Almost all broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Friday have given priority to reports related to the demonstrations in Kanchanpur in far-west Nepal in the wake of the rape and murder of a teenager last month. The nomination of Justice Om Prakash Mishra for Chief Justice has also received considerable attention. Here’s a round-up of important, ignored and interesting reports that made it to the front pages of the newspapers on Friday:
Important
The Himalayan Times reports that the Ministry of Home Affairs has formed a probe committee to investigate the Nirmala Pant murder case. Pant (13) was raped and murdered in Bhimdutta Nagar last month. The Kathmandu Post says that the provincial Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Prakash Bahadur Shah has called on all parties to exercise restraint. Republica, reports that the victim’s parents have accused local police of negligence while handling the case. The paper quotes the victim’s mother Durga Devi Pant to say that police started a search for the missing teen late even after receiving complaints from the parents. Kantipur reports that police opened fire on protestors in Bhimdutta Nagar injuring at least 10.
Naya Patrika, meanwhile, uses examples from recent hi-profile cases to say that the members of the general public have lost faith in the police. The paper says that Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa recently told Parliament that two people have already been arrested in connection with the case. But police haven’t presented the two people before the people.
Mishra nominated for CJ
Kantipur reports that Justice Om Prakash Mishra has been nominated to take charge as the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice. Mishra, who joined government service as an officer on 26 October 1985, was appointed to the Supreme Court on May 27, 2014. The paper says that Mishra’s nomination will now be discussed by members of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee. The committee had earlier rejected the nomination of Deepak Raj Joshee to the post.
Nepali Congress forms 11-member statute drafting committee
The Himalayan Times reports that the Nepali Congress has formed an 11-member committee to draft amendments to the party statute to restructure its organisation in view of the federal setup. The paper says that the committee will be led by General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka.
Ignored
Nepal Airlines fails to launch new destinations
Annapurna Post reports that plans of the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to launch flights to new destinations following the procurement of its new widebody aircraft has hit a snag. The report says that the European Union’s blacklisting of the airline is the major reasons why it hasn’t been allowed to fly to major destinations in the region. The paper quotes NAC sources to say that although airports in Japan, Korea and the Middle-east have agreed to provide access to NAC, the countries’ air traffic regulators are hesitant to do so because the NAC remains blacklisted by the EU.
Interesting
Nepal, China agree on conducting DPR for railway
The Kathmandu Post reports that officials from Nepal and China, who met recently in the Chinese city of Xi’an, have agreed to prepare the DPR for the Kyirong-Kathmandu railway line. According to the report, it will take around one-and-half years to prepare the DPR for the project which is estimated to cost around Rs 257 billion. The paper quotes officials to say that the railway line, which will take nine years to complete. will pass through Langtang and Melamchi before terminating in Sankhu of Kathmandu.
Nepal ratifies Montreal Convention
Annapurna Post reports that Parliament has ratified the Montreal Convention, which has significantly increased insurance coverage for air passengers. According to the report insurance coverage per passenger in the international sector has been increased to 100,000 special drawing rights (current valuation of one SDR is around $1.39).
Before the convention was ratified, insurance coverage of passengers in the international sector was just $20,000 per passenger. As per the Montreal Convention, the carrier is also liable for damage sustained in case of death and bodily injury of passengers on condition that the accident took place onboard the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking and disembarking.
