Good morning!
Here’s a quick summary of important, ignored and interesting stories from Wednesday to kickstart your Thursday.
Important
RJPN takes wait-and-see approach to govt
Amidst speculations that the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal might join the government after the exit of Samajwadi Party, the RJPN presidium coordinator Rajendra Mahato says the party is not certain about the future, adding everything depends on how the government will move ahead.
In an interview with Onlinekhabar, Mahato says, “Nothing will happen if the government is not positive about the issues we have raised. It will be the same in both the federal government and the Province 2 government.” Like Samajwadi Party, the RJPN has also demanded that the government take initiatives for a constitution amendment.
Ram Krishna Dhakal divorced
Famed singer Ram Krishna Dhakal and his wife Nilam Shah got divorced on Wednesday. A staffer at Kathmandu District Court confirms that the two signed a paper agreeing to end their marriage. The staffer, Ananda Shrestha, says Shah has agreed not to claim any property from Dhakal’s possession. Their only daughter will live with the mother.
Dhakal, however, posted on his Facebook page that their relationship could never end.
Many social media users have suspected that Shah decided to leave Dhakal after he was trapped in financial troubles.
Ignored
Indian vehicles banned in Pokhara
Ahead of the official launch of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign, the Kaski District Administration Office has banned the operation of India-registered vehicles in Pokhara, which is also called the tourism capital of Nepal. The office says the decision was made to facilitate smooth traffic management in the city.
However, tourism entrepreneurs have feared that the decision could have an adverse impact on the inflow of Indian tourists in the city. Indians cover around 40 per cent share of Pokhara’s tourist arrival and many of them take their own vehicles due to the open border.
Seven arrested on the charge of attempting human sacrifice
Nepal Police personnel have arrested seven persons, five from Biratnagar and two from Kathmandu, for their alleged involvement in forcing a woman to be ‘sacrificed’ for a religious purpose. The woman, who is a model by profession, had filed a complaint with police claiming the people at first contacted her for modelling, but later said she would have to perform worships.
Govt wants to hike traffic penalties
The government has proposed increasing penalties for traffic rule violations. The Department of Transport Management is currently drafting a new transport law, and it includes heavy penalties. As per the current laws, the minimum amount charged for an offence is Rs 500 whereas the maximum is Rs 5,000. Now, the department wants to make the minimum penalty Rs 2,000 and maximum Rs 100,000. Based on the nature of offences, the government can also suspend and scrap driving licence, as per the draft law.
Interesting
Province 1 targets welcoming one million foreign tourists
Whereas the federal government has targeted bringing in two million foreign tourists during the yearlong campaign of Visit Nepal Year 2020, the Province 1 government has set its own target, which is exactly half the goal of the federal government. The province wants to welcome one million foreigners in the next year, announced Jagadish Prasad Kushiyat, the provincial Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment. The provincial government has planned to officially launch the campaign on January 1, 2020, amidst a special function in Biratnagar.
