INDIAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY STOPS WORK DEANDING HIGHER PAYMENT Kathmandu, 28 Dec.: An Indian company constructing the 32MW Rahughat hhdro power plant has stopped work, Dilip Paudel reports from Baglung. IVRC India Ltd has stopped all civil construction demanding review of an agreement for higher construction works.. The company said work can’t continue with 2010 rates. nnnn INDIAN PM SAYS NEW DELHI HAS NO LIKES, DISLINES IN NEPAL Kathmandu, 28 Dec.: Stating that New Delhi does not have any 'likes or dislikes' in Kathmandu, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the southern neighbour is ready to extend support as Nepal wishes, Mahesh Acharya writes in The Kathmandu Post from New Delhi. "We [India] don't have any likes or dislikes [in Nepal]. Yours is completely an internal process," Singh told the Nepali delegation during a restricted meeting at his official residence on 7 Race Course Road prior to a dinner hosted in honour of President Yadav on Wednesday evening. "India is always ready to extend assistance as sought by Nepal," a top Nepali official quoted Singh as saying. Irrigation Minister Mahendra Yadav, Foreign Secretary Durga Bhattarai, Secretary at President's Office Sheetal Babu Regmi, Political Adviser to President Hari Sharma and Nepal's acting Ambassador to India Khaganath Adhikari were present during the restricted meeting between Yadav and Singh. Prime Minister Singh was accompanied by External Affairs Minister Salman Khursid, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Jayanta Prasad, among others. During the talks, President Yadav told the Indian delegation that "efforts to forge political consensus were under way and he was hopeful of positive results". Meanwhile, President Yadav continued high-level parleys on Thursday, discussing mainly the efforts to end the political impasse in Nepal with Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, National Security Adviser Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. President Yadav also had a brief one-on-one with Menon at Hotel Oberoi, where all of Thursday's discussions took place. Prior to the meetings, President Yadav had a health check-up at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). On Friday, President Yadav is scheduled to meet Defence Minister AK Antony, Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari, other party leaders Yashwant Sinha, Rajnath Singh and Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav, among others. Chinese engagement in Nepal open secret: Shinde On a different note, Indian Home Minister Shinde, talking to reporters after the meeting with President Yadav, said that China's growing activities in Nepal were open secret. He, however, clarified that he had not received any inputs from the Indian intelligence agencies regarding the "Chinese activities in Nepal" as reported by the media. "In fact, I have not received any information from intelligence agencies but I have been reading several reports in media on Chinese activities in Nepal," said Shinde. Nnnn TEAM GOING TO CHINA SUNDAY TO INSPECT AIRCRAFT FOR NEPAL AIRLINES Kathmandu, 28 Dec.: A three-member team from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal ( CAAN ) is scheduled to leave for China on Sunday to inspect the MA60 aircraft at the facility of the AVIC International Holding, the maker of the plane, The Kathmandu Post reports.. The team will also sign two agreements—technical cooperation agreement with AVIC and airworthiness agreement with the Civil Aviation Administration of China—after the inspection, according to CAAN officials. The team led by Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, comprises chief of CAAN ’s Airworthy Division Bhes Raj Subedi and NAC’s senior Captain Deepak Lama. China has pledged a 19-seater Harbin Y-12e and a 58-seater MA60 turboprop in grant and the government plans to purchase four other aircraft—three Harbin Y-12e and an MA60—by taking the soft loans from the China EXIM Bank. CAAN Director General Tri Ratna Manandhar is also scheduled to leave for China on Wednesday. The agreement on bilateral technical cooperation includes maintenance, flight operations and spares parts, among other areas of cooperation. The agreements facilitate the reciprocal airworthiness certification of civil aeronautical products imported and exported between two countries. The airworthiness agreement aims to improve bilateral cooperation to ensure continuous safe operation of the aircraft. It will also resolve airworthiness issues during the aircraft utilisation process. “As many questions have been raised on the MA60 aircraft, the team will make a detailed inspection,” said Manandhar, adding a decision will be taken as per the team’s recommendations. The Harbin Y-12 twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft designed and produced in China’s Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation is certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Tourism Ministry Secretary Yajna Prasad Gautam, who left for China on Thursday to participate in a travel trade fair, will also join the Nepali team. Recently, the Ministry of Finance formally dispatched a letter to the China EXIM Bank requesting soft loans for the purchase of the Chinese aircraft for the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC). After receiving the Chinese bank’s response, the government will form a loan negotiation team led by a joint secretary of the Tourism Ministry. The team will finalise the terms of negotiation and ascertain the actual amount required to fund the aircraft purchase. Earlier, the Chinese government had planned to include the two aircraft in its annual grant to Nepal. However, after the Finance Ministry refused to entertain such an idea, according to government officials, the Chinese government agreed to arrange separate grant for the aircraft. As per a commercial agreement signed between Nepal Airlines and AVIC on November 29, the Chinese side has given a five-year grace period for loan and interest repayment. The provision will enable NAC to enjoy earnings for at least five years. If things go as planned, NAC will receive the first delivery of the two aircraft in grant within two months after the loan agreement, according to NAC officials. Rest of the deliveries is expected within five months after the first delivery. nnnn