LANDLESS SETTLED ON CAPTURED LAND

LANDLESS SETTLED ON CAPTURED LAND
Kathmandu, 19 Dec.:The hardliner faction within the UCPN-Maoist fold has seized three bighas of public land in Sundarpur-3 of Morang and started settling the landless people there, Somnath Bastola writes in TheHimalayan Times from Itahari.

Members of the Federation of Nepal Revolutionary Trade Union’s Kochila State Committee, who owe allegiance to the Mohan Baidhya-led faction, say they started settling the squatters in the land after Chhatra Bahadur Bhandari, who had been cultivating the land for 43 years, donated it.

KSC coordinator Govinda Rijal, who is involved in settling the squatters, says the state committee took the move after Bhandari made a written request to it to take care of the land. According to Rijal, Bhandari has the right to do whatever he wants to do with the farmland as he had cultivated it for years.

Bhandari says he donated the land to the Maoists out of his free will, but concedes that the land is not registered in his name.

Bibek Baral, a Baidhya camp cadre, warned that they will retaliate if anyone tries to prevent them from settling the squatters in the public land. Rijal says they plan to settle 150 squatters in the land and will begin with 60 families in the first phase. Rijal maintains that they had informed the local administration of their plan in advance, while Morang CDO Taranath Sharma, expressing ignorance about the Maoist move, says, “No organisation or party is allowed to settle people in the public land without the consent of the government. The administration will take action against those involved in such acts.’’
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• BUDGET CRUNCH DERAILS BUDDHA AIR CRASH PROBE
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Kathmandu, 19 Dec.: With only a week to go for the panel probing deadly Buddha Air crash of September 25 in Lalitpur to submit its report, the commission is yet to send the black box and other devices retrieved from the accident site for a test at US-based National Transportation Safety Board, Rudra. Pangeni writes in The Himalayan Times.

The commission was given 90 days to submit the report, but “due to budget crunch”, it failed to send Flight Data Recorder, Cockpit Data Recorder, and Automated Directory Assistance Service for the test, a panel member revealed today.

Beechcraft went down on a hill in Lalitpur district killing 19 persons — three crew members, three Nepalis and 10 Indians.

The five-member commission led by Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Rajesh Raj Dali had collected secondary information about the crash which should be in compliance with data collected from the black box.

Talking to THT, member-secretary of the commission, Suresh Acharya, said they lacked money to send two members of the panel to the US for lab test.

“We have repeatedly written to the Ministry of Finance over the last 45 days, but to no avail. We need around Rs 5-6 lakhs for the purpose,” said Acharya.

“The members should go with the data to translate the words of pilots and Air Traffic Control, who generally talk in Nepali language,” added Acharya.

The commission’s estimated budget for the probe (Rs 1.8 million) was approved by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance.

But the MoF has provided only Rs 6,20,000 for the commission. On asked why they have not provided adequate amount, MoF spokesperson Lokdarshan Regmi said they should get Cabinet’s nod to release the money.

“We are thinking of seeking a tenure extension to finish the probe,” said Acharya.

After finding lapses in safety measures, the panel had directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal with recommendations to make sure air operators comply with safety rules.

Acharya confirmed finding lapses in safety measures but refused to give details.
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