THREE KILLED IN PANCHTHAR TRACTOR ACCIDENT

PARTIES HOLDING INTERNAL DICUSSIONS
AHEAD OF BIG THREE MEET
Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: Parties are holding internal discussions
Thursday morning to resolve discussions on differences on
whether to form an expert committee or a state restructuring
commission to restructure a unitary state to form a federal structure.
Party meetings are being ahead of Thursday afternoon’s meet of the Big Three to resume discussions on Wednesday’s differences.
Following differences, parliament couldn’t approve the 11th amendment to the interim constitution.
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THREE KILLED IN TRACTOR ACCIDENT

Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: Three persons were killed in a tractor at
Sisne Danda in Panchathhar overnight.
Two others were injured when the tractor tumbled off the road.
The injured have been rushed to Biratnagar for treatment.
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POKHARA ELEVEN PLAYS BANGLADESH
TEAM IN SECOND SEMIFINAL OF POKHARA FOOTBALL
TOURNEY

Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: Pokhara Eleven plays Sheikh Jamal Dhanmundi of Bangladesh Thursday in the second semifinal of the Safal Pokhara Cup International Inter-club Football Tournament in the resort town.
Nepal Army Tribhuvan Army Club will play the winner of the
second semifinal after beating Yeti Himalayan Club
Wednesday 2-0 in the first semifinal.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“There’s no question of governments led by me and my party’s senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal supporting that [amnesty for Maoist lawmaker Dhungel convicted for murder by the supreme court]. The effort of the Maoist chairman linked to charges of extreme impunity to drag
us is extremely detestable.”

(UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Kantipur, 17 Nov.)
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DETAILS OF DIFFEENCES IN MAOIST
CAMP ON CONSTITUTION DRAFTING





Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: The Standing Committee (SC) meeting of the UCPN-Maoist Wednesday decided that the authority of the proposed experts’ panel on state restructuring should be defined in such a way that the panel works as a technical team and makes the suggestion on the basis of the report of the CA thematic committee on State Restructuring and Devolution of State Power, The Rising Nepal reports.
"The meeting decided to finalise the Terms of Reference (ToR) to give it the mandate to do the technical work by making the report of state restructuring committee as the basis," Maoist SC member Dev Gurung informed the reporters after the meeting at the party’s Parliamentary Party office in Singha Durbar.
The main ruling party made the decision after the party’s dissenting faction, which was standing against the decision to form an experts’ panel to make suggestions on state restructuring, warned of voting against the amendment bill if such a panel was formed so as to reduce the scope of the CA committee.
The dissenting faction led by Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ and indigenous people, among other groups, have filed a note of dissent on the constitution amendment bill, saying that the formation of the panel should not dismiss the report and scope of the state restructuring committee.
"Formation of the team is ok for suggesting the remaining tasks of state restructuring. However, we cannot make it a constitutional committee," said Gurung, who is supposed to be close to the dissenting faction.
He said that discussions over the ToR of the panel were continuing. "The point in the bill to remove the Commission is sure to be passed but we cannot say whether the point to form a team of experts will be endorsed," said the Maoist chief whip.
Similarly, Finance Minister Barsa Man Pun, who is also Maoist SC member, said that the meeting agreed to form a panel that would work as per the reports and suggestions made by the state restructuring committee.
He said the constitution amendment procedure would be initiated after holding dialogues with other parties.
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MAOIST DESERTERS AT CAMPS RETURN AHEAD OF REGROUPING

Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: The former Maoist combatants, who had fled the cantonments, have started returning to the third division of Chitwan as preparations for the regrouping of the combatants are underway, The Rising Nepal reports from Shaktikhor, Chitwan.
The run-away combatants began to return to Shaktikhor cantonments after the parties inked the seven-point agreement and initiated the integration process of the Maoist combatants.
Laxman Humagain aka Utsav of Kavre, who had run away from the third division camp four years ago, said that he came to the cantonment with a hope of getting money after the regrouping.
"I have been working with the Young Communist League after fleeing this division. I came here after the district In-Charge told me to come here to receive the money," Humagain said.
According to him, the cantonment still had his records and he would get the money on that basis.
The combatants who were in home leave and those who were living at home after getting injured during the conflict period have also started returning.
Bishnu Gayak, an injured combatant of Madi Ayodhyapuri who has been staying home for the last two years, said that he came to the cantonment with the hope of getting his salary.
"I have not received

any money for the last 15 months," Gayak said.
Although the government has been allocating the funds for the combatants, they complained that they were not receiving the pay.
"I came here with the hope of getting the salaries including extra money during the verification," Gayak said. "I have heard the combatants staying at home draw Rs. 7,000 a month but have not received a single penny." Meanwhile, preparation works for the regrouping of the combatants cantoned in Shaktikhor have begun.
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CHINESE ASSISTANCE SOUGHT FOR BUDHI GANDAKI CONSTRUCTION
Kathmandu, 17 Nov.: The Government has requested Chinese assistance in building the reservoir-type 600MW Budhi Gandaki hydro power project to address the chronic power crisis, Anil Giri writes in The Kathmandu Post..
The government has already requested China to build the 750MW West Seti, for which, negotiations with the Chinese government and EXIM Bank are in the final stages.
The request for Budhi Gandaki was made last week through the Chinese Embassy.
"We need another Kulekhnai-type reservoir project to cope with the energy crisis. As such, we have made a request to China," a senior government official told the Post.
The status of the Budhi Gandaki and the West Seti projects figured in a meeting in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
According to estimates, the construction of the Budhi Gandaki would cost US$ 1.50 billion. Secretaries from the Ministry of Home, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Physical Planning and Works, Energy, Local Development and Chief of Foreign Aid Division at the Ministry of Finance, Lal Shanker Ghimire, were present in the meeting.
The project site lies between Gorkha and Dhading districts.
Secretaries from the various ministries briefed those present in Wednesday's meeting of the status of China-funded projects in Nepal and talked about prospects of new ones.
The meeting was held to discuss plans for the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Shrestha's scheduled visit to Beijing from November 24-29.
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