FOREIGN MINISTRY STILL RECOVERING AT HOME

NSP NATIONAL CONVENTION IN THIRD WEEK OF BAISKAH

Kathmandu, 19 Feb.: NSP national general convention will be held in the third
Week or 22 Baiskak
This was decided by the party’s national working committee.
This was stated by Chairman Rajendra Mahoto.
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FOREIGN MINISTER SHRESTHA STILL WORKS OUT OF HOME AFTER JAPAN SURJERY
Kathmandu, 19Feb : Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has been taking urgent files to be endorsed at ministerial level to the official residence of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha at Pulchowk as he recuperates from the cervical myelopathy surgery he underwent in Japan, Republica reports.

Officials at MoFA said Minister Shrestha has not been able to come to office because of his condition. He returned from Japan on February 4 following the surgery.

“He has been taking a complete rest as per the suggestion of doctors involved in his treatment,” said Deputy Spokesperson at MoFA Tirtha Wagle.

Wagle said the secretary and division chiefs at the ministry visit the minister when there are urgent decisions to be endorsed at the level of minister. “These days they visit the minister to brief him about the files and get decisions endorsed on the basis of their urgency,” he said.

Officials said no formal meetings with foreign diplomats have been scheduled since his return home, due to his condition.

Shrestha underwent the surgery on January 19 at Hokkaido University Hospital inJapan. He returned home after 14 days of post-operative care in the hospital.

His Japanese physician Professor Kuniyoshi Abumi, who recently visited Nepal to check his condition, has advised complete rest. “My doctor has advised me to avoid physical exertion for three months,” Shrestha told Republica at his official residence, Friday.

Shrestha said he has difficulty moving his head left and right or up and down. Doctors have advised him to place a cervical collar on his neck and avoid long journeys or travel by bumpy road.

Dr Suraj Bajracharya, who is involved in Minister Shrestha´s treatment in Kathmandu, said he is currently in the rehabilitation phase and his condition is gradually improving.

“We have suggested to him the precautions he needs to take and the movements he needs to restrict for the time being,” he said. “He is currently taking medicines for hyper-tension.”
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WB TO HELP CONSTRUCT 125 BRIDGES
Kathmandu, 19 Feb : The World Bank (WB) has in principle agreed to financially support the construction of around 125 strategic bridges out of total 406 bridges under construction across the
Country, Prabhakar Ghimere writes in Republica.
The Department of Road (DoR) -- implementing agency under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW) -- recently sought financial support from the WB to complete the construction of ongoing 406 bridges.

“Out of the total 406 bridges being constructed across the country, WB has agreed to support only around 125 strategic bridges -- those which are constructed along highways and feeder roads,” Naresh Man Shakya, senior engineer at DoR, told Republica.

The DoR had approached the WB with plan worth around Rs 12 billion, requesting for support to complete the ongoing construction of 406 bridges, proposing a five-year timeline.

“Responding to our tentative cost details for building 406 bridges a couple of weeks ago, the World Bank is ready to extend support of US$ 60 million that was already agreed last year and was to be endorsed by the WB board meeting scheduled in March this year,” said Shakya.

According to the plan, DoR would need Rs 4.47 billion in the first year, Rs 3.56 billion in the second year, Rs 2.3 billion in the third year, Rs 990 million in the fourth year and Rs 400 million in the fifth year for bridges to be constructed on both Strategic Road Network (SRN) and Local Road Network (LRN) across the country.

According to Shakya, out of the total 406 bridges under construction, only 30 percent fall under SRN that includes highways, proposed highways, feeder roads, and proposed feeder roads.

Apart from the ongoing construction, around 300 bridges are also to be constructed and 70 bridges will be rehabilitated along the SRN that include 10,000 km of different roads, having crucial role in national economy. Around 1,600 bridges have already been constructed all over the country.

As a preparation of the WB board meeting, WB officials and senior officials of the MoPPW held a discussion last week about the modality for the support.

“At the meeting, WB officials have agreed to support the bridge construction project by reimbursing the expenditure in installments,” said Tulsi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at MoPPW.

The government has provided Rs 2 billion for the construction of these bridges and Rs 600 million for maintenance of existing degraded bridges in the current fiscal year.
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