Lieutenant Colonel of the Nepal Army Keshab Raj Karki being sacked for his alleged involvement in embezzling a huge amount of money has been featured in a few papers along with the news of India diverting Koshi River back to Nepal affecting the lives of around 300 people.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
Life in Saptari affected after India diverts Koshi water back into Nepal
Republica and Kantipur report that at least 90 families in Gobargadha of Saptari district have been trapped by the Koshi River after the Indian side diverted its water to the western side on Friday.
Local authorities said around 300 people were encircled by the Koshi river. The Indian side released water from a pilot channel built along the western side of the river despite protests by the locals.
With water suddenly released from the 17 km pilot channel built on the western side of Gobargadha on Friday evening, the riverside village has turned into an island, trapping the local residents.
Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality Mayor Sailesh Kumar Sah said rescue efforts for the trapped locals have been started and telephone links with some of them restored. However, he wasn’t happy as the locals were not informed prior to releasing water. He says the Indians released it without any notice.
Nepal Army colonel sacked
Kantipur, Naya Patrika and The Himalayan Times report that Lieutenant Colonel of the Nepal Army Keshab Raj Karki has been sacked for his alleged involvement in embezzling a huge amount of money.
Nepal Army Military Court handed him a termination letter along with a jail term of three months and a fine equivalent to the amount he misappropriated. NA spokesperson says Karki embezzled nearly Rs 5 million.
Karki has been sent to the central jail.
20 dead on 8000 m peaks in Nepal
The Kathmandu Post, Republica and The Himalayan Times report that 20 people have died on 8000 m peaks of Nepal this climbing season. This season has witnessed 10 deaths on Mount Everest, four on Mount Makalu and three deaths on Mount Kanchenjunga as well as one each on Mount Lhotse, Mount Annapurna and Mount Cho Oyu till date.
Ignored
Nepal’s civil society inactive due to political affiliation
The Kathmandu Post reports that even as political parties and a number of professional organisations are increasingly mounting protests against the controversial Media Council Bill, which many say is aimed at stifling press freedom, civil society has largely remained in the backdrop.
Experts believe that this is largely because civil society itself is politically divided. Those who were involved during the 2006 people’s movement as civil society members have managed to get political appointments and only tend to come to the streets when it suits their personal interests.
One of most wanted human traffickers deported to Nepal
Republica reports that after a series of failed attempts to yet again lure Thai police into releasing him, alleged notorious human trafficking racket operator Prashu Ram Gurung was finally deported back to Nepal on Saturday. He was arrested by Thai police at Nakhom Phanom-Nyonyat on the border of Thailand and Laos on March 27.
Gurung, 38, faces accusations of running a human trafficking racket, luring people into investing huge sums of money for immigration to developed countries. While he has been repeatedly arrested by Thai police, this is the first time that he has not been able to talk his way out of custody. The Nepal chapter of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), NCB Nepal, had issued a diffusion notice against Gurung on June 3, 2015, following his repeated involvement in human trafficking.
Army cadet abducted by Biplav
Annapurna Post reports that Netra Bikram Chand-led Nepal Communist Party has abducted an official working at the Nepal Army. However, both parties have remained quiet about the incident. Cadet Surendra Bahadur Shahi who was on his way home was abducted by Chand-led cadres on April 29. He was abducted because his father, who is a Nepali Congress supporter, refused to give a donation of Rs 200,000.
The army who know their cadet has been abducted haven’t done anything yet. Officials do say that they have had contact with Shahi and that he is alive and well at the moment. Army officials have also said that this is just Biplav’s ploy to create tension and that they were working hard to bring back their cadet.
Interesting
PM Oli criticised for supporting pvt school operators
The Kathmandu Post reports that inaugurating an education fair on Thursday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli lauded the role of private educational institutes in improving the quality of education in the country.
Oli’s remarks come at a time when his administration has been refusing to make public a report prepared by the High-Level National Education Commission, which has suggested converting private schools into non-profit entities.
Shyam Shrestha, a former member of the Constituent Assembly who was also a member of the commission, said Oli’s remarks two days ago and his reluctance to make public the report are part of his strategic move.
Other claim that promoters of the private education sector enjoy close relation with the prime minister.
Govt yet to appoint ambassadors to six countries
Rajdhani reports that the government is yet to appoint ambassadors of six countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs say it isn’t sure whom to appoint as ambassadors. The government which asked Lucky Sherpa, who got involved in a human trafficking case, to resign has yet to find a replacement for her. The current government had also asked ambassadors to Qatar, Spain, Bangladesh and South Korea to return questioning their work ethics. As the government couldn’t find a proper replacement, it also extended the term of Nepali ambassador to the US Arjun Karki’s term.
Revenue collection reaching the trillion mark
Nagarik reports that Nepal for the first time has exceeded Rs one trillion mark when it came to revenue collection. According to the Finance Ministry, the revenue collection is sure to exceed Rs 1 trillion this year, which is why the Ministry is attempting to collect more than Rs one trillion in revenue. The government target for the current fiscal year was Rs 939 billion. The ministry says that revenue collection at an average was increasing at around 20 per cent per year.
