Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Monday have given priority to a host of issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres.
A nationwide relay hunger strike by doctors to save Dr Govinda KC’s life has received considerable attention. Papers have also reported that a body of a 10-year-old girl being found in Biratnagar. The US-Bangla air crash investigation report being submitted has also been featured in the newspapers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Doctors to stage relay strike to save Dr KC’s life
Kantipur, Republica, Rajdhani, Nagarik and The Himalayan Times report that the Nepal Medical Association, which has been demanding that the government meet senior orthopedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC’s demands related to medical education, announced that it would stage a relay hunger strike throughout the country from Monday. The NMA took the decision after holding discussions with doctors working in Kathmandu.
President of NMA Dr Mukti Ram Shrestha said his organisation took the decision to save Dr KC’s life. Dr KC has been staging a hunger strike for the last 20 days. NMA has appealed to doctors throughout the country to participate in the relay hunger strike from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The relay hunger strike will be staged in 16 branch offices of NMA, including Ganesh Man Singh Bhawan of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. NMA added that it would halt services, including emergency services if the government failed to address Dr KC’s demands.
Congress to hold protest rallies across the country
Republica, Rajdhani, Nepal Samacharpatra and Nagarik report that the Nepali Congress has decided to hold a massive protest across all 77 districts on February 4 against the ruling party’s act of forcibly getting the National Medical Education Bill endorsed from Parliament. Nepali Congress believes that the bill was passed without giving the opposition a chance to discuss its provisions and that it violated parliamentary and democratic norms.
A meeting of the central working committee of the NC on Sunday decided that the February 4 protests would mainly be against the government’s insensitivity towards Dr Govinda KC, who is on a fast-unto-death, and the move to get endorsed a bill breaching the agreement signed with Dr KC at the initiation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli himself.
Other issues the NC will take up during the protests include the government’s move to scrap two hospitals named after two former prime ministers — GP Koirala National Centre for Respiratory Diseases based in Dulegauda, Tanahun; and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital of Khajura, Banke.
US-Bangla Air Crash: Probe report states pilot was mentally ill
Naya Patrika, The Kathmandu Post and Nagarik report that the pilot and the cabin crew were to blame for the crash of the US-Bangla plan on March 12, 2018. The report states that the captain and crew members were unaware of the condition they were in. The report adds that the landing was completed in sheer desperation after sighting the runway, at very close proximity and very low altitude. There was no attempt made to carry out a go-around when it seemed possible until the last instant before touchdown on the runway, the report said.
Both pilots made several statements that reflected that they had completely lost their orientation of the runway, but that was not communicated to the air traffic controller. The pilot was also smoking continuously inside the cockpit during the one-hour flight. The report also states that Captain Avid Sultan was suffering from depression.
Ignored
Ten-year-old girl found dead
Republica and The Himalayan Times report that a body of a 10-year-old girl was found in Singhiya Khola of Biratnagar Metropolitan City on Sunday. It is suspected that Rupmati Das was murdered after she was raped since there was blood on her face and she was half-naked. The girl, who went to watch TV at her neighbour’s house on Saturday evening, did not return home.
Family members and locals had started searching for the girl after she did not return home till this morning. Locals who had gone fishing to Singhiya Khola found the girl’s body in half-naked state at 11:00 am. She was a first grader at the local Narayan Basic School. Family members and locals suspect that the girl might have been raped before being murdered. They demanded that the guilty be booked.
NHRC tells the government to investigate DNA expert
Kantipur reports that the National Human Rights Commission has told the government to investigate the police experts as they have made a lot of errors while investigating the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta. Murari Prasad Kharel, the secretary of the commission, submitted its report with four-point recommendations and 24-point directives to the government which stated that the DNA test done on the victim could not be used to test the culprit.
Interesting
CIAA investigating 1700 development projects
Rajdhani reports that the CIAA is looking into 1,700 projects dealing with infrastructure development. CIAA is in the know of financial irregularities which surround the infrastructure development sector. CIAA’s committee has informed that the state of most of the companies wasn’t up to standard. CIAA chief Navin Kumar Ghimire has promised to clean the development sector and added the government had to be active to clean the sector.
US asks for government’s view on Venezuela issue
Kantipur reports that the US has asked the Nepali government for its view on the ongoing Venezuela issue. This comes after NCP co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal issued a statement which condemned the US and its alliance that it was going on against the legitimately elected President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and Venezuelan people. Dahal says the US made the plot with an intention of increasing violence by dividing the people and challenging democracy, sovereignty and peace. In reply to that report, the US embassy has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give then the government’s official view on the matter. PM Oli, when questioned about Dahal’s comment, had refused to comment.
