TEACHERS TO CLOSE DOWN SCHOOLS FROM SUNDAY

SCHOOLS TO BE FORCIBLY CLOSED FROM SUNDAY TO MEET TEACHER DEMANDS

Kathmandu, 10 March: Two teachers’ union Saturday decided to close schools from Sunday saying there was no agreement with government to withdraw protests, Dibesh Khadka said
Teachers decided to press demands putting pressure through
nation-wide school closure ahead of SLC examinations end of this
month.
Education Minister Dinanath Sharma held extensive discussions with teacher representatives the whole of the week to address teacher
demands
Teachers have repeatedly charged government for not implementing past assurances.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai himself assured an education act
would be amended to meet demands.
No written agreement was made with government to call off threatened strike, teachers said.
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2 INJURED IN KANCHANPUR TRACTOR ACCIDENT

Kathmandu, 10 March:: At least 12 passengers were injured when a tractor met with an accident on Friday night at Dekhtbhuli VDC-3 along the Kaluwapur-Belauri road section in Kanchanpur district, RSS reports from Kanchanpur..

The tractor (Se 1 Ta 1514) was en route to Rampur Bilasipur after attending a Holi program in Nanda Higher Secondary Higher School, Shankarpur.

Police Inspector Chakraraj Joshi said all the injured are the members of Rana Tharu community of Rampur Bilasipur-9.

The injured are receiving treatment at local health center, Belauri. Health condition of the injured is learnt to have normal.

According to police, the incident occurred after the driver drove the tractor under the influence of alcohol.
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HIMALAYAN BANK MOVES INTO OWN PREMISES

Kathmandu, 10 March: Himalayan Bank Ltd., a joint venture Pakistani bank, bank moved into its own premises in Kamaladi Friday.
The bank moved to its new premises from Thamel at the Employees’ Provident Fund.
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WOMAN FARMER DIES AFTER EATING RADISH AND
POTATO FROM OWN GARDEN

Kathmandu, 10 March: Dhankala BK, 55 of Kurtha-4, Gulki, died after eating radish and potato grown in her own garden, Gorkhapatra reports from Gulmi.
Pesticides didn’t wash away after a long dry spell; she died after
eating the vegetables. Her mother and daughter are seriously sick.
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Combatants leaving satellite camps
By Our Correspondent

MAOIST CANTONMENT TO BE COMPLETED IN CHITWAN SATURDAY
Kathmandu, 10 March: Evacuation of former Maoist combatants from two satellite cantonments of Chitwan began here Friday, The Rising Nepal reports from.Shaktikhor, Chitwan.
The process started in Chitwan as per the direction of the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC), said Balananda Sharma, coordinator of AISC secretariat.
"If all goes well, the process will complete on Saturday," he said. "The integration process will be expedited after the Maoist combatants, who are waiting for integration, are kept in 14 cantonments."
The AISC decided to vacate the cantonments --Pratap Memorial Brigade of Rasauli and Bashu Memorial Brigade of Bhutyaha-- out of 21 satellite cantonments of seven divisions situated in different parts of the nation following the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) between the government and UCPN-Maoist.
A total of 2,213 out of 3,350 combatants have chosen integration under the third division in Chitwan.
As per the decision, they will be cantoned in Shaktikhor headquarters and another satellite cantonment of Gairabari of the district for the time being.

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FURTHER DETAILS OF CONTROVERSY CREATED AFTER MAOIST ASSURANCE TO AMEND CONSTITUTION TO ACCOMMODATE MADESH DEMANDS

Kathmandu, 10 March : Former deputy prime minister and Central Working Committee member of Nepali Congress Sujata Koirala Friday said that the government diverted its interest to trivial issues like citizenship instead of engaging in peace and constitution drafting processes.
Speaking at a face to face of the Reporters Club here, she said that the government should focus its attention on the task of peace and constitution.
"It is not time to deal with minor things, our focus should be the timely conclusion of peace and constitution writing processes," she said.
She said that parties were unable to reach a consensus on formation of the new consensus government as agreements inked earlier were not implemented.
UCPN-Maoist secretary CP Gajurel warned that he would not allow the 4-point pact to be implemented.
His party had inked the agreement with the Unified Democratic Madeshi Front while forming the current government.
Gajurel, who is close to vice-chairman Kiran Baidhya in the party, said that the implementation of the agreement was impossible as it triggered debates within the party since its inking.
Gajurel’s made such remarks one day after the government’s allies, the UCPN-Maoist and the UDMF, agreed to activate the 4-point pact on Thursday.
Referring to the hurdles in providing citizenship certificates to Madeshi people, Gajurel said providing citizenship documents to Madeshi people via a special team would be better than providing it through an amendment in the constitution.
Secretary of CPN-UML Shankar Pokharel blamed that the issues of citizenship raised by the Madhes-based parties was a conspiracy to push Nepalese citizens into minority.
"Nepali citizenship

should not be made accessible easily at a time when India has raised the problems of dual citizenships," he said.
Conspiracy was afoot to deprive the land-tillers of rights by the feudals of Madhes, he said.
Leader Pokharel said that Madhes-based parties should bear all responsibilities for the citizenship certificates provided to criminal and non-Nepalis in the name of the then Madhes uprising.
Emphasizing that the current government had already proved to be a failure, he claimed that
it could not conclude the tasks of peace and constitution writing processes.
Officiating chairman of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Republic Raj Kishor Yadav reiterated that the UDMF was not on the side of toppling the government.
"No hurdle should be created in peace and constitution writing processes in the name of forming the government, he said.
He revealed that the Prime Minister had already directed the Ministry of Finance to allocate Rs 2 million to open a school in the name of martyrs of the Madhes uprising.
In the function, Minister for Industry Anil Jha talked about the 4-point pact.
"Major three parties should take the responsibility to settle the Madhesi issues."
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