Some issues that have been prioritised in major Nepali and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu today are Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s India visit beginning today, Cabinet expansion and preparations for the November 26 elections after the Cabinet announced the date.
Important
RJPN likely to contest polls despite amendment failure
Though Parliament on Monday rejected the constitution amendment bill which the agitating Rastriya Janata Party Nepal was demanding to get endorsed, the party is very likely to contest the third phase of local level elections in Province 2 scheduled for September 18 as well as upcoming provincial and federal elections in November.
Kantipur says the party will contest the polls and it will use the failure of amendment as its election agenda portraying the parties which voted against the bill including the main opposition CPN-UML as “forces against democracy and national unity.”
Though the party is yet to make any formal decision about contesting the polls, most speakers of a meeting of party’s office bearers that began in Kathmandu on Tuesday advocated for contesting the elections. The party leader Keshav Jha tells the newspaper that a formal decision will be made on Wednesday.
Election Commission wants polls in two phases
Though the government announced to hold both Provincial Assembly and federal House of Representatives in all districts across the country on November 26, the Election Commission is still keen to hold the polls in two phases.
The Commission held a meeting yesterday in response to the government’s announcement of the date, which concluded that adverse weather conditions in the last week of November in remote mountainous and hilly districts and other managerial complexities might affect the elections, reports The Himalayan Times lead story.
Earlier, the Commission had suggested that the government hold polls in two phases and picked two dates of November 20 and December 7.
However, the constitutional body has also decided to write to the government expressing its commitment to hold free and fair elections on the stipulated date.
Meanwhile, Rajdhani anchor story says Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav has hinted that the polls could be held in two phases, while speaking at a function in Kathmandu yesterday.
Ignored
NOC senior officials accused of collecting hefty commissions from transporters
A probe into irregularities involving Nepal Oil Corporation Executive Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka has revealed that senior officials of the Corporation have been receiving hefty commissions from petroleum product transporters every year.
According to Nagarik lead story, the transporters have been illegally paying as much as Rs 30 million every year to the senior officials. The report quotes an official of Amalekhgunj depot of Corporation that they ask for commissions from the transporters as directed by Khadka and Khadka also receives some portion from the commissions every month.
It has been learned that depots selling more fuel collect more commissions as the chief has directed them to collect the commissions on the basis of amount of fuel.
Government recommended sacking Sajha Prakashan board members
A probe panel formed by the Ministry of Education to look into alleged reports of irregularities involving Sajha Prakashan Chairman and General Manager Dolindra Prasad Sharma has recommended the government to sack all members of the Prakashan’s board including Sharma.
Republica says the MoE probe committee headed by Under-Secretary Ganesh Dhakal has recommended immediate sacking of the board and further action against those involved in irregularities.
The panel report has further concluded that a single person should not be given the posts of both Chairperson and GM, and the chairperson should a joint-secretary level government officer says the news report.
Interesting
‘Kathmandu National Medical College has not been given approval to run hospital’
The Ministry of Health has claimed that the controversial Kathmandu National Medical College has not been given approval to run the hospital.
Nepal Samacharpatra quotes an MoH official, Dr Bholanath Shrestha as saying that the College was not given the approval to run the hospital as it lacked sufficient physical infrastructures.
Earlier, the Tribhuvan University Executive Council has granted affiliation to the College and it has drawn flak from health and medical education fraternity as the College did not have sufficient physical infrastructures.
Meanwhile, supporters of Dr Govinda KC are preparing to file a complaint at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority against the TU, the report adds.
