Nepal Communist Party lawmakers urging PM KP Sharma Oli to amend or withdraw the controversial Guthi Bill has been featured in most national dailies along with the news of 10 people losing their lives in a jeep accident in Bajhang. News of Hyatt Regency Kathmandu closing due to workers strike has also been featured in some papers.
Here is a summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from the front pages of national broadsheets:
Important
NCP lawmakers from Kathmandu valley urge PM to withdraw controversial Guthi Bill
Annapurna Post, Kantipur, and The Kathmandu Post reports that representatives of the ruling Nepal Communist Party elected from Kathmandu Valley have urged Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to reconsider the Guthi Bill, which has drawn massive criticism from the Newar community of Kathmandu.
At a meeting with Oli on Monday afternoon, around 300 representatives said the government must suspend–or withdraw–the bill, against which Kathmandu locals are preparing a massive protest on Wednesday.
NCP lawmaker Rambir Manandhar said the elected representatives told the prime minister that the government would not be able to control the situation, as a massive protest is being planned if it does not withdraw the bill
The bill, which is currently with the Upper House, has some provisions that seek to nationalise both private and public guthis, regulate all religious sites, and replace the Guthi Sansthan with powerful authority.
Meanwhile, The Himalayan Times reports that PM Oli told NCP lawmakers that he would take a call on the issue after holding a discussion in the Cabinet. Prime Minister’s Press Adviser Kundan Aryal said the PM told lawmakers that the government would take a decision on the bill as per the views of its lawmakers.
Hyatt closed for an indefinite period
The Kathmandu Post and The Himalayan Times reports that Hotel Hyatt Regency announced that it would temporarily cease operations and not accept any bookings until the dispute with the trade union was sorted out. As services at the hotel were affected due to workers’ protests that have been going on for the past five days, the hotel has decided to stop operations for an indefinite period.
The workers are on strike because the management hasn’t fulfilled their clauses said Mukti Dahal, president of the hotel’s trade union who feels the hotel is exploiting them.
According to him, the high-level management team is not letting workers take leave or a break during working hours.
On the other hand, Rani Bang, chief financial controller of Taragaon Regency, said, that the hotel has not cut workers’ facilities. She further states that the worker was painting themselves as victims and holding protests against the law.
Jeep accident kills 10 in Bajhang
Kantipur and Rajdhani report that at least 10 persons have lost their lives and four others sustained injuries when the jeep they were traveling in skidded off the road and fell 200 metres down at Thaudi in Bajhang district on Monday afternoon, police said.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.
According to police, an ill-fated jeep (Se 1 Jha 1072) was heading to Masta Rural Municipality from Chainpur, district headquarters, before the accident around 3 pm today.
Ignored
Storm victims name removed from beneficiary list
Naya Patrika reports that names of around 556 people who were affected by the storm in Bara and Parsa district on April have been removed. Nepal Army while collecting data of the number of houses affected had listed out 1,402 houses were affected by the storm. However, as of June only 846 houses were being rebuilt. The locals after finding this out are on strike. The Chairman of Pheta Rural Municipality has said that he will talk to the concerned ministry and figure out how to help those in need.
Kamalpokhari police station to be relocated
Republica reports that the government has decided to relocate the Metropolitan Police Circle, Kamalpokhari, away from its current office building amid accusations that the police office was encroaching upon public land.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 6 decided to relocate the police office to the building of ‘Food for Education’ program in Maligaun of Kathmandu metropolis. The program office is going to share space with the National Youth Council (NYC) at the latter’s current office building in Sanothimi of Bhaktapur.
Police have welcomed the Cabinet decision, citing the lack of enough space in the current building in Kamalpokhari. Officials from the circle have claimed that there was not even enough parking space at the police station.
Six students injured after getting beat by principal
Kantipur reports that six students from a community school in Barahathawa municipality in Sarlahi have been injured after getting beaten up by the school’s principal. Of those injured five are in a stable condition whereas one is critically injured. Mahendra Rai the principal beat the students studying in class 3 for not standing in line properly. Eyewitnesses say that Rai initially hit the students with a stick and when the stick broke punched the students. Sanjiv Sahani who is critically injured is being attended to at Venus Hospital in Barahathawa.
Interesting
Nepali Sat 1 enters Earth’s orbit
Kantipur reports that Nepal’s first satellite Nepal Sat 1 has entered the orbit on Monday. The satellite was at the international space station since mid-April, and was released in space at around 4pm on Monday. The NepaliSat-1, developed by two Nepalis, Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha, at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology bears the Nepali flag and the logo of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. Similar satellites from Japan and Sri Lanka were also launched alongside NepaliSat-1
Officials at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology inform that the satellite will allow them to learn the process of sending and receiving data and information to and from space.
According to them, along with providing images and data, the launch of the satellite marks the beginning for Nepal to test its capacity in space.
CIAA books 16 for corruption
Republica reports that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday filed corruption cases against 16 individuals on the charge of grabbing 590 ropanis of public land in Guthichaur of Jumla.
Those allegedly involved in grabbing the land belonging to the Sheep and Goat Research Program (SGRP) in Guthichaur include government officials as well as locals.
The anti-graft body has filed charge sheet against the then Land Revenue Officer Govinda Prasad Neupane, non-gazetted officer Bijaya Sharma Neupane and chief of the Sheep and Goat Research Program Yamuna Shrestha. Other accused are locals.
In 2009, the then Land Revenue Officer Govinda Prasad Neupane allegedly transferred the ownership of 590 ropanis of SGRP land to his kin including his wife and daughter.
Pvt Sector interested to sell electricity to India and Bangladesh
Karobar reports that twenty private power developers have come together to establish ‘Nepal Power Exchange Ltd’. The independent power producers (IPPs) aim to supply power generated by private developers in the domestic market as well as export electricity to neighbouring countries like India and Bangladesh through the power trading company.
