MEMBERS APPOINTED TO GIVE FULL SHAPE TO NC TARUN DAL, NWA

MEMBERS APPOINTED GIVING FULL SHAPE TO TARUN DAL, NWA IN NC
Kathmandu, 15 April: NC President Sushil Koirala Friday nominated 38 members each to central ad hoc committees of party sister organizations Tarun Dal and Nepal
Women’s Association (NWA) giving the bodies full shape.
A statement said general and elections will be conduced in the next six months.
Senior and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba opposes establishment intervention if fraternal organizations by dissolution of elected bodies.
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DON’T REMOVE FORMER KING’S SECURITY SAYSKAMAL THAPA
Kathmandu, 15 April: RPP Nepal Chairman Kamal Thapa political parties should should proclaim a new constitution that protects the country’s sovereignty while
continuing fraternity between Nepalis, RSS reports from Hetauda.
Chairman Thapa emphasized security for former Kuing Gyanendra Shah should be maintained while imparting training at constituency No..1 in Makwanpir.
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NEPALIS IN MALAYSIA HONOUR JHAMAK KUMARI GHIMERE
Kathmandu, 15 April: Nepalis in Malaysia through Anam Mandli Sahitya Samaj Saturday presented Jhamak Kumari Ghimere a prize money of Rs.116,100 and a letter of facilitation in Dhankuta.
She’s author of widely claimed book Jiban Kada Ko Phool.
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GOLD PRICE INCREASES
Kathmandu, 15 April: Gold price increased by Rs.600 per tola last week.
The market opened at Rs.53,500 per tola Sunday and closed at Rs. 54,100 per tola on the Thursday on new year’s eve.
Demand for the yellow metal has been increasing since last week.
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NOC IGNORES MINISTER’S DIRECTIVE
Kathmandu, 15 April: Minister for commerce and supplies Lekh Raj Bhatta got a cold response from Nepal Oil Corporation when the latter was asked to strictly regulate the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) business, according to a source at the

corporation, The Himalayan Times reports.

At a recently held meeting, minister Bhatta lamented over the frequent failures of the corporation to curb irregularities and misconduct by cooking gas entrepreneurs, according to the source. “Officials from NOC

ignored minister Bhatta saying that there is no regulation in place for the corporation to

control irregularities.”

The minister could do nothing in front of the NOC officials, an entrepreneur who had participated in the meeting revealed. “Nepal Oil Corporation is completely aware about all the irregularities being carried out by gas bottling plants and dealers,” he claimed. “But, it does not want to check the loopholes so that greedy officials at the corporation can receive money under the table.”

If it was really the lack of a policy that was obstructing NOC to take action against the irregularities then why hasn’t it created pressure on the government to formulate a regulation, an official at the ministry questioned. There is no doubt that corruption in the petroleum sector has become an accepted fact because no one including the ministry, parliament and even NOC is ready to end the existing system of corruption and cheating.

It has been five months since consumers have been facing problems to avail cooking gas cylinders but Nepal Oil Corporation has apparently failed to identify the actual cause of the scarcity. “The ministry should act tough and fire officials at NOC for their inefficiency in regulating the market,” an entrepreneur who himself is involved in the cooking gas business said.

Looking at the present context, it will be shameful for the minister to again pledge about ending misconduct at the corporation and in the petroleum sector, he reiterated.

Secretary at Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Lal Mani Joshi had recently said gas bottlers were more powerful than NOC. “NOC cannot initiate any action against bottling plants and dealers.”

The Nepali market consumes around 15,000-17,000 metric tonnes of cooking gas every month. Around one million households use LPG for cooking purposes, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. However, data regarding the industrial consumption of cooking gas is yet to be calculated by NOC.
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