NA) members have taken exception to the ignorance to their recommendations made in the budget during the discussions in the Appropriation Bill held in both Houses of the Federal Parliament. The NA members expressed their reservations about the proposal tabled by Finance Minister Barshaman Pun in today's NA meeting seeking consideration over the Appropriation Bill, 2081. Minister Pun tabled the Bill received from the House of Representatives (HoR) along with messages. NA Member Devendra Dahal suggested that the transfer of the budget should be done from the Council of Ministers not directly from the Finance Ministry. Likewise, NA Member Bishnu Kumari Sapkota expressed her rues saying that the lawmakers' feedbacks on the Appropriation Bill were not included in the budget. NA lawmaker Gopal Bhattarai also echoed Sapkota and called for an end to such tradition. Similarly, NA Member Bhagawati Neupane said the Appropriation Bill has failed to incorporate the aspirations of pe ople though they were seriously raised in both Houses of the Federal Parliament. "People's trust towards parliament has not increased. This process should be changed. Lawmakers' recommendations should be incorporated," Neupane added. Also speaking at the NA meeting, lawmakers Maya Prasad Sharma and Shreekrishna Adhikari seconded the Appropriation Bill while giving more focus on the implementation of the budget. Source: National News Agency Nepal

In order to promote greenery and prevent soil erosion, the Division Forest Office Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has started freely distributing over 160,000 saplings of 28 species to the general public. The district forest office started distributing the plants of different species produced in two nurseries at Kawaswoti and Gaindakot. Chief of the Division Forest Office, Basanta Keshab Adhikari said 160,000 saplings grown in the division nursery on the premises of Division Forest Office Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) and sub-division nursery at Gaindakot sub-division office have been distributed free of cost for plantation. "The nursery has plants like bamboo, tejpat, harare, barre, dhoopi, kapoor, madgostic, ashok, sheetalchini, neem, rukh kathar, amba, tanki, badhar, jamun, kalki, tikma, kimbu, bakaino, pipal, amla, lapsi, chiuri, bhatmas grass", he said. The saplings grown in the nursery have been distributed free of cost for planting. With free of cost distribution of different species of sapl ings produced in two nurseries of Kawasoti and Gaindakot, number of people coming to collect saplings has increased. A total of 124,000 saplings have been prepared in Kawasoti this year and last year. People have increasingly attracted to plant saplings with the onset of monsoon after long spell of drought. The forest department officials said providing saplings free of cost to all private, public and institutional sections will help keep environmental balance, beautification, prevention of soil erosion, and fodder for animals. With the opening of the distribution of saplings by the office, the schools here have also shown interest in planting trees. Since last year, there has been a rise in the number of people coming here from other districts after the production of saplings in nurseries within the district. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Kathmandu: Chief Commissioner at the National Information Commission, Mahendra Man Gurung, complained that public offices were cagey. It is difficult to elicit information from Nepal's public offices, he reiterated. During a programme organized by the RTI Federation here today, Chief Commissioner Gurung shared that many information seekers were forced to appeal at NIC to prod the public agencies to abide by the citizen's right to information. "We've have been fighting for guaranteeing citizen's rights. Even the constitutional bodies were urged to pay heed to this regard. Once the information were shared by the requesters, it helped bring changed in the concerned institutions," he explained, adding that NIC's attention was drawn towards the arrest of six citizens for merely requesting information at Gokarneshwor municipality, Kathmandu. The NIC had reminded the lawmakers on removing the provision in the ongoing education bill that mentions 'keeping documents secret'. Meanwhile, noted RTI activist Taranath Dahal argued that youth RTI activists from Gokarneshwor were harassed with false charge for their effort to expose corruption and financial sleaze. "Although in the beginning, I thought the RTI activists followed wrong way, I later realized that they were harassed with false allegation," he added. However, Joint Spokesperson at Nepal Police, Bishwo Adhikari, viewed police investigation is always based on evidence, and information could be sought even on the RTI activists of Gokarneshwor. Federation Chair Umid Bagchand also argued that the Gokarneshwor incident was pre-planned. If the activists were not released within two days, Federation would wage agitation, he warned. Source: National News Agency Nepal