DETAILS OF NEPAL WIN OVER SINGAPORE Kathmandu, 11 May: Nepal scored 240 runs for loss of nine wickets batting first after winning the toss. Singapore was set a massive target of 241-run for victory but was bowled out in 36.5 overs for 139 runs. Nepal plays host Malaysia in the final Akash Bista was declared man of the match. Bista and Jagdish Chand took three wickets; Chand also scored 53 runs. Nnnn BOMB DEFUSED IN SUNSARI Kathmandu, 11 May: A bomb disposal team of the Nepal Army defused a powerful pressure cooker bomb kept in the cafeteria of the District Education Office, Sunsari, on Friday morning, RSS reports from Itahari. It is said that the bomb was planted last night at around 7:00 pm. Locals were left terrorized the whole night due to the bomb. The task of defusing bomb was not possible due to load shedding though the Nepal Army team reached the site after the incident. District police said that the team of Nepal Army from the Batuk Battalion defused the bomb. Madhesi Mukti Tigers Gajraj Birat Tigers Group has taken responsibility of the incident, saying that corruption was rife in the District Education Office, Sunsari. RSS nnnn INVESTMENT BOARD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO EXECUTE WEST SETI WITH CHINA Kathmandu, 11 May: The government finally entrusted the Investment Board (IB) with the responsibility of taking ahead the West Seti Hydro Electricity Project (WSHEP), with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday directing the board to start the negotiation process with China Three Gorges International Corporation (CTGI). The PMO’s decision is in line with the direction of Parliament’s Natural Resource and Means Committee (NRMC), Ashok Thapa writes in The Kathmandu Post. The PMO has also formed a committee under the leadership of IB CEO Radhesh Pant to accelerate the works of the 750MW project. According to PMO, the committee will have joint secretaries from Ministry of Law (MoL), Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Energy (MoE) as their representatives. The PMO and MoE had differences over the deal with the CTGI, with former directing the ministry to hand over the project to the Investment Board. But the MoE in its letter sent to the PMO on April 24, insisted that the project should remain under its purview as the newly formed board lack adequate human resources. The much-talked-about project had got a second lease of life on February 29 when the government and the CTGC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for its construction. According to a senior PMO official, the board was given the task of concluding West Seti deal as per Investment Board Act 2068. “Taking into account the confusion and tussle between the government agencies, the PMO has now explicitly given the project development task to the Investment Board,” said the official, claiming that the step would bolster confidence of the both—the board and Chinese company. As per the Act, hydropower plants with a capacity 500 MW and above come under the board’s purview. The board has been formed to provide a one-window solution to potential investors in mega projects. The MoE has forwarded the name of Joint Secretray Moti Bahadur Kunwar to the committee, while Joint Secretary Baikuntha Aryal will be representing the Finance Ministry. Secretary at the MoE, Hariram Koirala, had proposed the name of Joint Secretary Arjun Kumar Karki in the committee but the latter turned down the offer. “Following Karki’s refusal, Kunwar’s name was proposed,” said a ministry source. Karki, who led the MoE team during negotiation with the CTGI, is of the opinion that the MoE should be given the responsibility of concluding the deal with the Chinese company. Investment Board CEO Pant said that the board will now move forward the process as per the PMO directives. “We will now begin our work by calling the Chinese company for the talks and seek changes in the MoU as per the NRMC’s direction to ensure maximum benefit to the country,” said Pant. “I am satisfied with the government officials who are in the committee.” Investment Board to expedite stalled PDAs The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has formally asked Investment Board (IB) to expedite the process of stalled power development agreements. The committee formed to conclude the West Seti deal with Chinese company will also expedite the works in that regard with seven hydro power developers. “We have been asked to hold discussions with the stakeholders and conclude the task of signing PDAs with the developers as soon as possible. We are also committed to conclude this task at the earliest,” said Pant. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on second week of April had directed the Ministry of Energy to hand over the PDA task to the board after the ministry’s failure to expedite PDAs of large hydropower projects. However, the MoE stated that it had just prepared the draft of PDA model and forwarded it to the Ministries of Finance and Law for their inputs. It has been four years since the government signed MoUs with two Indian companies—GMR Energy and Sutlaj Jalvidyut Nigam—for the development of Upper Karnali (900 MW) and Arun 3 (900 MW) respectively. The MoE had committed to wrap up PDAs within 18 months, while granting them survey licences. It was the same case with SN Power that is developing Tamakoshi 3 (880 MW). The 38-month dillydallying over PDA has put developers on quandary, causing delay in the construction of projects with a combined capacity of around 4,000 MW. nnnn