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From the Kathmandu Press: Monday, January 21, 2019

Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Monday have given priority to a host of issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres. NMA, umbrella organisation of Nepali medical doctors, and resident doctors threatening strong protest to press Dr KC’s demands has received considerable attention along with the government’s plan to pass the Medical Education Bill as it is.  Newspapers have also carried stories on the cancellation of the contract signed with Italian contractor CMC, for Melamchi Water Supply Project. Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:

Doctors stage a protest to express their solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, in Kathmandu, on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Important

Resident doctors and NMA warn of strong protest if Dr KC’s demands are not met

Republica, Naya Patrika and Kantipur report that the National Resident Doctors Association (NRDA) and the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) have warned of strong protests to put pressure on the government to fulfil Dr Govinda KC’s demands. President of NRDA, Sumit Pandey, says that if the government does not take any action to address KC’s demands, the NRDA will be forced to stage a stringent protest. The NMA states that the doctors will be obliged to resort to ‘unkind’ steps in order to save KC’s life if his demands are not met by the government.

However, Annapurna Post reports that the government disregarding KC’s 16th hunger strike is going to pass the New Medical Education Bill which doesn’t meet the demands suggested by KC. The bill will be discussed in Parliament on Monday.

Chiefs of five constitutional bodies recommended

Naya Patrika, Republica and Rajdhani report that a meeting of the constitutional council on Sunday recommended five individuals for appointment as the chiefs of various constitutional bodies. Balananda Paudel from Parbat will head the Natural Resource and Finance Commission and Shanta Raj Subedi from Pyuthan will be chief of National Inclusive Commission. Both Paudel and Subedi have served as government secretaries. Similarly, Dr Bijaya Dutta, Bishnu Prasad Chaudhary and Samim Ansari have been picked as the chairpersons of the Madhesi, Tharu and Muslim commissions respectively. Provincial governments had long been demanding the federal government appoint the leadership for the commission citing difficulty in carrying out their activities.

Government to scrap Melamchi contract of Italian builder

Kantipur, Nepal Samacharpatra and The Kathmandu Post report that the government has decided to scrap the contract with the Melamchi Water Supply Project’s Italian contractors in a move which will push the national pride project into further uncertainty.

The government has sent a formal letter of termination to the Italian contractors CMC after it failed to come up with any concrete decision regarding resuming work. However, the government in the formal letter has given the CMC two weeks’ time to return to the resume the project. If the Italian contractors do not come to Nepal in two weeks, their contract will be terminated. The government is also planning to hold on to the over 2 billion rupees left in the bank as collateral.

Ignored

Former ambassador to seek asylum in Spain

Nepal Samacharpatra reports that Bharat Bahadur Rayamajhi who severed as Nepal’s Ambassador to Spain is planning to seek asylum in Spain.

The cabinet last month had given Rayamajhi three weeks to return to Nepal. However, Rayamajhi, challenging the government decision hasn’t returned and is now planning to file an asylum to remain in Spain. He is still living with his family at the Nepali embassy in Madrid.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to take action against Rayamajhi.

Bajura police start collecting data on chhaupadi Sheds

Rajdhani reports that Bajura police has started collecting data of Chhaupadi sheds in 69 wards of nine local units in the district in the run-up to the anti-Chhaupadi campaign. With the data, the police will prepare a base for the campaign to put an end to the ill tradition. Although the government has criminalised this practice, there are still many places in western Nepal where the custom is still followed. The District Police Office is working closely with the concerned local units to fund out the number of Chhaugoths and are also conducting a public awareness campaign in several villages in the district.

Interesting

File: Chief Justice nominee Cholendra Shamsher Rana at a meeting of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee, on January 1, 2019.

CJ promises to make judicial system free of middlemen

Kantipur reports that Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana has vowed to free the judiciary of middlemen even if it meant amending current laws. Rana informed that the judiciary is working to amend the existing laws so that brokers and fixers could be charged with contempt of court. At a meeting held with the Constitutional and Legal Journalists Forum on Sunday, Rana said that the Act would be amended from the full meeting of Supreme Court and those who malign the image of the court would be booked under the contempt of court. Rana also added that he had not faced any political or external pressure and he did not think that he would face any such pressure in future.

Tatopani border to reopen in May

File: Tatopani border between Nepal and Tibet

Naya Patrika reports that the Nepal-China border point of Tatopani, which has been closed since the 2015 earthquakes, will reopen on May 1. Reconstruction of the border has gathered pace. The Cabinet has already approved the Chinese government’s proposal to build two bridges — one that connects Rasuwagadi and Kerung and the other at the Tatopani border point in Sindhupalchok — with full Chinese financial and technical support. The dry port to be constructed in the area in 90 % complete.

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