All major English and Nepali dailies published from Kathmandu today have prioritised issues related recent floods and landslides. Whereas reports dispatched from various Terai districts have been published with priority in the front page, the broadsheets have also covered the government’s decision to distribute relief support through a one-door system.
Likewise, Dr Govinda KC’s fast-unto-death and contemporary political issues including the delay in putting constitution amendment bill to vote have been given prominence.
Important
Victims await relief as donations gather dust in capital
Floods and landslides in past few days have affected around six million people whereas death toll has reached 91, Republica lead story says. But, most of the victims are awaiting relief support from the government and humanitarian agencies as relief distribution so far has not been much effective, reports The Himalayan Times from Rautahat.
On the other hand, there are many goods and cash waiting to be used for the victims in the Capital. Republica‘s another front page story says the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund has a balance of around Rs 2.12 billion. The money was donated by ordinary citizens and various groups and organisations inside and outside Nepal. The report adds that millions of rupees have remained unused with the Central Disaster Rescue and Relief Committee, which has chapters in all districts across the country.
Annapurna Post‘s anchor story says quintals of food items including rice, beans and pulses, edible oil and salt have been stored in godowns of Nepal Food Corporation in various cities across the country. The report quotes Supplies Ministry Secretary Prem Kumar Rai as saying that the Ministry is prepared to dispatch the essential goods to the affected districts, but the districts are yet to make the demand.
Govinda KC’s fasting crosses his longest record; solution nowhere in the scene
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital’s senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC completed 22 days on Monday and crossed the record of his longest strike so far. However, his problems are not likely to be addressed anytime soon as parties have different opinions about endorsement of the Medical Education Bill, one of his major demands.
Rajdhani anchor story says his health has been too critical and doctors attending to him have warned that anything can happen if he was not shifted to the intensive care unit. The fasting doctor, however, has refused to go to the ICU, says Nepal Samacharpatra.
Annapurna Post reports that three major parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre—are apparently divided on major demands of Dr KC; therefore the amended Medical Education Bill will not be tabled for endorsement in the Parliament meeting scheduled for today.
Ignored
Terai banks to resume operation from today
Karobar‘s lead story says banks and financial institutions located in various cities of Terai will resume their operation from Tuesday. Banking service was halted since Friday after heavy rainfall-triggered floods and inundations.
The report quotes Agricultural Development Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Lila Prakash Sitaula who says that counters of many branches of his bank have been inundated. Likewise, interruption in power supply has also made it difficult to ensure smooth banking services, he adds.
Meanwhile, Nepal Rastra Bank;s assistant spokesperson Rajendra Pandit says the central bank is yet to collect comprehensive data on how much floods and inundation has affected the banking and financial sector. He says the banks can take their time to resume services.
Constituency Delineation Commission to get more time
The lead story of Nepal Samacharpatra says the Constituency Delineation Commission has been unable to complete its assignment of determining constituencies for upcoming provincial and federal elections within its deadline set for today.
Therefore, it is asking the government to extend the tenure and by three to seven days to complete the report and the government is also prepared to grant the extension, the report says.
“We have been unable to submit the report on time,” the Commission’s Chairman Kamal Narayan Das has been quoted, “We are writing the report and it will take three to seven more days.”
Das also told the newspaper that they have been unable to finalise the report also because the government is preparing to add nine local units in various Terai districts very soon.
Interesting
Floods kill endangered wildlife
A number of endangered wild animals including those in Chitwan National Park, Bardiya National Park and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve have been killed in recent floods, according to the anchor story in Gorkhapatra.
Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Man Bahadur Khadka, tells the newspaper that a two-year-old one-horned rhinoceros has been washed away to death by a flood in Narayani River whereas more than three dozen blackbucks in Bardiya have also been swept away by a flood.
He says the exact number of wildlife killed in the disasters has not been confirmed yet as the staff have not been able to visit the parks due to floods. It has been suspected that dozens of animals have been killed in Chitwan.
