Major English and Nepali dailies published from Kathmandu on Tuesday have prioritised a host of issues from politics to trade, and from health to corruption. Prime Minister’s upcoming India visit, Nepal’s opinion about India-China standoff over Doklam point, and meeting between PM and Election Commission officials have received a significant attention from the press.
Likewise, reports on landslides in various parts of the country, follow-up stories on Dr Govinda KC’s fast-unto-death and death of an alleged drug dealer in Lalitpur yesterday have also been published in the front page.
Important
Poll dates likely to be announced by August 17
The government is preparing to announce dates for provincial and federal elections by August 17 as it is pressing the Election Commission to hold both the polls together, according to various news reports.
In a meeting held between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and officials of the Election Commission yesterday, PM Deuba said the dates would be announced within next nine days, according to a front page story in Annapurna Post. The Commission has been demanding that the dates be fixed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister reiterated that the government wanted to hold both the polls together. In response, Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav said two polls could be held in one go only if electronic voting machines were used, says the lead story in Gorkhapatra.
Deuba was positive about using the voting machine, according to Commission spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma.
Doklam standoff: Nepal clarifies its neutral position
Speaking about the India-China tussle over the Doklam plateau for the first time, Nepal has clarified that it maintains a neutral position.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara informs that Nepal has been suggesting that the two neighbours settle the issue through talks. Consequently, Nepal has already told its embassies in New Delhi and Beijing to send similar messages to both the Asian nuclear powers that Nepal does not take their side, according to a box story in the front page of The Kathmandu Post.
Meanwhile, Mahara organised a press conference yesterday to inform that Prime Minister Deuba is visiting India from August 23 to 27, according to Rajdhani. The Foreign Minister clarified that the Doklam faceoff would not be discussed in any meeting during his visit.
Ignored
Donors’ influence increasing in parliamentary committees
Various committees in Parliament formed to keep a tab on activities of the government and government bodies are functioning under the influence of various foreign donor agencies and such influence is ever increasing, reports the lead story in Nagarik.
Such agencies have been investing millions of rupees to engage lawmakers associated in various committees in their programmes so as to set agendas and influence their decisions, the report suggests, informing all 46 members of the Environmental Conservation Committee in the House recently attended a function organised by World Wildlife Fund Nepal. The WWF had invested around Rs 4 million for the function on Sustainable Development Goals.
The report has carried a quote of constitutional expert Bhimarjun Acharya who says it is very wrong on the part of parliamentary committees to get influenced by foreign donors. The Environment Committee’s then chairperson Janak Raj Chaudhary, however, defends his activity and challenges to ban all NGOs and INGOs if House panels cannot do any programme with their money.
Cross-border trade obstructed in Sunauli
Trade activities at the Sunauli border point have significantly decreased in past few days owing to Indian police’s obstruction, says the lead story of Naya Patrika.
Normally, around 400 trucks would enter Nepal from through the border point from India, but it has dropped to around 200 these days, according to local customs officials. Chief of the Customs Office, Bhupal Raj Shakya, says Indian police have been obstructing many trucks from plying in the name of security check.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyaya, says not only trucks, but pedestrians have also been obstructed and he has raised the issue with Indian officials.
“I have already expressed my concerns with Indian External Affairs Ministry officials,” he has been quoted, “It will not continue for long. I have been assured that the transportation would go back to normalcy at the earliest.”
Interesting
Balloons to help meteorologists make better weather forecast
The anchor story in Nepal Samacharpatra says the Weather Forecasting Division under Department of Hydrology and Meteorology is planning to use balloons installed with radiosonde to collect information about weather patterns.
In the first phase, two balloons will fly from Tribhuvan University of Kirtipur to collect weather information from the atmosphere. The Department is planning to launch the project within next three months, the report says.
“Information to be obtained this way is more credible and of a higher standard and it will be a great help in weather forecasting,” meteorologist Shanti Kandel has been quoted in the report. The balloons will collect information on the share of moisture in atmosphere, temperature, pace and direction of wind, status of clouds and relative humidity among others.
It is the first time Nepal is using the radiosonde technology.
