STUDENTS CLOSE DOWN JANAKPUR FOR SECOND DAY

FURTHER DETAILS OF PM HEALTH

Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is suffering cough and cold.
Bhattarai underwent a health check-up at TU Teaching Hospital Wednesday.
The premier is resting at his official residence.
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EIGHT STUDENT UNIONS CLOSE DOWN JANAKPUR

Kathmandu, 8 Dec. Eight student unions closed down Janakpur for the second consecutive day Thursday.
They are protesting Tuesday’s death of a medical student killed in a vehicular accident; two colleagues on a motorcycle were injured.
Students are demanding compensation for the dead and injured.
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MERCCCCURY EXPECTED TO FALL TO FIVE DEGREES CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: Mercury is expected to dip to five degrees Celsius Thursday in the capital as winter sets in.
Maximum temperature is expected to reach 22 degrees Celsisus in the afternoon.
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INDIA REJECTS REQUEST TO DO AWAY WITH ;OCKS ON THIRD COUNTRYIMPORTS(0 Votes)
Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: India has again turned down Nepal’s request to discontinue the additional lock system on Nepal-bound containers ferrying third country imports in Indian ports, Mahesh Acharya writes in The Kathmandu Post from New Delh.
India, however, has agreed to simplify the procedures for trade/transit cargo, according to the detailed minutes of the recently concluded Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) meeting made public on Wednesday. The IGC meeting has agreed to discuss matter in Kolkata on January 16, 2012. “Both sides agreed to resolve this problem in package,” said Commerce Secretary Purusottam Ojha.
Nepal has been requesting its southern neighbour to remove the additional lock provision to facilitate quicker movement of transit cargo. Although the provision is against the Treaty of Transit between the two countries, India started affixing additional lock on Nepal-bound cargo coming from Kolkata/Haldia port with effect from August 1, stating that containers proceeding to Nepal via Kolkata port were being tampered with and one-time locks were found broken many times.
Earlier, Nepal-bound third country imports used to enter via Kolkata port with a one-time lock put by the shipping agent or the carrier authorised by the shipping company. As per the Treaty of Transit signed between Nepal and India, Indian customs officers posted at the seaport will check the one-time lock on Nepal-bound containers. “If found intact, the customs officer shall allow transportation of the container without examination, unless there are valid reasons to do otherwise,” says the treaty.
Nepali importers say the enforcement of the additional lock system will make the entire process cumbersome—not only at Kolkata port but also at all Indian customs points.
Besides the additional lock system, Nepal and India discussed a gamut of trade issues at the IGC meeting. The Nepali side requested for allowance of bulk traffic on railway links from Kolkata/Haldia-Jogbani and Kolkata/Haldia-Nautanawa Corridor to improve connectivity and reduce congestion at Raxaul.
Other proposals raised by Nepal were Mahendranagar-Banbasa route as the alternative border crossing, operationalization of five more customs points for bilateral trade, technical assistance from India regarding general trade related issues, export of reusable scrap and waste to India, and importing 10,000 number of hybrid cows from India.
Nepali officials also requested to waive excise duty on prospective production of gas by Nepali entrepreneurs mixing propane and butane imported from third countries in India. However, the Indian side informed that such mixing is considered a production activity and hence is subject to excise duty as per the law of the land.
India raised the issue of national treatment for Indian aayurvedic products in Nepal, allowing Indian joint ventures to trade with their parent companies above the current limit of 5 percent of the total turnover, early conclusion of power development agreements of hydropower projects with Indian investments and controlling unauthorized import of food grains and other items prohibited for export from India.
Nepal also proposed India to defer the payment to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) by three months. Under the current supply agreement effective from April 2007 and expiring in March 2012, the settlement of outstanding amount dues by Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) to IOC is done on weekly basis.
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PARTIES BREACH CALENDAR AFTER APPROVAL
Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: Leaders from the major parties have breached the new calendar of constitution making a day after its endorsement from the parliament. The Dispute Resolution Subcommittee headed by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was scheduled to begin its work on resolving the contentious issues of constitution making on Wednesday, Phnindra Dahl writes in The Kathamandu Post.
Instead of convening the meeting slated for Wednesday morning, Dahal, after discussion with senior leaders of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, postponed the meeting indefinitely. The postponement is likely to hamper the Constitutional Committee's preparations to conduct meetings from Monday to endorse issues agreed upon by the Dahal-led subcommittee.
"I am deeply disappointed and shocked by the decision to put off the meeting. They should not have done this," said CA Chairman Subas Nembang. "I urge them to immediately call a meeting of the subcommittee and start forging consensus on the intricate issues."
It troubled officials at the CA Secretariat after Dahal's aide telephoned Tek Prasad Dhungana on Tuesday night and informed about the informal agreement between Dahal, NC leader Ram Chandara Poudel and UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal to put off the subcommittee's meeting. Jaya Poudel, section officer working for the subcommittee, rushed to Singhadubar based office at 5:30 am on Wednesday to telephone other leaders about the postponement of the meeting.
"Such late night decisions are always torturous. It is not easy to telephone 15-16 leaders late night to convey the decision," lamented an official. "We should also have to cancel food orders for over 100 persons including drivers and security personnel deployed to the leaders."
Frustrated by a similar incident that occurred few months ago, CA Chairman Nembang had asked party leaders not to cancel the meeting of the subcommittee in the last minute. He had also told the leaders to explain to people why there is a lack of progress in constitution making.
The subcommittee on December 2 had agreed to expedite informal talks to forge consensus on forms of governance and electoral system and decided not to conduct the formal meeting by December 6. Leaders were expected to attend Wednesday's meeting to find a meeting point on the recommendation made by the Laxman Lal Karna-led subcommittee over the contentious issues.
"The peace process has considerably moved forward in recent days and constitution making deserves leaders' utmost attention," said Nembang.
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