A meeting among three major political parties to discuss constitution amendment bill and date for upcoming provincial and federal parliamentary elections has been the most prioritised issue in Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Thursday.
The meeting between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and visiting Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang has also been significantly covered by the press today.
Likewise, stories describing post-flooding situation in various parts of the country have also received prominence. Most of these stories discuss losses caused by the floods in different sectors and efforts underway to provide the victims with relief support. Some news stories have said the victims are reeling under the fear of epidemics as they are living in camps after getting displaced.
Important
Voting on constitution amendment bill on Monday; both polls likely to be held in one go
Three major political parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Cente—have agreed to conclude discussions on the constitution amendment bill and put it to vote before Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s India visit scheduled for Next week.
The Himalayan Times lead story says the Prime Minister wants to conclude the process before his India visit, beginning August 23. However, as Parliament began clause-wise discussions on the bill yesterday itself, it is most likely that the bill will be put to vote two days before, on August 21 (Monday), according to The Kathmandu Post.
It has been agreed that the main opposition, CPN-UML, will not obstruct House proceedings as the bill will be put to vote, Gorkhapatra says. However, the UML will vote against the bill and make all possible efforts to make the House reject the document, which it says is against national interests, The Himalayan Times quotes Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
Meanwhile, the three parties have also agreed that elections to the Provincial Assembly and the federal House of Representatives shall be held together, most likely in November. The Prime Minister says he will announce a single date for both the polls within next one week in consultation with stakeholders, reports Annapurna Post. The Election Commission, however, has been citing legal and logistic difficulties to hold both the elections together and has told the PM that it will give its opinions after internal discussions, reports Rajdhani.
Floods cause losses worth billions of rupees in agricultural sector
Recent floods in various parts of the country, Terai districts in particular, have caused losses worth billions of rupees in the agricultural sector as they wiped out crops and livestock as well as damaged irrigation infrastructures.
Karobar lead story has said the loss of crops in 31 districts amounts to Rs 8.11 billion. The Ministry of Agricultural Development has said crops being cultivated in 272,630 hectares of land have been affected due to the recent disasters. Mostly hit are paddy, vegetables, pulses and maize.
Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post has warned that the damage in agricultural sector could cast a shadow on the economy that was on rebound in the last fiscal year. Nepal had recorded good food harvest last year due to a good monsoon, elimination of power cuts and higher government spending, among others.
Likewise, Republica anchor story says the damage to irrigation sector amounts to Rs 2.42 billion as 135 projects including 15 major irrigation systems have been damaged. Minister for Irrigation Sanjay Kumar Gautam presented the details of losses at Parliament’s Agriculture and Water Resources Committee on Wednesday.
The Karobar report quotes Agricultural Development Minister Ram Krishna Yadav as saying that the government will announce a relief package targeting farmers soon.
Ignored
Flood-displaced people falling ill in Morang, Sunsari
The Himalayan Times anchor story says flood victims of Morang and Sunsari districts sheltering in temporary camps after being displaced from their homes have begun falling sick. The victims have reported fever, cough, and skin and eye infection mostly.
Likewise, Nagarik has reported from Biratnagar that almost every household in Ikarahi in Biratnagar, a settlement inundated recently, has patients suffering from fever, cough and cold, diarrhoea and skin infections.
Following such reports, organisations involved in providing rescue and relief support to the victims have established health camps at some places. The Himalayan Times report quotes a youth campaigner from Morang as saying that children of the settlements are among the worst hit, but health professionals are yet to reach them.
Meanwhile, the Koshi Zonal Hospital has also reported a surge of patients of various diseases in past one week. Morang District Public Health Office as warned of an outbreak of various diseases among the flood victims and urged them to stay alert against infections.
Chure exploitation blamed for flood severity
Experts and environmentalists have blamed a host of human-caused problems including deforestation, sand and gravel mining along the Chure region for devastating impacts of recent monsoon-induced floods in Terai region, reports Republica.
Further, they have warned that such disasters are likely to recur more frequently if the authorities continue to turn a blind eye to the exploitation. The entire Chure hill is under threat due to gradual surge in mining of sand, gravel and limestone, stone quarrying and haphazard construction of physical infrastructures like dams and embankments.
The report quotes a Chure expert, Binod Bhatta, who says, “People saw easy money to be made in Chure and started digging out its very foundations. This monsoon we saw the Chure rubble swept away by the floods.”
Interesting
Rs 30,000 spent to pay Rs 1,500 tax
One of the major reasons that political parties in Nepal advocated for federalism was that it delegates governing rights to local governments so that citizens get government services at doorsteps. It was a slogan of many parties during recent local level elections as well. But, a trader in Bajura district of far-western Nepal has complained that he was forced to spend as much as Rs 30,000 on the way as he was in Dhangadhi to pay a tax worth Rs 1,500.
Rajdhani‘s anchor story today says taxpayers of Far-Western Development Region, most of which falls in Province 7 in the new federal structure, have to visit either Dhangadhi or Mahendranagar to pay tax and get tax clearance certificate. People from upper hills have to spend around five days to reach these southern cities.
Further, the taxpayers complain that the tax collection process is quite lengthy and troubling.
