The Kathmandu Post

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Disgruntled MPs ask PM to prune cabinet by Mar 3
By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - A day after their threatening to remain absent during the voting on the government’s confidence motion, the 12 "unsatisfied" NC parliamentarians today called on the Prime Minister to prune his cabinet before the House sits for the winter session on March 3.

A source close to the PMO told The Kathmandu Post that the one dozen NC MPs have offered to help the Prime Minister, leader of their parliamentary party, during the confidence vote if he resumes talks with the RPP and reshuffles the cabinet to reduce the number of ministers before the session begins. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, on his part, held long parleys with NC president Girija Prasad Koirala and former NC president Krishna Prasad Bhattarai seperately today on the same issues. The details of the talks were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting claims about the resignations of the four senior ministers from the cabinet while one more tendered his resignation today. Minister of State Ganesh Bahadur Khadka told The Kathmandu Post this evening that he had submitted his resignation today to the Prime Minister to make it easy for him to reshuffle the cabinet.

However, secretary of the NC parliamentarty committee, Bhakta Bahadur Balayar, insisted that of the four senior ministers who reportedly resigned yesterday, only Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Narahari Acharya had formally tendered his resignation while the other three--Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka, Education Minister Govind Raj Joshi and Health Minister Arjun Narsingh KC--had "merely offered to resign if the PM so desired."

Home Minister Khadka declared his resignation in an NC workers’ meeting in his home district of Dang yesterday while Minister Acharya announced the same to the press on Saturday. Ministers Joshi and KC, who are yet to confirm or deny their resignations, could not be reached for comments.


Govt seeks consensus on local bill
By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - As the decentralization report gets the final touches, Local Development Ministry is taking inputs from political parties in a bid to create consensus among the main political players for passing the draft local authority bill in the winter session of parliament.

Local Development Ministry held an interaction programme here today about decentralization and local self-government in which central committee members of Rastriya Prajatantra Party expressed their opinion.

Today’s interaction programme was organized to present RPP’s views about the local self-government and proposed decentralization report, State Minister for Local Development Rajib Parajuli said.

Speaking on the occasion, RPP President Surya Bahadur Thapa said decentralization should not be seen as only a means of carrying out development works in villages but rather it should be taken as a broad concept which has the potential of addressing today’s political and economic problems.

"Decentralization is not only a simple means of development. It is a way by which we can make people participate in the governance of the nation as directed by the Constitution of 1990," he said.

Thapa pointed out that decentralization programme cannot succeed without addressing the problems of the oppressed and ethnic people.

"Provisions for the development of language and culture of oppressed and ethnic people should be included in the decentralization report and the local authority bills," he said.

Thapa also expressed his reservations about the acceptance of the proposed decentralization by a section of society, hinting at the present bureaucratic mind set.

Foreign Minister and general secretary of RPP Prakash Chandra Lohani said the present decentralization proposal is a bold step but we have to go step by step and there should be some mechanism to control and monitor local authorities. "If district authorities disregarded government directives and plans, the government should keep some preventive measures with it," he said.

Lohani raised the tricky issue of employees working in districts. What will be their promotion criteria, will they have chance to get transfers? If the civil servants’ issue is not taken seriously, many remote districts will not get the services of doctors and engineers, he said.

Dr Lohani said that an uniform system of book keeping should be introduced for the local bodies and the centre should audit accounts of local bodies. As for giving legal and taxation rights to local bodies, Lohani said these should be introduced phasewise.

Local Development Minister Kamal Thapa said RPP has expressed its commitment to make villages the center of development. "RPP believes that the present concept and style of development needs a drastic change. Decentralization proposal is a step towards achieving the goal of people-centered development and empowerment of local authorities."


Nepal favours total ban on N-arms
By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - Hailing recent breakthroughs on both nuclear and non-nuclear disarmament fronts as encouraging, Nepal today urged the international community to aim at complete elimination of nuclear arms.

Addressing the first post-CTBT Asia-Pacific disarmament meet that opened here today, Foreign Minister Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani said a time-bound framework is essential for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, adding it would not be easy for nuclear weapon states to part with these symbols of power or for threshold states to abandon their nuclear option.

"But we must stop being prisoners of the pseudo-security of these weapons and concentrate on post-CTBT era directed to complete nuclear disarmament," said Lohani.

The programme of action proposed by 28 NAM and other nations for phased elimination of all nuclear arms provides a sound framework for progress, the Foreign Minister pointed out.

The meeting, the ninth in the series, intends to explore priorities in the field of nuclear disarmament after the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) last year by the 50th General Assembly session.

The three-day meet will address key nuclear disarmament issues, including the enforcement of CTBT and the preparatory process of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference scheduled for the year 2000. The meeting will also focus on regional security and illicit flow of small weapons.

Over 30 participants from government, academic and research institutes and non-governmental organizations, mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, are attending the meeting financed from voluntary contributions of member states and other organizations.

Japan has been a major donor to the Asia-Pacific forum. Nepal provides 7,000 US dollars to Kathmandu-based UN Centre for Disarmament Affairs each year. The other UN Region Centres for Disarmament Affairs are based in Lima, Peru and Lome, Togo.

An uneasy peace at the global level, interspersed with regional hostilities, has become the hallmark of the post-cold war era. The Asia-Pacific region, like some others, has its share of discords and security problems.

Ethnic diversity, territorial disputes, developmental inequities and social injustice, further aggravated by colonial legacies and cold war cracks, have sown the seeds of mutual distrust. "This deep distrust," said Lohani, "renders the region readily susceptible to conflicts."

Dialogues, he said, are a fundamental necessity to reverse the situation and create a climate of trust in the region. In the UN jargon, Kathmandu's initiative in the field of disarmament has become familiar as "Kathmandu Process." Nepal has already signed the CTBT and is in the process of ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention. It has also supported the indefinite extension of NPT.


Gautam himself in deep watersAccused of fund embezzlement and pimping for legislators
By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - In a dramatic twist, leader of Communist Party of Nepal (UML), Bam Dev Gautam, found himself in deep waters on Monday after a Central Committee (CC) member levelled serious charges against him.

CC member Iswor Pokhrel charged Gautam of abusing his position during the rule of the UML government, embezzling millions of rupees and procuring prostitutes for lawmakers during a December no-trust motion against the Deuba government.

Pokhrel’s three-and-half page long counter charge-sheet turns the table on Gautam who is trying to sack UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal. Gautam dominated the intra-party feud until Monday with the majority of CC members siding with him.

In Monday’s CC session, Pokhrel dropped the bombshell by alleging that the then Deputy General Secretary Gautam often pressured UML Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari to deflect foreign currency.

Pokhrel also charged that Gautam frequently abused his position during the UML rule to clear illegal gold from the customs of the Tribhuwan International Airport on a commission basis.

Gautam also used his considerable clout to provide lucrative posts in the customs to those who cared to pay commission to him, Pokhrel alleged.

During the no-trust motions against the UML government and the Deuba government, Gautam embezzled millions of rupees from the party coffers and private sources, Pokhrel claimed. During the December no-trust motion against the Deuba government, Gautam not only embezzled 5 million rupees from the party sources and millions more from private sources but also procured prostitutes for lawmakers to win their support, Pokhrel said.

"These charges have often been carried by the media. If Gautam is innocent, why has he not denied them yet?" questioned Pokhrel in the CC meet. "Gautam should be penalized for these offenses," said Pokhrel. "To start with, he should be removed from the politburo standing committee."

Pokhrel’s other charges against Gautam included favoritism, groupism and violation of party statute and decisions including the one on the Nepal-India Mahakali treaty. He also criticized Gautam’s enthusiasm to form a government with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

When The Kathmandu Post asked Gautam about the charges against him, he refused to comment.


GEFONT slams anti-Nepal activities
By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - Madhav Kumar Nepal’s stronghold GEFONT, the labour wing of CPN(UML), has condemned the anti-Nepal activities carried out by his arch-rival Bam Dev Gautam.

In a press statement today, GEFONT has hinted at the lack of serious Marxist ideology among the party’s executive body, accusing them of deviating from their leftist orientation while charge-sheeting the party general secretary.

According to the labour union, any decisions regarding the leadership has to be taken by the party’s general assembly and not by the Central Committee, the party’s executive body.

GEFONT has termed Gautam’s action as "unpalatable," questioning whether responsible leaders should resort to "cheap gimmicks like secret meetings to change the leadership. GEFONT adds: "How can these leaders expect to win the trust of thousands of our party workers with such machinations?"

The labour union "shows concern over the tussle for power among leaders", adding petty interests will ruin the party’s image. "If such a situation persists, UML’s identity will be at stake."

Nepal and Gautam have been at loggerheads since the latter was removed as the party deputy early last year. But the rivalry deepened during the run-up to the Mahakali ratification last September, with Nepal supporting the Indo-Nepal river treaty and Gautam opposing it.

Out of four sister organizations of CPN(UML) -- the All Nepal National Federation of Students Union (V), All Nepal Women’s Association (ANWA), All Nepal Peasants Association (ANPA) and General Federation of Nepal Trade Unions(GEFONT), -- the latter is the only party body that stood firmly behind Nepal when a furore broke out after the Mahakali ratification.

Gautam yesterday charge-sheeted Nepal with allegations ranging from irresponsible leadership to resorting to strong-arm tactics in violation of the principles established by the party’s fifth general assembly. Gautam has already collected signatures from 21 CC members to force the general secretary’s resignation.


PMO-ministry differ over power companiesBy Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, Feb 24 - The Ministry of Water Resources has approached a number of potential companies and has sought the help of diplomatic communities to look for companies to develop and operate the multi-billion dollars Karnali Chisapani hydro-electricity projects.

Informing a parliamentary committee members about the latest development in the nine billion US dollars project, Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Dwarika Nath Dhungel said the Ministry has started to look for prospective multinational companies to take over the project with a hope to implementing competitive negotiation.

The Ministry has come up with a list of prospective companies who would possibly show interest in the projects and has requested the embassies of friendly countries to inform such companies of their respective countries to come forward with their proposals.

In addition, the Ministry has also started a study on the possibilities of bringing maximum benefit to the country.

The only company so far to show any interest has been the US-based Enron Renewable Energy Corp., who has already presented its proposal twice, pledging to take over the project.

The Ministry proposes to issue letters of invitation for bidders on March 1, and expect to receive comments from bidders by the 23rd of the same month. There would also be a pre-bid conference on April 15 and the final date for submission of proposals have been set for May 31. The Ministry also proposes to select the winning bidder on July 15, and issue Letter of Intent, which is to be followed by negotiations leading to project agreements.

The project first surfaced in 1977 during the visit of the then Indian prime minister Moharji Desai, who signed a joint communique agreeing to initiate a joint study of the project.

Following that, a secretary level meeting was held on April 4, 1978, which decided to form a joint team of engineers and geologists and agreed to carry out additional study by forming a "joint group of experts." The group has already held nine meetings but have failed to meet in the past few years.

The project’s ultimate production could be 16,200 MW of hydropower, but Enron has proposed to produce 10,800 MW of electricity which would be consumed locally and exported to India and China.

But India would also get other downstream benefits like flood control and irrigation, for which negotiation with India is necessary in this regard, said Secretary Dhungel.

Engineer Arjun Shrestha said with the Mahakali Treaty, the scenario in water resources between Nepal and India has completely changed, leaving space for negotiations and bargaining.

The project has the potential capacity to irrigate 191,000 hectares of land in Nepal and 3.2 million hectares of land in India.

Dhungel said although Enron has been the only company to come up with a proposal for the Karnali-Chisapani project, the Tata Electric Company of India has also submitted its proposal for the 402 MW Arun III project in addition to the proposal put by Enron.

The proposed project for developing and managing the hydro-electricity projects was presented to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in September last year, but Enron was made to present and brief the Ministry again last month.

Chairman of the company, Robert Kelly presented the proposal on January 30 to high level government officials and members of the cabinet and the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML).

The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) is for granting the multi-billion dollar project to Enron, but the Ministry is for calling additional proposals and has extended the date for reaching the final decision to this summer.

The PMO has been saying that when it comes to the matter of mega projects like this one, the policy is "first come, first serve basis," and Enron is entitled to go forward with the project.

Enron has also claimed that the delay in starting the project would cost Nepal a loss of US$ 1.2 to 2.4 billion in lost power revenue and US$ 74 to 949 million in lost tax revenues every year.

 

 

 

 

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