CHINESE TEAM BEGINS MEETINGS ON SECOND DAY OF NEPAL VISIT

CHINESE DELEGATION HOLDING TALKS WITH UML LEADERS MORE; DETAILS OF ZHOU YONGKANG VISIT

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.:. Zhou Yongkang, member of standing committeemember of Chinese Communist party (CPC) is holding talkswith a UML team of former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and General Secretary Ishwor Pokhrel at Soaltee Hotel Wednesday morning.
Zhou held separate discussions with Maoist and NC leaders on the first day of his three day visit Tuesday.
The leader of the Chinese team is holding security talks Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kazi Shrestha before a scheduled meeting first with Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal and President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav.
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TRANSPORT WORKERS SUTDOWNMOVEMENT OF CH

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: Protesting transport workers stopped the movement of vehicles on Trisuli, Kathmandu and Trisuli/Dhunche routes Wednesday.
They are demanding withdrawal of a charge against a driver after the death of a personin a vehicular accident.
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CAMPAIGN IN LALITPUR SCHOOLS AGAINST TYPHOID

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: A free vaccination campaign against typhoid is being launched Thursday by Government Health Service Department.in all government and private schools in neighbouring district.
Government has asked all to join the campaign.
Typhoid germs were found in 400,000 persons at government health institutions two years ago and typhoid is one the health problems of the country, an appeal said.
Typhoid germs were found in blood samples of 11 percent of 80.000 persons tested at Patan Hospital.
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MAOISTS HOLDING MEET WITH MADESH FRONT

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: Maoists are holding talks with a front of five Madeshbadi parties Wednesday to collect support for second Vice-chairman Dr. Baburam Bhattarai who is candidate for prime minister to succeed caretaker Jhalanath Khanal who has resigned.
Bhattarai is candidate both for consensus or majority government while senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba is main opposition candidate.
The front has kept its option open to support a person who will head a consensus government.
But the front’s pre-condition is the candidate should push a Madeshbadi agenda.
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GOVT. FORMS PROVE TEAM TO INVESTIGATE BOTCHED UP SURGERY CASE

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: The government has formed a seven-member probe team to investigate a11 August surgery by a doctor on a woman at B.P.Koirala Memorial Hospital in Bharatpur, Chitwan.
The body will submit a report in seven days.
A doctor conducted hysterectomy instead of thyroid surgery.
The Hospital has already formed its own 11-member probe team.
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PM PUTS SECURITY AGENCIES ON HIGH ALERT DURING TRANSITION; SECURITY CHIEFS SUMMONED





Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal has directed the heads of all the four security agencies to maintain high alert and execute their respective functions considering the sensitivity and challenges of the transition, RSS reports.
Prime Minister Khanal gave such directives at a discussion held with the security chiefs at his office at Singha Durbar on Tuesday.
At the discussion held in the presence of Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire, Home Secretary Lilamani Poudel and Defense Secretary Nabin Ghimire, Prime Minister Khanal said, "The politics is taking a new turn after my resignation but no agreement has been reached as yet. So, the security apparatus and force should be mobilized considering that such a situation would be highly sensitive."
The Tarai continues to remain sensitive from the security point of view, the highways need serious attention and special attention must be given to the capital, he said.

According to Prime Minister’s press advisor, Surya Thapa, the Prime Minister on the occasion also urged the security chiefs to leave no stone unturned in order to make security arrangement by maintaining efficient coordination among the ministries concerned and all the security agencies.
On the occasion, Chief of the Army Staff, Chattra Man Singh Gurung, Inspector General of Nepal Police, Rabindra Pratap Shaha, Chief of Department of National Investigation, Moti Bahadur Gurung and Inspector General of Armed Police Force, Sailendra Kumar Shrestha apprised the Prime Minister of the current security situation of the country, the challenges and the alertness exercised by their respective agencies.

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MAOIST MINISTERS SAY NO LICENCE FOR US FIRM
Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: The Energy Ministry’s proposal to license the construction of a prioritised reservoir-type hydro electricity project has been shelved for the moment after ministers representing the UCPN-Maoist stood against it during the Cabinet meet last Friday, it has been revealed, The Himalayan Times.

Energy Minister Gokarna Bista had proposed that AES (a US firm based in India) be permitted to construct the Dudhkoshi Project (300 MW). The firm’s entry will send a positive message on investing in Nepal, the minister is learnt to have said.

Minister Bista and US Ambassador Scott H DeLisi had been discussing the prospect of getting US investors to finance Nepal’s hydropower development.

The obstacles, that have been created even before the proposal took concrete shape, will only do harm to Nepal, a source at the US embassy said. “There is no need to worry,” he said adding when US firms do invest, they will do so as per the request of political parties and the government.

“It’s not that the US government is going to invest directly,” he clarified. “But it is our responsibility to help US firms and advocate for them,” he remarked.

Recalling the discussion between Maoist leaders and representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in India in June in Kathmandu, the official said, “Maoist leaders have said they are eager to welcome US investment in hydropower. So there is no reason to drag the issue into controversy,” he added.

Meanwhile, ministry officials said AES has not yet been informed about the development as the Energy Ministry is still trying to convince Maoist leaders that US investment will do more good than harm. “We need to attract foreign investment in hydropower.”
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CONFUSION OVER MAJORITY GOVT. IN NC
Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: In a last-minute deal struck on Tuesday, Nepali Congress (NC) named senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba as its candidate for leading a national unity government. The understanding has resolved the candidacy row for now but leaves unaddressed the serious confusion over candidacy for a majoritarian government, should such a situation arise, Kamal Raj Sigdel/Pranab Kharel write in The Kathmandu Post.
Minutes after key moderators—General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Central Working Committee member Arjun Narsingh KC—declared Deuba the unanimous PM candidate, NC’s warring factions made conflicting claims about what the party’s decision would be if the consensus government bid failed.
Deuba supporters, including Gopal Man Shrestha claimed the candidate would not change even if the House went for a majority government. Opponents said there is tacit understanding to field Parliamentary Party leader Ram Chandra Poudel if the consensus government bid fails.
The party’s CWC Wednesday meet is likely to gloss over the issue of a majority government. “There is no understanding yet on the candidate for a majority government,” said KC, who proposed on Monday a “compromise formula” for withdrawing Deuba’s no-trust move against Poudel.
Pro-Poudel leader Nabindra Raj Joshi claimed Poudel would be the candidate for a majority government. He said it is being kept all hush-hush to avoid poor timing as things are yet to reach that stage.
The Deuba camp is bristling for all options. It claimed either a consensus or a majority government under his leadership would materialise.
Deuba backers, who talked to leaders in CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist) and Madhesi parties after the agreement later Tuesday, said they have “assurance” of support from senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and “positive response” from others.
“The parties have some conditions which could be met,” said NC leader Gopal Man Shrestha. “We are yet to make sure of the Maoists.”
The Deuba camp feels its chances are rock solid since UML may not support a Maoist-led government, after outgoing Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal’s falling out with the Maoists, while Madhesi parties are already aligned with NC.
Sources said Deuba is trying to woo the Maoists with promises that once the peace and statue writing processes are complete NC will support and join a Maoist-led government, which will conduct general elections. “This, however, is an open proposal and should not be taken as an attempt for another secret seven-point deal,” said a Deuba confidante adding that Deuba is ready to offer most of the ministries to the Maoists should they agree to join the government. Pro-NC Madhesi parties said they will support any consensus candidate under certain conditions. “We will help form the national consensus government. As both UCPN (Maoist) and NC are vying, we want them to reach consensus first and then support the process,” said MJF-Loktantrik General Secretary Jitendra Narayan Dev.
He added the Morcha will wait and watch on the majority government issue also until President Dr Ram Baran Yadav’s deadline for formation of a consensus government expires.
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NO END IN SIGHT FOR PASHUPATI WOES

Kathmandu, 17 Aug.: It’s unlikely that anyone can tell how long Pashupatinath Temple will have to wait for a pied piper to drive away the rats and cockroaches holed up inside the premises of most sacred Hindu temple, Ankit Adhikari writes in The Kathmandu Post
The temple has been battling the mice menace for long, to the distress of priests and devotees alike. Officials, however, are unable to come up with any solution.
Rats and cockroaches are not the only problem that the UNESCO world heritage site has been facing. Its main structure is said to be dilapidated and the temple officials have been struggling to maintain transparency in monetary offerings.
Hit hard by political upheavals, the Ministry of Culture (MoC) has been unable focus on a report it received last month from a committee formed in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling.
The committee--Shree Pashupati Adhyayan Byawasthapan Swatantra Adhikar Sampanna Samiti--in its preliminary report has proposed three 'historic' solutions to solve the grave problems of the temple.
The first recommendation calls for providing fixed salary to the priests to strangle any debate regarding monetary offerings at birth. It has also proposed formation of a new autonomous steering body to govern all management issues of Pashupatinath. The third suggestion is the urgent need to keep records of the minute inventories of internal structure of the main temple which, according to experts, is already on the verge of collapse.
As nobody except the main priest is allowed into the main temple, the actual condition of the internal structure of the temple remains unknown so far.
"The ministry has not responded to our report yet," said Ram Prasad Dahal, spokesman for the committee. The report was just a preliminary one. The committee had sought six more months to prepare a new full-fledged report.
The ministry has not done anything to implement the recommendations. MoC Secretary Mod Raj Dotel, who recently resigned, said no action has been mulled after the report. After Dotel's resignation, his post has remained vacant, bringing discussions on the report to a halt. "I had sent a letter to the minister urging the formation of an administrative body with a month-long tenure under the ministry to study the report in detail," he said.
Another MoC Secretary, Pramod Karki (legal department), said the report hasn't
spawned any progress after Dotel left. "The political scenario has diverted the attention of the ministry," he said.
However, a highly placed MoC source, requesting anonymity, said the political situation should not be blamed for no progress. "While some officials have been strongly demanding that a committee be formed to study the report, another group led by the minister himself is for extending the previous panel by six months," he said. "As the monthly expense of the committee comes to around Rs 0.6 million, some officials, including Dotel himself, had been demanding that the ministry work for implementing the recommendations rather than extending the committee's tenure."
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