Major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu on Thursday have given priority to a host of issues from political, sociocultural and economic spheres.
Supreme Court ordering Ncell, and its owner Axiata Group, to pay the capital gains tax has received a lot of attention in all the national dailies. News of the House of Representatives endorsing a bill to extend the terms of transitional justice bodies for a year at first and for a further year if needed has also been given importance in the newspapers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the cover pages of national broadsheets:
Important
SC tells Axiata and Ncell to pay capital gains tax
Kantipur, Annapurna Post, Nagarik, Republica, The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times report that the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Ncell, and its owner Axiata Group, to pay the capital gains tax, ending a long-drawn debate over whether the buyer should pay the tax when the seller does not clear its tax liability.
After Swedish company TeliaSonera, which previously owned Ncell, exited the country without paying the capital gains tax after it sold the company to the Malaysian telecom giant on April 11, 2016, the debate had been going on whether the buying company should take tax liability of the seller.
Issuing an order of mandamus, a full bench of Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana and Justices Mira Khadka, Bishwombher Prasad Shrestha, Anandamohan Bhattarai and Tanka Bahadur Moktan said that Ncell and Axiata need to the pay capital gains tax.
Earlier, the government’s efforts to recover the capital gains tax from TeliaSonera had failed even though the Large Tax Payers’ Office (LTO) had served a notice to the Swedish company determining its tax liability worth Rs 65.4 billion in January 2018.
TJ bodies get a new life
Republica reports that the House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously endorsed the bill that will extend the terms of the two commissions for a year at first and for a further year if needed. The commissions were formed to investigate conflict-era cases.
Parliament has endorsed the bill for extending the terms of the transitional justice (TJ) mechanisms, to give a new lease of life to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons, for a year. The twice-extended terms of the two commissions were to expire on Saturday. Formed in 2015 with a two-year deadline, the two commissions’ terms were extended for the first time in 2017 through a cabinet decision. The second extension came in 2018 through an amendment of the relevant act.
CMC wants to complete Melamchi project
Karobar reports that even after the government formally cancelled the contract of the Melamchi Water Supply Project with the Italian contractor, Co-operativa Muratori e Cementisti (CMC) di Ravenna, the Italian contractor, still wants to come and complete the project. The government cancelled the contract after the Italian contractors failed to reply even after receiving the contract termination notice. CMC has told the government that it is willing to come back and complete the project. However, government officials are unsure about giving it to the Italians.
Ignored
Over 300 Nepalis trafficked through the India-Myanmar border from December to January
The Kathmandu Post reports that the rescue operation of Nepali citizens being trafficked to Southeast Asian and Gulf countries, which started on Friday morning, has gathered more pieces of evidence that show they were trafficked into Myanmar via Moreh–on the India-Myanmar border–between December and January. Activists have said that as many as 301 Nepali men and women might have been smuggled into other countries using the India-Myanmar border. Officials have rescued 101 trafficked girls including 40 Nepalis in an anti-human trafficking rescue operation.
Those involved in the rescue operation, however, said there have been no details yet regarding whereabouts of those girls who have already entered Myanmar–or those who have gone further to other countries from there.
Government doctors called to Kathmandu
Rajdhani reports that Government Doctors Association of Nepal has called all government doctors to come to Kathmandu. The association has called the doctors as they plan to protest the government over the Staff Adjustment Ordinance. The Association says that the government didn’t take their recommendation while passing the ordinance.
Interesting
Number of students leaving Nepal rises
Rajdhani reports the number of students leaving Nepal for higher studies has increased two times. In the past four years, over 250,000 students have left Nepal to study abroad. The students have left Nepal to go 71 counties, out of which the most chosen destination is Australia which is closely followed by India and Japan.
NEA leakage down by 15 per cent
Annapurna Post and Arthik Abhiyan report that Nepal Electricity Authority has slashed electricity leakage by five percentage in the first five months of the current fiscal year. NEA claims that grid losses have dropped to 15.45 per cent. NEA says the reason for the improvement is down to a timely collection of dues and strict theft control measures. Managing Director of NEA, Kul Man Ghiking, says that if NEA is able to keep the power leakage to 15.45 per cent till the end of the fiscal year, it would yield a saving of nearly Rs 7 billion.
Test flights to start in July at the Gautam Buddha Airport
Nagarik reports that as work at the Gautam Buddha International Airport is in full flow, the CAAN has planned to start test flights from July onwards. The CAAN wants the airport to be ready before the Tourism Year 2020. The construction of the airport began in 2014; and officials believe that only 30 per cent work is left to be complete.
