450KG HASH RECOVERED FOLLOWING GUNBATTLE BETWEEN POLICE, POLICE IN MAKWANPUR Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: Altogether 450-kg hash was recovered in 22 bags near a jungle in Manahari in Makwanpur Saturday morning following a gun battle between police and traffickers. Empty shells were recovered for gun battle site Nnnn TWO LABOURERS KILLED IN DADIKOT Kathmandu, d8 Dec.: Two labourers were killed Saturday while digging for sand in Dadikot, Bhaktapur. They died while undergoing treatment for injuries following a sand mine collapse Nnnn MURDER SUSPECTED IN BHAKTAPUR Kathmandu, 8 Dec. Police suspect foul play after a stone was found near a corpse in Bhaktapur Saturday The corpse was identified to e of Gopal Pandey. nnnn. FORMER KING, QUEEN LEAVE FOR SINGAPORE Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: Former King Gyanendra and Queen Komal flew by Silk Air for Singapore Friday. They are accompanied by an entourage of former royal family members. Queen Komal is having a health check-up. During the royal palace massacre, Crown Prince Dipendra shot dead his father King Birendra and mother Queen Aishrayc, The wife of former King Gyanendra survived with nearly a dozen bultets in her chest; they are still lodged there. Nnnn GOVT. CALL ON AIRLINES TO OBSERVE SAFEY STANDARDS Kathmandu, 8 Dec.: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has urged all airlines to apply safety standards seriously if aviation is to continue to deliver on its immense promise, The Kathmandu Post reports. Speaking at a programme to mark International Civil Aviation Day here on Friday, MoCTCA secretary Yajna Prasad Gautam said that the Nepali skies are safe but the operation part needed to be reviewed seriously. “The effects of air accidents on the people and the country’s economy are enormous,” Gautam said. “We cannot mask the current reality of our safety standards,” Gautam added. “Past mistakes need to be corrected to ensure future aviation growth.” He expressed the need for a collaborative approach among the stakeholders for corrective measures. Lalit Bikram Shah, former regional director of ICAO-Asia-Pacific, said that the spate of air accidents could create a setback to the Nepali aviation sector, and to end such tragedies, all the stakeholders should demonstrate commitments on safety and standards. “A number of meetings and seminars are organized immediately after any aviation issue arises, but the core problem has never been identified,” he said. Tri Ratna Manandhar, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said that air traffic movement and the entire range of aviation activities had increased five-fold in two decades. However, infrastructure development has not matched that growth, and as a result, the country’s sole international airport has been facing severe congestion and delays. “We have been talking about a second international airport (SIA) for many years, but nothing has happened.” Manandhar added that a full-fledged SIA could be the only alternative to handle long-haul flights to connect Nepal directly with Europe and the US. “To boost the country’s tourism, we need flights with bigger fleets and direct connectivity to different Western regions.” This year, ICAO Day has been organized under the theme of “Aviation: Your reliable connection to the world”. ICAO’s 2011 global air travel statistics show that airlines around the world carried approximately 2.7 billion people, up 5.1 percent compared to 2010. Nnnn Kathmandu, 8 Dec.:After several months of delay, negotiations on Power Development Agreement (PDA) with three foreign developers—GMR Energy, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, and SN Power—is finally taking place in the second week of January, Ashok Thapa writes in The Kathmandu, Post.. The negotiations were halted after the three companies expressed reluctance to sign the pact, terming the PDA template ‘not bankable.’ The template was readied in mid- June. A high-level source close to the Investment Board (IB) confirmed that preparations were underway to hold talks with power developers. India-based GMR is developing Upper Marsyangdi (600 MW) and Upper Karnali (900 MW) projects. Another Indian company, Satluj, is developing Arun III (600 MW), while Norwegian SN Power is developing Tamakoshi III (880 MW). All these hydel projects have been in limbo for the last three years due to the government’s indecision and the lack of an appropriate PDA model. Though IB had planned to start negotiations with these companies in the first week of November and sign the PDA by December-end, the developers sought more time. They had also forwarded commentaries over the provisions mentioned in the PDA template, which ‘tried to ensure maximum national interest’. The need for making changes in the draft as per the developers’ requests was the major reason for delayed negotiations. The template approved by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai was expected to provide the much-needed impetus to begin negotiations with the foreign hydropower companies. However, the template could not impress the Indian investors. Investors seek government assurance through the PDA that helps avert any possible social, economic or policy-level uncertainties during the construction phase. Generally, issues related to taxes, licence period, free energy, royalty, repatriation rights and parties’ obligations are included in the PDA. Following complaints from the investors, IB has made some amendments in the PDA draft to make it more profitable and bankable for investors. “We have already incorporated the comments suggested by the developers,” said the source. “The template requires approval from the IB board.” According to IB, once the amended version of the PDA is approved, the developers will be invited for negotiations. IB officials said the PDA template has been prepared including stern policies when it comes to benefit sharing, hydrological risk, governmental facilities for developers and other significant issues. The source, however, said even if the negotiations start, it is not sure when the PDA will be signed. “As the projects are worth billions of rupees and the PDA negotiations will take place amid the ongoing political turmoil, it cannot be said for sure how long the whole process will take to complete,” said a high-level official at Prime Minister’s Office. nnnn