RETIRED JOINT SECETARY SABITRI RAJBHANDARI FINED FOR GRAFT Kathmandu, 27 Nov.: Retired Joint Secretary Sabitri Rajbhandari was convicted Tuesday of graft by a special court Tuesday. The charge by filed by CIAA. She was sentenced to one year in jail and a Rs 24.6 million fine. Rajbhandari is the senior most woman to be convicted by court. Nnnn ADB APPROVES MELAMCHI TUNNEL BID ABANDONED BY CHINESE FIM Kathmandu, 27 Nov.: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the bidding process for tunnel and intake construction of the most-awaited Melamchi Drinking Water Project (MDWP), RSS reports.. The government on Friday had forwarded the process for the bidding to the head office of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila for approval. The bidding documents were sent to the ADB for agreement with new contractor to carry out the works of project of national pride as earlier contract with China Railway 15 Bureau Group for constructing the 27.5 kilometer-long tunnel and intake was cancelled. Executive Director of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB) Krishna Prasad Acharya said a meeting of the MWSDB scheduled on Tuesday will possibly make the decision for the same. "Possibly, board meeting on Tuesday will approve the decision for the bidding," Acharya said. The bidding would be made public for the international competition after the decision was given a final touch, Acharya added. Meanwhile, the Board has targeted to being the construction of tunnel by concluding all the process within January 2013, according to Acharya. The ADB has agreed to pay 20 per cent in advance for the construction, it is learnt. nnnn UML FAVORS NON-MAOIST GOVT. Kathmadu, 27 Nov.: The CPN-UML politburo members have stressed that the national consensus government led by UCPN (Maoist) or by an independent person would not be acceptable to the party, RSS reports. Speaking at the party´s politburo meeting that began here on Tuesday, all the politburo members said a non-Maoist led government should be formed though the party to lead the government should be finalized later. Proposals to welcome the President´s call for a consensus government and to protest the decision of the cabinet to describe the call as unconstitutional and about the leadership of the consensus government were presented before the meeting, according to politburo member Prakash Jwala. Expressing their views today were leader KP Oli and politburo members Mukunda Neupane, Raghuji Pant, Prakash Jwala, Ram Chandra Jha, Pradip Nepal and others. Matters relating to organizing the national council for amendment to the party statute and to hold an emergency meeting of the central committee were also discussed at the meeting. The politburo meeting shall resume at 11:00 am tomorrow, according to the party. Nnnn