MEETING OF BIG THREE, MADESHI MORCHA SCHEDULED SUNDAY Kathmandu, 23 Sept.: The Big Three and—UCPN Maoist heading the government, ., opposition N and UML and the five-party Madeshi Morcha in government—are scheduled to hold their third meeting Sunday after opting to go for constituent elections to resolve a protracted political and constitutional crisis. CPN Maoist Saturday demanded at a meeting with NC the expansion with their participation of a ‘syndicate of four parties’ whose decisions can’t be called representative. Constituents also differ on who will hold elections, when and how. The Big Three and Madeshi Morcha discussed amending the constitution in the absence of parliament to conduct the vote. An ordinance has to be promulgated by a reluctant President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav to enable the vote. NC has claimed leadership of an election government whose leadership UCPN Maoist and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai are reluctant to let go. Nnnn MEDIA GOOGLE “We will hold a conference on October 4 and announce a new party. “We have given a final touch to the statute and guiding principles of a new party. We have also completed works on organisational and ideological set up the party. ” (UML dissident Rajendra Shrestha, The Himalayan Times, 23 Sept.) “We should not ignore the CPN-M, MJF-N and other political forces if we want national consensus in the true sense. Our party wants to involve them in future talks and it will raise the issue strongly in the four-party meeting tomorrow.[Sunday.].” UML Secretary Bishnu Paudel, The Himalayan Times, 23 Sept.). “We should not ignore the CPN-M, MJF-N and other political forces if we want national consensus in the true sense. Our party wants to involve them in future talks and it will raise the issue strongly in the four-party meeting tomorrow,” said UML secretary Bishnu Paudel. nnnn LPG BOTTLERS SEEK MORE FACILITIES Kathmandu, 23 Sept.: A committee formed by the government to study the current commission structure of LPG bottling plants is in a dilemma due to the mounting pressure from bottlers to increase commission and other profits, The Himalayan Times reports.. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bottling plants have started putting pressure on the government to increase the existing commission rate and other facilities being provided, a member of the committee said. The nexus between bottling plants, top bureaucrats and politicians has created pressure on the committee to raise the existing commission rate, the source added. Preliminary calculation has shown that the committee will recommend the government to raise the existing commission rate under some headings, said head of the committee and under secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Nutaraj Pokharel. However, he did not disclose the details of the revision. The committee will publish the report soon, he said. Earlier, the committee had claimed that bottling plants have been receiving expenses from the government to distribute salaries to employees, change the valve of LPG cylinders, and pay the interest of the loan taken when setting up the plant. “All the facilities being provided to bottling plants are irrational and the committee will try to lower it,” a member of the committee said. Bottling plants have been receiving expenses even to provide bonus to their employees and for other administrative costs, the member said. The government had formed the committee following a strike called by LP Gas Association Nepal in the beginning of August to put pressure on the government to fulfill their 16-point demand. The government and the association had agreed to form the committee to study whether the government should raise the commission rate along with transportation cost. Nepal Oil Corporation has been providing Rs 105.81 for transportation cost, Rs 1.39 for technical loss, Rs 56 as dealer commission, and Rs 50 as insurance cost and technical loss on a cylinder of cooking gas. nnnn