UML PROTEST RALLY FRIDAY Kathmandu, 5 Oct.: In a show of force, opposition UML is holding anti-government rallies nationwide Friday one day after Janajatis and Madeshis withdrew to announce a party. The UML is demanding the resignation of Prime Minster Baburam Bhattarai who is refusing to step down with the firm support of his party UCPN Maoist. Ruling UCPN Maoist and Madeshbadi parties had asked opposition to call off their protests to create understanding as a front of 21 parties allied to government withdrew their planned rallies. UML Friday is using their rallies Friday to give a public message a split won’t affect the second biggest opposition group. Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and Secretary Shanker Pokhrel are addressing the meeting in Kathmandu. Khanel Thursday described his party as ‘the best’ and added, ”the rally will mark the beginning of our agitation, which will continue until the Baburam Bhattarai-led government is dislodged” Eighteen UML-affiliated organisations have been mobilized for the protests Opposition has been calling for a national government to conduct constituent assembly elections. Bhattarai says he’ll resign only after an alternative to his government is firmly in place. Nnnn PRACHANDA, SUSHIL KOIRALA MEET Kathmandu, 5 Sept.: Maoist Chairman Prachanda and NC President Sushil Koirala Friday morning are currently discussing an outlet to a prolonged constitutional and political crisis. Prachanda held discussions with President Dr..Ram Baran Yadav Thursday evening. Maoist Chief and Koirala are also discussing a process to promulgate a delayed constitution. The president asked parties to make renewed effort to end the deadlock. He asked parties to remove hindrances for his functioning amid calls by some opposition parties for emergency or presidential rule to give an outlet unnerving the ruling parties. At a meeting between parties and the president Sunday, the head of state asked parties not ton slur him. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has charged the president for acing unconstitutionally as a ceremonial head of state by not promulgating ordinances recommended by a government whichis a caretaker. Nnnn . JC BEGINS PROCSS FOR DELAYED APPOINTMENT OF JUDGES Kathmandu, 5 Oct The Judicial Council (JC) has finally begun the process of appointing judges at appellate courts and district courts,.Republica reports. JC will publish public notice regarding applications for posts of chief judges and judges at the appellate courts and district courts within a couple of days after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who is also the minister of law and justice, approved the new criteria set by the JC regarding appointment of judges. “We will solicit applications from eligible persons for appointment as judges by October 31 through public notice within two or three days,” said JC member Khem Narayan Dhungana. However, Dhungana stated that appointments of justices at the Supreme Court (SC) cannot be made until constitutional hurdles are removed. As per the existing laws, the government cannot make any appointment in constitutional bodies without conducting parliamentary hearing. According to Dhungana, anyone eligible can apply for judges posts. Similarly, JC will provide seven days to the members of the public to file complaints, if any, against the judgeship hopefuls. “The JC will test competence of applicants [it can be written or oral or both],” Dhungana added. Likewise, as per the new criteria, the applicants will make self-declaration regarding their honesty. Earlier, the JC had failed to endorse the new criteria regarding appointments of judges in the absence of law and justice minister at the JC meetings. Nnnn MEAT MONITORING BEGINS BY KMC WITH START OF FESTIVE SEASON Kathmandu, 5 Oct.: Monitoring of meat shops has been stepped up to ensure that people residing in the metropolis get quality meat during the upcoming festive seasons. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) said it has deployed health officials and the KMC police to inspect butcher shops in the capital. A team of health officials working at the metropolis and the police recently reached Thankot in the midnight to inspect animals and chickens being brought to the capital. “Acting on the information that dead animals were being imported to Kathmandu, we reached there at 2 in the morning,” Dr Baburam Gautam, the chief of KMC health department. “We got information that meat traders are buying dead chickens along with the live ones. Some chickens that die on the way while being imported to capital are also brought.” he added. However, the team could not catch the vehicles carrying chickens because by the time it reached Thankot, the vehicles had already returned. He said that dead chickens cost half the price live ones fetch. The metropolis also suspects that traders are bringing in sick animals like goats, buffalos and pigs in the capital for meat. Meanwhile, the office has also decided to ban selling of meat in the open during Dashain. The KMC´s inspectors have monitored butcher shops operating at Bhedasingh, Shorakhutte, Samakhushi, Kapurdhara, Balaju, Baipass, Machhapokhari, Shivatar, Manamaiju, Thankot of metropolis and cautioned the traders to sell only hygienic meat. The office has warned of stern actions against anybody found engaging in malpractices in the meat business. Nnnn GOVT. ESTIMATE PUTS ESTIMATE FOR MANAGEMENT OF CAMPS FOR FORMER MAOIST FIGHTERS AT RS. 16 BILLION Kathmandu, 5 Oct. The government has submitted a report of expenditures totalling around Rs 16 billion expenditure in the name of the management and supervision of former Maoist PLAs and their cantonments, The Himalayan Times reports. Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction presented the report at today’s meeting of the Special Committee (for supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants) following pressures from opposition parties, particularly Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. The opposition parties have been saying that billions of rupees went unaccounted for in the name of ex-PLAs salary and allowance and misused by their mother party UCPN-Maoist. Ram Saran Mahat, a Nepali Congress leader and member of the Special Committee, told THT that the government was compelled to submit the expenditure report in response to their demands. He, however, added they were not in a position to comment on the report because they are yet to study it. “At first, we will study it and then comment,” Mahat said. Separately, the MoPR also mentioned the amount of Rs 3 billion allocated for the second installment of those ex-fighters, who chose voluntary retirement. The money will be distributed in early November. The Special Committee meeting also decided to provide opportunity to former UCPN-Maoist combatants, who failed in psychological tests for the officer’s posts, to opt for recruitment in junior ranks of the Nepali Army. Of the 75 former rebels qualified for the final test, four — Kamal Moktan of Kavre, Laxmi Prasad Bastola of Sunsari, Karna Bahadur Pun of Rukum and Jug Bahadur Balami of Daikeh — failed in the psychological test conducted by the Selection Committee formed under the chair of the Public Service Commission. The Selection Committee had announced the result on Wednesday. “Now, the four ex-combatants can join at the lower level of the national army,” said Barsha Man Pun, Finance Minister and a member of the Special Committee. They can also choose voluntary retirement. At the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, some SC members also raised questions about the possible structure of the Nepali Army body following the integration of ex-rebels. Though the Seven-Point Agreement sealed in November last year decided to form a directorate general for national development and reconstruction, with integrating the ex-rebels, the SC members opined that the structure couldn’t be formed because much lesser number of ex-PLAs became eligible for integration. Earlier, political understanding was to integrate up to 6,500 Maoist combatants, and to form the directorate general adding twice the number of the integrating combatants from the NA. But the Selection Committee screened only 1,388 ex-rebels from the junior level and 71 more for the officer-level posts of the NA. Nnnn GOVT. DECIDES TO REOPEN THREE CLOSED DOWN PEs Kathmandu, 5 Oct.: The government has decided to reopen at least three public enterprises (PE) — Birgunj Sugar Mill, Agriculture Tools Factory, and Butwal Dhago Udhyog — immediately, The Himalayan Times reports. It has directed Public Enterprises Directorate Board (PEDB) to prioritise the operation of the three public entities, according to Finance Ministry. The cabinet has decided to put these three enterprises under the Ministry of Industry, said joint secretary at the finance ministry Khum Raj Punjali, adding that the cabinet has asked PEDB to look for the best model to run them. The government has decided that it will not fully invest in any PE, said Punjali. “All sides have agreed that the public enterprises must be run either through private investment or through the Public Private Partnership model.” The board has been preparing a separate report to develop a modality to start the operations of closed public entities, said chairman at the board Bimal Wagle, adding that PEDB will now accelerate the pace of locating the most appropriate modality. The government had decided to close down these three public enterprises after they incurred massive loss due to inefficiency and corruption. It had decided to dissolve the state-owned Birgunj Sugar Mill in 2007 citing lack of profit. Due to its closure, farmers of Parsa district have been forced to take their sugarcane –– which amounts to 50,000 metric tonnes –– for crushing to nearby districts. Similarly, Butwal Dhago Udhyog has been closed since 2010 after the then government decided to give compulsory retirement to its employees. Further, the government had decided to liquidate Agriculture Tools Factory in March 2003 by publishing a gazette notification. Meanwhile, a team comprising of chairman of PEDB will start a visit to Parsa district from tomorrow. “The team will discuss the possibility of operating Birgunj Sugar Mill and ask locals to suggest a model to run it again,” Wagle told The Himalayan Times. nnnn