PM DIRECTS VALLEY ROADS BY COMPLETED ON WAR FOOTING

PM DIRECTS CAPITAL ROADS BE COMPLETED BY MAY
Kathmandu, 28Feb.: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has directed the bodies concerned to complete the road expansion works by mid-May this year, RSS reports.

The prime minister has given instructions to speed up the works related to the expansion of the Teenkune-Maitighar, Krishna Pauroti – Ratopul and Dilli Bazaar –Baluwater roads.

Prime Minister Bhattarai issued this directive in a discussion om Tuesday with the stakeholders. He also directed not to stop the road construction for lack of budget and coordination.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the prime minister has also given the timeline of March 13 for removing the electricity and telephone poles lying in the middle of the expanded roads and of April 12 for laying the cables in these areas underground.

A task force comprising the Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, the Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications and the General Managers of the Nepal Electricity Authority and the Nepal Telecom has also been constituted for preparing the action plan of laying the cables overhead these roads underground.

Prime Minister Bhattarai instructed the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works to demolish the five houses along the Krishna Pauroti-Gyaneshwar Road that are yet to be dismantled and to finish removing the poles within March 13.

Meanwhile, the prime minister has acquired information from the Secretaries at the ministries of energy, irrigation, physical planning and works, tourism and civil aviation and finance regarding the progress of the projects of national prestige that have figured in the action plan for economic prosperity the government introduced some time back.

The meeting of the Poverty Alleviation Fund chaired by the prime minister also today decided to distribute identity cards to the genuine poor after their identification.

A joint study team is to be mobilized for identifying the genuine poor as the government does not have the exact number of the poor although it has been estimated that 25 per cent of the country's population lives under the poverty line.
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MORE DETAILS OF BOMBING WILL BE MADE PUBLIC SOON SAYS HOME MINISTER
Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar has expressed commitment to book the guilty involved in the terrorist act of exploding bomb at Babarmahal yesterday [Monday], RSS reports..

Stating that the facts of the incident will be made public within a few days, Home Minister Gachchhadar said the government has devised special security arrangement in sensitive areas so as to check possible violent activities for protecting the lives and properties of citizens.

Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Gachhadar further said the transitional period of coming three months is sensitive and vulnerable from the law and order perspective.

The incident occurred yesterday has posed a serious challenge to law and order situation, he admitted, informing that directive has been already issued to security bodies to avert such incidents in the future.

When asked about the resignation of traffic police en masse in Dang, he replied a probe committee has been formed to investigate into the incident, urging the political parties to not intervene the works of security agency.

He reiterated his committee to lower down the political intervention in the tasks of law and order to zero level.

Law and order situation should be lasting and consolidated no matter which party is in power, he added.
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GOVT.OFFERS CHINA 75 PERCENT STAKE IN WEST SETI
Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: The government has offered 75 percent stake in the West Seti Hydro Electricity Project (WSHEP) to China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), in its bid to woo the company to build the 750-MW reservoir-type project, The Kathmandu Post reports.
The government made such a proposal during a meeting with top CTGC officials on Monday. A four-member team from CTGC led by its Senior Vice President Wang Shaofeng is currently here to discuss investment possibilities in the much-hyped project.
“We have begun formal talks with them (CTGC officials),” said Arjun Kumar Karki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy (MoE). “During the talks, both the parties will discuss viable investment modalities.”
The government has also asked 25 percent stake for the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in the project. According to Karki, CTGC officials have agreed to come up with a decision on the government’s proposal within a couple of days.
The state-owned CTGC is China’s largest hydropower developer, better known as the company that constructed the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (20,300 MW).
If the Chinese side accepts the proposal, the ministry is ready to float shares for local residents from the 25 percent stake to be owned by NEA, Karki said. Ministry officials have said the electricity generated from the project will be used domestically.
Earlier, CTGC had proposed that it would help the government get soft loans from the Exim Bank of China. The bank had offered Nepal soft and
commercial loans worth $1.6 billion, but the government had proposed the Chinese side to provide the entire amount in concessional loans.
The Nepal government had also made a formal request to the Chinese government for financing the West Seti project during the 60-member Chinese delegation’s visit to Nepal last year. In response, the Chinese side had asked for the Detailed Project Report of the project. Earlier this year, CTGC had also written to the Prime Minister’s Office expressing its interest to invest in the West Seti Project.
Following the termination of West Seti’s licence on July, 2011, the ministry had suggested three options to the government for the construction of the project— the government build the project on its own or find loans or call a global tender.
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IFC READY TO IINCREASE NEPAL INVESTMENT
Kathmandu, 28 Feb. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has said it will scale up investments in Nepal. Visiting IFC Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lars H Thunell told the Post that IFC’s annual assistance to Nepal could go up to $100 million -$200 million, Mukul Humagainwrites in The Kathmandu Post.
“In the short run, we want to move up to between $100 million to $200 million,” Thunell said. “We want to increase it significantly, but it will all depend on the economic climate and political situation in the country.”
The IFC support, according to Thunell will also depend on the reforms that the government has promised. “We will do a little bit less if these things do not happen and a bit more if things move ahead,” Thunell said.
After lying low during the period between 2002 and 2007, IFC activities picked up pace in Nepal after the comprehensive peace agreement in November 2006. It reopened its Nepal office in January 2008, following which, it made loan investments of $10 million in Buddha Air for its fleet expansion and announced $700,000 in equity investments in the Rural Microfinance Development Centre.
According to Thunell, his visit against the backdrop of 2012-13 being declared as investment year is a signal from the IFC’s part that it wants to support the economic transition in the country.
The IFC that has been more engaged in advisory services after 2008, will now focus on investment side also, according to Thunell. “Especially in the post-conflict situation, what we first do is, come in advisory services to address issues related to investment climate and regulation.
During which, we also develop trust with the government and get to know the private sector players,” he said. “Then, we are ready to take up the next phase. That is really why I am here, to take ahead that second phase.”
During his four-day visit, Thunell met with the prime minister, the finance minister, representatives of the private sector and women entrepreneurs. Thunell termed his meeting with top government officials as constructive and positive. “We talked about investments in hydropower and possibilities of investing equity capital in some banks, among others,” he said.
Thunell said that the IFC could make equity participation in domestic financial institutions. “We’ve said we’re very interested in investing equity in good solid banks,” he said. “We have done so in a number of countries and we’d love to do it here also.”
Thunell further said that the IFC is working with local financial institutions to set up an SME equity fund in Nepal to support SMEs in Nepal. Recalling his meeting with women entrepreneurs, he said the IFC will make sure that some part of the fund goes to the women.
Asked whether the IFC is interested in investing in big hydropower projects, Thunell said, “We are already involved in a number of hydropower projects of the medium size, and are also in discussions for larger projects, which could possibly involve exports to India also.”
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SUSHIL KOIRALA SAYS POSTAFTER 28 MAY REFERENDUM IN OPTION
Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Nepali Congress (NC) president Sushil Koirala Monday said that if parties failed to draft the new constitution within 27 May, referendum would be the new alternative to honor the decision of the Supreme Court, The Rising Nepal reports from Bara.
A Supreme Court verdict had endorsed the constitution writing process be concluded within the 27 May deadline.
Talking to the media people at Simara Airport, Koirala said that the parties had concluded maximum tasks of constitution writing and added that the new constitution could be drafted within the stipulated deadline.
He said that his party would lead the national unity government and added, "The current government will never succeed to take the shape of a consensus government."
He said that if Maoists honestly implemented the peace agreements, peace and constitution drafting would be concluded within seven days.
He said that the NC would honor the decision of the court and if the court proved NC leaders guilty of corruption, the party would take steps against the corrupt.
In Kathmandu, a day after ruling party UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda proposed to vacate all cantonments in three weeks, Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel Monday said the proposal was not trustworthy.
Speaking with a group of journalists at his residence Boharatar, he said Maoists said one thing but did something else in the past too and added that the implementation of the new proposal was also doubtful.
He blamed that Maoists were plotting to bypass the May 27 deadline by making such proposals and asked people to remain alert about the Maoist gimmicks.
"Maoists were indulging in a ploy to take the present government beyond May 27 by impeding the peace and constitution process," he said.
He urged Maoists to be honest to implement the seven point agreement.
"There is no need of a new agreement in place of the seven point pact," he said.
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ELECTION COMMISSION READY TOHOLD ELECTIONS SAYS COMMISSIONER UPRETY


Kathmandu, 28 Feb.: Acting chief election commissioner Nilkantha Uprety Monday said that the commission was ready to hold any election at any time, The Rising Nepal reports from Pokhara.
Stating that election was a base of democracy, Uprety said that the commission was ready to hold the local, national and provincial elections.
""or a free and fair election, we have been making changes in our work style," said Uprety while inaugurating the new building of District Election Office of Kaski here.
Stating that election in a democratic country should be free and fair, Uprety said that the political parties should play a bigger role to make elections free and fair.
He informed that the EC had started its process to ensure that every citizen could cast their votes with any fear.
The earthquake-resisting building of the office consists of 14 rooms.
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