UCPN MAOIST HIT HARDEST IN STRONGHOLDS DURING INSURGENCY Kathmandu, 4 Oct : The chiefs of UCPN (Maoist) state committees have concluded that the Maoist strongholds during the insurgency has been the hardest hit after the party split a few months ago, Republica reports. Briefing party office bearers on Wednesday at the party headquarters about the situation in all the 13 state committees, the chiefs of state committees also informed that Limbuwan is the hardest hit in eastern part of the country. They also informed that the lower level committees have also been affected by factional disputes in the mother party. There is an intense dispute between the factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai after the split in the party. "Comparatively the districts in the western parts are the most affected," said Bishwanath Sah, chief of Mithila state committee. CPN-Maoist has claimed that more than 60 percent of the core Maoist leaders have defected from the mother party. The new party has already strengthened its organizational base in all the 75 districts. Magarat, Tharuwan and Bheri-Karnali states were the Maoist strongholds during the insurgency. Though the Mohan Baidya faction had been in the minority in the mother party, the new breakaway party boasts of veteran Maoist leaders. This has left the mother party with newcomers who had joined the party from CPN (Ekata Kendra-Masal) and other fringe communist parties. The chiefs of the state committees also informed that disputes have heightened in between the factions led by Chairman Dahal and Bhattarai in some of the committees. Mainly, Bhojpura state committee led by Prabhu Sah is highly affected by factional dispute. According to Maoist insiders, Dahal and another party Vice Chairman Narayankaji Shrestha have been trying to sideline the Bhattarai faction. Meanwhile, the UCPN (Maoist) has extended the deadline for new members to join the party and to renew memberships till mid October. The party´s general convention is scheduled to start from January 27. nnnn SECRETARY BYPASSING NEA TO UPGRADE TRISHULI -3A Kathmandu, 4 Oct.: Despite of two recommendations by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) not to upgrade the Upper Trishuli- 3A hydropower project, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Hari Ram Koirala is lobbying for th third time to do just that, Ramesh Prasad Bhushal writes in Republica. Although most of the NEA board is reluctant to upgrade the project capacity, the secretary, who chairs the board, insisted on forming a committee to make recommendations on a report on the upgrading prepared by consultants. “We repeatedtly asked the secretary not to opt for upgrading the project as almost 20 percent of the work has already been completed but he is moving ahead aggressively to effect the upgrade,” said one board member on condition of anonymity. Contractor for the project China Gezhouba Group Co had requested the ministry to upgrade the project from the existing 60 MW to 90 MW, stating that it was technically feasible. But board members and NEA staff were reluctant as work on the project has already commenced and the financing arrangements also completed. “It will bring unnecessary hurdles as additional funds have to be mobilised from China EXIM bank and there could be legal problems...it won´t be good for the country,” said a high level ministry source. Upper Trishuli -3A lies between Sabrubeshi and Betrawati, 20 km north of Trishuli Bazaar. The Detailed Project Report for the project was carried out in 2007 and the tender offer completed in 2010. The estimated project cost is $125.78 million. Repeated attempts were made to contact the secretary but he did not take the call. Sources said the secretary is in a mood to send the proposal to the cabinet for its endorsement if the NEA board opposes the upgrade. The contractor has sought an increment of 1.5 times on the financing as the capacity would be increased 50 percent, but expert members on the board say it is not justifiable and there are possibilities of irregularities. “Even with the upgrade we are not going to get an addition of more than 10 megawatts in winter when the power demand peaks, and there is adequate energy in summer. So there is no logic in investing so much more and derailing a project that is operating smoothly,” added a board member. This project is being implemented under concessional loan from China Exim Bank and some funds from NEA and the government. The $115.7 million concessional loan from the Chinese bank comes at an interest of 1.75 per annum, and it is repayable over 25 years including a five-year grace period. Interestingly, the members of the committee formed to review the technical report by consultants are non-experts. They include ex-managing director of Nepal Oil Corporation Digambar Jha, Tej Bahadur Bhatta, Deputy Director-General, Department of Water Supply and Sewerage, Surendra Raj Bhandari, Director, NEA, Gibacha Mandal, Senior Divisional Engineer at the Energy Ministry and Moti Bahadur Kunwar, Joint Secretary. The committee has two weeks to come up with its recommendations. nnnn