Government doctors going on a strike affecting thousands of people has been featured in most newspapers along with news of the new Nepal Bar Association president asking the Judicial Council to reconsider its nomination for new justices at the Supreme Court.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Poor suffer as govt doctors continue strike
Kantipur, Naya Patrika, Annapurna Post and The Kathmandu Post report that over 1,400 doctors who work in government health facilities across the country have refused to attend to patients as part of their protest, demanding the government readjust them under the civil servant adjustment, which they say blocks their career prospects. Over 200,000 patients reach government health facilities throughout the country every day.
According to the Government Doctors’ Association, it is expecting the government to make a move and hold talks to find a way out. Last month, hundreds of doctors refused to provide services for several days until Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli personally assured that his administration would address their concerns.
According to the Association, it forced to relaunch their protests on Friday because they did not hear from the government.
NCP chairs to meet unhappy leaders
Naya Patrika and Nagarik report that NCP chairs PM KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal have started to meet NCP leaders who are unhappy about the merger process. The chairmen have started to separately meet the unhappy leaders to listen to their grievances. Senior NCP leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam are dissatisfied with the ongoing merger process. Both chairmen are meeting the leaders to settle differences and come on the same page.
Bird flu under control in Kathmandu
The Himalayan Times reports that an outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in Kathmandu, but doctors have asked people not to panic as the virus is of low risk to humans.
Around 350 crows found dead in Lainchaur and Durbar Marg areas have tested positive for H5N1 strain of the disease, according to the Department of Livestock Services. The birds were found dead in the third week of March.
People need not worry much about the outbreak of disease, as it does not generally kill people, according to Dr Sher Bahadur Pun, coordinator of Clinical Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital at Teku. Bird flu also does not pose food safety risk to humans if meat and eggs infected with the disease are cooked at 70 degree Celsius before consuming.
Annapurna Post reports that chicken being brought from India is one of the main reasons for bird flu. Even though the government had put a ban on importing chicken, however, people still bring them in illegally because the boiler chicken imported from India is cheaper than the chicken found in Nepal.
Ignored
Gautam Buddha International Airport unlikely to start operation in 2019
The Himalayan Times reports that Gautam Buddha International Airport is unlikely to meet the government target of beginning operations in 2019. The government had aimed to bring the airport into operation before the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign begins. However, the airport is likely to take time to operate flights even though the physical infrastructure will be ready by 2019 end.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, around 70 per cent of the construction work has been completed so far. Construction of terminal building and control tower and blacktopping of the runway are in the final phase. According to Prabesh Adhikari, project manager of GBIA project, the third layer of blacktopping has been completed so far and the fourth layer will take at least 30 days to complete.
Plan to clean Everest this year
The Himalayan Times reports that in a bid to keep the world’s highest mountain clean, Nepali stakeholders are all set to jointly launch a massive cleaning drive on Mt Everest this spring season. The joint initiative planned by government and non-government agencies aims to collect bodies and the rubbish left behind by the climbers from the South Col (Camp IV) and Camp II of Mt Everest.
Mt Everest has long been stinking on ice as mountaineers treat it as a garbage dump abandoning oxygen bottles, tents, ladders, cans, wrappers as well as piles of faeces and bags loaded with poop in higher camps, mainly in the South Col (7,900 m) and Camp II (6,500 m), every climbing season. It’s estimated that over 300 bodies of climbers are still entombed in ice on Mt Everest. As per the plan shared by the stakeholders, the base camp will be set up by the third week of April to start the mega campaign.
Two arrested for promoting Christianity
Annapurna Post reports that two foreigners have been arrested in Rupandehi for promoting Christianity. Japanese citizens Morsiya Hasahiro, 41 and Yukari Hisamoto 36 were arrested by the police.
Interesting
Kuwait prepares massive crackdown on migrants
Republica reports that Kuwait is planning a massive crackdown on undocumented workers in a move which is likely to affect thousands of expat workers in what has been seen as the beginning of a series of efforts to reduce migrant workers.
Kuwait is home to a 4.25 million population of which more than two-thirds are migrants.
Arab Times reported that those working illegally in the Gulf kingdom would be deported after they are arrested. The main target of the crackdown would be especially those who have been working without legal status for over 10 years.
Probe panel suggests govt scrap controversial decision through Cabinet meeting
Nagarik and Republica report that a probe committee formed by the government to study the illegal transfer of government-owned land to private individuals have recommended the government to scrap all the controversial decisions made in connection to the land grab case through a cabinet meeting.
The probe committee headed by former Secretary Sharada Prasad Trital made the recommendation in its report submitted to the government after concluding that the ownership of the land acquired by the government by paying due compensation was transferred in the names of individuals in an unscrupulous manner.
House panel directs govt to take necessary steps to regain 150 ropanis of land
Kantipur reports that a parliamentary committee has directed the government to take immediate steps to regain the 150 ropanis of land it had leased to Taragaun Regency Hotel Limited.
A sub-committee of International Relations Committee of the parliament has directed the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to terminate the lease after finding out that the transfer of rights and land lease were against the provisions of Land Management Act, 2064 BS.
The decision comes after the subcommittee on April 3 recommended the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to look into ownership transfer after finding irregularities in share ownership transfer and land ownership transfer of Hotel Hyatt Regency in Kathmandu.
The government had 39 per cent stakes in Taragaon Regency Hotels Limited, which operates Hyatt Regency Kathmandu when the company was listed on the stock market. However, government stakes at the hotel have now come down to only 9 per cent due to unscrupulous activities on the part of its private shareholders.
