CRUCIAL MAST CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETS BEGINS MONDAY

CRUCIAL MAOIST CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEET BEGINS MONDAY

Kathmandu, 26 March: A crucial meeting of the central committee of the establishment faction of the UCPN (Maoist) begin Monday amid speculation the largest party ruling the
government w0ith the help of a front of Madeshbaidi parties could split.
The faction led by First Vice-chairman Mohan Baidhaya rejected an invitation of the Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam group to join the central
committee meet to discuss a joint future plans.
Baidhaya group rejected the invite saying establishment hasn’t implemented decisions of the past central committee
Prachanda and Bhattarai say they are committed to a complete peace and constitution by 28 May and charge rebels for obstructing the processes.
The rebels, instead, has formed an alliance with 12 fringe communist parties to oppose the party and government and expose them in street and parliamentary protests.
Prachanda and Bhattarai face serious dissension in and challenges in party and government as both prepare to integrate 9,900 former PLA combatants in Nepal
Army and society.
Just at this time, a top official of the US State Department is in town to assess the status of the peace process and constitution drafting pushed by Washington.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“The government under my leadership will be better than all the past governments,”

(unl Leader KP Sharma Oli, The Himalayan Times,, 26 March)


PARLIAMENTARY PROBE FIXES MASSIVE PROBE IN SAYS MASSIVE WEST SETI
Kathmandu, 26 March 26: Members of the parliamentary subcommittee investigating the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on West Seti Hydroelectric Project have confided that they have found massive irregularities in the hasty signing of the MoU with the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) for the project, Prem Dhakal writes is Republica..

"We have found that the Mnistry of Energy (MOE) signed the agreement with CTGC despite sufficient grounds suggesting that Nepal could have built the project on her own," a member of the committee told Republica on condition of anonymity.

Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Krishna Hari Baskota and Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Investment Board (NIB) Radhesh Pant have stated that they were not informed, as claimed by the Ministry of Energy (MOE), before the signing of the MoU with CTGC.

Appearing before the probe committee formed by the parliament´s Committee on Natural Resources and Means on Sunday, the two claimed that they were not consulted by the MOE before the MoU was signed, according to sources privy to the hearing.

The MOE in its 18-point answer to the probe committee´s 16-point query had stated, the sources revealed, that MOF and NIB had been informed about the impending agreement with CTGC before the MOU was signed on February 29.

Abuse of authority

MOF sources have confessed that the ministry had written to MOE asking the latter to come up with the loan amount required for the project to start loan negotiations with China Exim Bank. But the MOE did not respond to the MOF letter and instead signed the MoU with CTGC. The probe committee has also deemed that MOE Joint Secretary Arjun Karki abused his authority while signing the MoU.

"Joint Secretary Karki had initiated the file of CTGC and Minister of State for Energy Suryaman Dong had directed him to negotiate with CTGC and come up with a technical proposal," the lawmaker claimed.

"But he went ahead and signed the MoU with CTGC. Who gave him the authority to sign the MoU that has provision of making loan arrangements on behalf of the Nepal Electricity Authority owned by government?" the lawmaker questioned.

The lawmaker contended that an individual ministry cannot make loan arrangements with foreign countries or foreign financial institutions without consent of the MOF.

"This is not how loan arrangements are made and this can set a dangerous precedent if an individual ministry like MOE is allowed to make loan arrangements independently," he warned.

Karki, who had signed the MoU with Executive Vice-chairman of CTGC Wang Shofeng on February 29, told that he is just an MOE staffer and obeyed the directives of Minister Posta Bahadur Bogati.

The probe committee also argued that NIB, after its inception, would be automatically attracted to any project of over 500 MW irrespective of any existing law or Act. And the fact that the MOE apparently lied to the probe committee, the member added, in saying that NIB was informed before the signing shows that the MoU was signed with bad intentions.

The probe committee has also not been satisfied with the MOE´s response that the latter ignored the letter of interest by other companies judging that CTGC was best suited for developing the project.

The Committee on Natural Resources and Means had formed the probe committee on March 9 after a majority of the lawmakers who attended its meeting that day questioned the intention behind signing the MoU with CTGC without competitive bidding on Feb 29 after revoking the MOE working procedure of opting for competitive bidding on the same day.

The deadline of the probe committee was extended till May 28 last week after the committee deemed that it requires more time for investigations.
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MINISTERS QUESTION SEST SETI CHINA DEAL
Kathmandu, 26March: Amidst deepening controversy over the Westi Seti hydropower project, the political committee of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Sunday discussed the deal with the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC),Gani Ansari writes is in Republica.

At the meeting, Madhesi ministers, including Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi, asked the prime minister and Minister for Water Resources why the project was awarded to the Chinese company without calling for competitive bidding, according to sources.

The sources, who participated at the meeting, also questioned the ministry for “special” treatment to the Chinese company.

“There should a competition among international companies before awarding such a big hydro power project,” a source quoted Tripathi as saying at the meeting.

Prime Minister´s Press Advisor, Ramrijhan Yadav said the ministers stressed on the need for equal treatment to all the companies interested to invest in hydro power sector in Nepal, saying that the policy should not encourage companies from a particular country and discourage companies from another country.

In response, Minister for Energy Posta Bahadur Bogati stated the government awarded the project to CTGC owing to technical problems.

"They can provide loan for the project only if we reach an agreement with them," the source quoted Bogati as replying to the Madhesi minister, adding, "That´s why we signed the MoU with the Chinese company."

Defending the deal, Bogati stated that the agreement can be rectified.

The prime minister had called the meeting to discuss the water resources ministry´s decision to award the hydro power project to the Chinese company.

At the meeting, the prime minister said that mega projects like the Westi Seti should be implemented through consensus. As the discussion could not conclude on Sunday, the cabinet committee is going to further discuss the deal this week.

"Today´s (Sunday) meeting is just a beginning. From now on the political committee will hold discussions on such mega projects," said another minister on the condition of anonymity.
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TWO HELD CAPTIVE IN BAMJAN ASHRAM
Kathmandu, 26 March: Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh, formed to protect “Buddha Boy” Ram Bahadur Bamjan, has kept two women captive, one of them a foreigner, since three months, Diwakar Bhandari writes in The Himalayan Times reports from Pathlaiya.

Marichi (35) from Slovakia and another woman of Sindhupalchowk, Mata, have been confined by the Sangh, which alleges they tried to distract Bamjan’s meditation.

Inspector at Simara Area police Office, KP Sharma said a complaint had been filed about the women’s captivity in Halkhoriya forest, where Bamjan is meditating. Sharma said police interrogated some members of the Sangh in this regard. “They have confessed the women are being held captive for trying to distract Bamjan,” he said adding, “They said they will release them after he completes his religious sermon.” Bamjan’s sermon started last Wednesday.

Marichi had come to Nepal last year to meet Bamjan and has been missing since December 28. After her arrival, Marichi stayed at the local Lama Hotel and had for some time been residing in the Simara-based monastery. She used to meditate in Halkhoriya the whole day and return to the monastery in the evenings.

Krishna Maya Lama, caretaker of the monastery, said, “She has not returned since three months,” adding, “I have heard she is in Halkhoriya.” She said some days after her disappearance, two persons of the Sangh came to the monastery and took her laptop, clothes and other belongings. “Marichi is a kidney patient. She was on medication,” Krishna Maya said, adding “We had taken the medicine, which she had left in the monastery and handed them to persons of the Sangh. We were not allowed to meet her.”

Marichi was seen in Pathlaiya-Nijgadh’s Pasaha on the evening of December 28, the very day of her disappearance. Eyewitnesses at Pasaha said she was sipping tea but was forcefully taken by two persons of the Sangh on a motorcycle towards Halkhoriya. An eyewitness said, “Marichi appeared afraid and one of her hands was fractured.”

Owner of Lama Hotel and persons who knew her have been searching for her. Dawa Lama who claimed Marichi had come to Nepal through his contact, was also unaware of her condition. He said when he asked about Marichi’s condition in Halkhoriya, no one responded. Owner of Lama Hotel, Krishna Lama said, “Marichi stayed in my hotel many times but later stayed in the monastery when she ran short of money.”

Locals of Ratanpur say the Sangh has also kept Mata captive. The Sangh has accused them of practising witchcraft to disrupt Bamjan’s meditation. I Mata was staying in Halkhoriya as a volunteer. A source said Mata and Marichi were kept in a room in Halkhoriya as ordered by Bamjan.
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GOVT. GETS 10 DAYS TO IMPLEMENT WORK PLAN TO EXECUTE GOVT. TRANSFERS
Kathmandu, 26 March: Parliamentary State Affairs Committee today directed the government to submit its work plan to manage transfer of civil servants
within 10 days, The Himalayan Times reports.

Stating that management of bureaucracy is directly related to ensuring good governance, SAC issued directive to submit the work plan within 10 days. After discussion with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, the committee directed that the government fill posts at constitutional bodies that have been lying vacant for over five years, within two weeks.

After lawmakers pressed the PM to state the time period for appointments, the PM said screening of applications from candidates was nearing completion and the appointment process would be completed within two weeks.

SAC also expressed concern about parliamentary directives falling on deaf ears. The committee underscored the need to introduce certain mechanism for transfer of secretaries and joint secretaries, as there was no fixed date, norm and standard for transfer of senior officials.

In other directives, SAC drew the government’s attention to the need to draft a National Security Policy and democratise the Nepali Army and to set a new order in the context of the country having a republican set-up, as the present system was set up in 1991 when there was constitutional monarchy. The meeting also underscored the need to make the role of chief secretary more effective.

The PM assured lawmakers that the government was committed to managing the transfer of employees as per legal provision. Accepting systemic errors in the transfer mechanism, the PM blamed civil service trade unions parties for being high-handed.

However PM Bhattarai rejected the comment that corruption was increasing although he accepted that corruption has prevailed in the bureaucracy for long.
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