Load-shedding hours to be extended, other details

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 1 Jan: Load-shedding hours will be extended further to 16 hours from 12 hours every day from mid-March, Water Resources Secretary Shankar Pokhrel confirmed.
A power emergency has already been declared.
Prime Minister Prachanda earlier said power cuts would be increased to 18 hours every day.
Service at financial institutions without power back-up facility has already been affected.
No services are being provided during load-shedding hours as private banks asked central bank permission to suspend operations on Sunday as well.
New year revelers Wednesday welcomed 2009 with candle lights at restaurants.
There was a blackout in New Road.
‘The nation is suffering for the non-implementation of the 401 MW Arun project. Commission tantra is the cause,” an engineer as Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) who preferred anonymity said.
CPN-UML then objected to the project
as too big; World Bank was heading a consortium to provide a loan.
The project has now been handed over to an Indian company.
Critics say in the last three years, government approved power projects planning to export to India only disregarding domestic demands.
Nnnn

Army to buy Chinese choppers

Kathmandu, 1 Jan: The government on Wednesday endorsed a proposal to purchase two Chinese helicopters for Nepal Army (NA) instead of the MA-60 aircraft the royal regime has paid an advance to buy, The Kathmandu Post reports.
According to a source, the cabinet has endorsed the Chinese company to provide two helicopters for the NA instead of the previous agreement.
After the restoration of democracy in 2006, the then Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat had informed the parliament that the government would not buy the aircraft from China and asked the latter to refund the advance.
Nnnn

Army chief being sacked

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 1 Jan: Maoist-led government has started work to replace the army chief Fen Rukmangud Katawal, Rajdhani reports.
Defence Ministry is preparing to replace him with Lt Gen Kul Bahadur Khadka.
The proposal was to have been presented at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal intervened saying the homework of the defence secretary was inadequate.
Defence ministry sources said Gen Katawal is being replaced for disobeying government orders.
Nnnn

MEDIA GOOGLE

“Narayan Prasad Timilshana, on a police wanted list, went into Baluwatar and congratulated the prime minister,”

(Naya Patrika, 1 Jan.)

“I will launch an armed struggle for Madesh if the Maoist party sticks to an incorrect Madesh policy. At that time, I may quit the Maoist party too.”

(Controversial former Maoist Minister Matrika Prasad Yadav, The Kathmandu Post, 1 Jan.)
Nnnn