Author: Himalaya Post

Ministry issues white paper; Melamchi drinking water by coming mid july

Posted by | Feb 13, 2020 | ,

The Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation has vowed to complete the much-hyped Melamchi drinking water project by coming mid July. Minister for Drinking Water Bina Magar issued the white paper, vowing that the Melamchi project would be completed by mid July. “Drinking water is basic need of people, so the government is committed to ensure Melamchi water to the Kathmandu Valley people soon. The construction of the remaining tasks under the project is expedited,” she argued, reminding that government had said the latest contract for the project was made with Sino Hydro last Asoj. As per the contract, the company is to construct tunnel and head box. Ministry secretary Madhab Belbase said, “The Chinese company has intensified the construction. The fresh deadline won’t make us despair anymore.” He further said as various issues surface on Melamchi, the white paper was issued. As per the fresh contract, the company had agreed to complete the task in fifteen months, but with the acceleration of construction, it will complete by mid July- before the deadline, according to Belbase. He however said in case the tunnel construction does not complete by mid July, the Kathmanduties would be provided water with the construction of temporary channel. Executive Director at Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee, Tiresh Prasad Khatri, said the project has achieved 95.12 percent physical progress while 89.7 percent financial progress so far....

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Ambassadors from three countries present credentials

Posted by | Feb 13, 2020 | ,

Three non-resident ambassadors to Nepal presented credentials to President Bidya Devi Bhandari today. The ambassador from Ireland, Brendan Ward; from Iceland, Gudmundur Arni Stefansson; and from Armenia, Armen Martirosyan, presented the letters of credence to the President amidst a special ceremony at Shital Niwas. Also present during the ceremony were Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali, Chief of Army Staff Purnachandra Thapa, Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi and high-level officials at the office of the President and of Foreign...

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Govt wants details on use of grants: Minister Banskota

Posted by | Feb 13, 2020 | ,

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gokul Prasad Banskota, has said government wants details about activities carried out under the grants provided for rural telecommunications infrastructures. Details on expense made with the grants amounting Rs 18 million provided to CG Telecom is needed because it was provided with the loan taken from the World Bank, he added. He further warned that investigation would be carried out whether the terms of reference and conditions for spending of grants were met. He questioned why CG Telecom failed to furnish details on expansion of telecommunications service to then 534 VDCs, condition of VSAT and others. Minister Banskota, however, said the government would not be biased towards an industrialist in terms of creating business atmosphere. “Everyone needs to abide by the process and law,” he stressed. As the decisions made by then government were not published even in gazettes, there were no legal grounds on providing grants to the telecom. The government spokesperson further claimed that he was not witness of the agreement between CG Telecom and Turk Cell in Barcelona. According to him, government was serious on why the grant was not utilized. Study was begun by seeking documents from Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA). —...

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Nepalis in Hubei (China) to be flown to Nepal on Sunday morning

Posted by | Feb 13, 2020 | ,

The government, in a bid to repatriate Nepali students in corona-virus-hit Hubei province in China, will fly them to Nepal in the wee hours of coming Sunday. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA)’s Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari told National News Agency (RSS) that the government has made arrangements to return the Nepalis from Wuhan in China. According to him, Nepal Airline’s wide-body aircraft of model A-330 will fly to Wuhan on Saturday at 2:45 pm for the same. The aircraft is scheduled to land at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 2:15 am on Sunday. So far altogether 180 Nepalis staying across various cities in Wuhan have submitted their application at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, China expressing their willingness to return Nepal. All those Nepalis scattered across Hubei provinces will be assembled in one location before flying them to Nepal from Wuhan, according to the MoCTCA. Secretary Adhikari, who also chairs the Nepal Airlines Corporation, shared that the team heading for Wuhan consists of three pilots, six-members cabin crew, two engineers, one each flight dispatcher and loadmaster (person responsible for cargo) and four medical officers from the Nepal Army. Novel Coronovirus was first detected in Wuhan city of Hubei province on December 31, 2019. It has so far spread to 22 provinces of China and 24 countries. All preparations were underway to evacuate Nepalis from China in...

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MCC a menace to Nepal, NWPP Chair Bijukchhe says

Posted by | Feb 13, 2020 | ,

Chairperson of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man Bijukchhe cautioned the government to put special measures in place to prevent possible outbreak of coronavirus in Nepal by immediately collaborating with World Health Organization (WHO). In his address to the sixth town assembly of Bhaktapur municipality on Wednesday, leader Bijukchhe said Nepali returnees from China should not be kept at Kharipati, Bhaktapur and arrangement should be made to get their health examined in isolated area. Noting that the signing of MCC Compact was a matter of danger for Nepal, he said NWPP has been openly protesting the MCC. On the occasion, Bhaktapur municipality mayor Sunil Prajapati informed the assembly about the review of budget appropriated for the fiscal year 2076/77 BS and the Acts, rules, by-laws and work procedures necessary for the municipality. He also shared that the municipality has made 36.24 percent public spending (Rs 361.72 million) out of allocated budget of Rs 998 million up to mid-December 2019 in the fiscal 2019-20. Likewise, the municipality made capital budget of Rs 251 million (22.16 percent) out of Rs 1.13 billion appropriated for the current fiscal year as of mid-December 2019, mayor Prajapati further informed. It may be noted that the municipality had generated tax money of Rs 203.58 million under the domestic revenue in the past six months....

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