Storm survivors in Bara and Parsa are not getting enough aid. This is a story that has featured in most newspapers published in Kathmandu on Wednesday. The controversy surrounding the new Supreme Court justice nominees has also received attention.
Few other issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres have been featured on the front pages on Thursday. Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Post-storm, many villages feel ignored
Nagarik, Republica and The Himalayan Times report that while the country has rushed and sent aid to Pheta in Bara, storm victims in Subarna and Mahagadhimai rural municipalities complain that they have not received relief in any shape or form.
Chiefs of the two municipalities say that the government was so fixated on Pheta, it had completely overlooked over 400 houses affected in Subarna and Mahagadhimai rural municipalities. Locals say that chief minister CK Raut had visited them and promised to send aid, but add that the received nothing.
Similarly, Annapurna Post reports that while Pheta has received tents to cover their heads, many inner villages affected by the storm haven’t received necessary aid which had made life difficult for them in the afternoon heat.
Risk of disease outbreak in Bara and Parsa
The Kathmandu Post reports that doctors who visited Bara and Parsa say that survivors in villages are at risk of diseases. Doctors say that the survivors who have been living under the open sky for the past four days may contract diseases if no immediate action is taken.
The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division has supplied water-purifying kits but the situation, according to volunteers involved in rescue efforts, is still chaotic and as a result, people have not been able to follow the instructions properly.
Survivors have been able to sleep properly due to flies and mosquitoes. Risk of a disease outbreak is high because full of human waste and bodies of animals killed in the disaster are yet to be managed.
Controversy flares over court nominees
Kantipur reports that the recent nomination for vacant judge positions at the Supreme Court and high courts have courted controversy with a section of senior advocates opposing the proposed names citing favouritism and nepotism in the selection process.
On Tuesday, the Judicial Council had recommended three lawyers and two career justices for appointment as justices at the Supreme Court and 18 others for high court judges. Among the recommended to post of SC justice include a member of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, a leader of the main opposition party, and a nephew of former chief justice.
The recommended names have not gone down well even among cadres of the ruling party. NCP insiders said several leaders including party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal have expressed dissatisfaction over some of the nominations.
Ignored
Violating constitution, government seeks journalists’ payroll details
The Kathmandu Post reports that the Department of Information and Broadcasting under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has issued a circular asking media houses to furnish a copy of the payroll and bank details—including the account number—of each journalist to the department. The circular, as per the department, is part of its move to ensure that journalists’ minimum wage was implemented by the media houses.
But there is something amiss in the government’s directive, according to proponents of press freedom and people from the media fraternity, who say demanding personal information in the name of implementing minimum wage is against the constitution.
Government to hire around 20,000 employees
Rajdhani reports that the government is started the process to hire around 20,000 employees. Officials say that after the adjustment of the government employees in all three levels, the government is looking to hire a minimum of 15,000 and a maximum of 20,000 employees by the start of the next fiscal year.
51 district presidents assemble in Kathmandu in protest of NC President Deuba
Naya Patrika and Nepal Samcharchpatra report that 51 unhappy district presidents of the Nepali Congress have arrived in Kathmandu to show their dissatisfaction towards decisions taken by NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The district presidents are dissatisfied after the central committee members and the district presidents had their differences on the number of office bearers to be elected by the General Convention and nominated by the party president. The members gathered in Hotel Kathmandu in Thamel.
Interesting
Citizenship relief for children of citizens by birth
Republica, The Himalayan Times and The Kathmandu Post report that the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a circular to all 77 district administration offices to issue citizenship by descent to children of people who have acquired citizenship by birth.
The ministry issued the circular on Wednesday as per ministerial-level decision more than three years after the constitution guaranteed the right to citizenship by descent to children of those who have acquired citizenship by birth.
The ministry told the DAOs to issue citizenship by descent to individuals applying for the same attaching citizenship of their father and mother as per the Citizenship Act, Citizenship Rules, and Citizenship Certificate Distribution Manual. Civil rights activists have welcomed the ministry’s move.
Nepal to get diesel via pipeline by June
Karobar reports that Nepal will start receiving diesel via its newly laid pipeline by the end of June. The Nepal-India pipeline project is almost complete and the chief contractors say that the fuel should be coming into Nepal by June. The pipeline project started on March 9 last year. The ground-breaking of the pipeline project took more than two decades after the first discussion on the project was held between Nepal and India.
The pipeline is expected to reduce fuel cost.
