BIRD FLU SURFACES AGAIN IN CHITWAN Kathmandu, 20 April: Bird flu has been detected in two poultry farms of Chitwan. It was found in the farm of Laxmi Rana of Gondrang at Bharatpur-9 and that of Rajendra Hamal of Mangalpur VDCm RSS reports from Chitwan- 7. The bird flu was confirmed, as the sample was sent for test in the Central Lab by the Bird Disease Research Laboratory, Bharatpur on April 15. Test was delayed as Rana prohibited the entry of lab employees in the farm to acquire information after it was known that chickens died on April 8. There were some 60,000 layers species of chickens in Rana's farm and 4,000 in the farm of Hamal. Culling is underway in the farms, said District Livestock Office Chitwan Chief Ram Kumar Karki. A large number of chickens were said to have died in Rana's farm. More than Rs. 25 billion has been invested in poultry in this district regarded as a leading district for poultry. However, farmers and consumers alike are terrorized from it. nnnn LIGHTNING KILLS TWO IN GULMI Kathmandu, 20 April : Two persons died and two were injured by lightning in Gulmi district yesterday, RSS reports from Gulmi. The deceased were Basanti Kauchha, 13, of Hadhade VDC-7 and Abhisekh BK, an 8-month-old child of Gaidakot VDC-7, said the District Police Office, Gulmi. Likewise Bijay Ghartimagar, 14, of Dhurkot Jaisithok-6 and Manju Pun, 11, of Dubichaur were injured by the lightning. Severely injured Magar and Pun are being treated at Palpa Hospital, said police. Thunderbolts have frequently occurred in Gulmi district in recent days. Nnnn LIGHTNING KILLS ONE PERSON IN JHAPA Jargnabdym 20 April: Navin Chauhan, (42) of Arjundhara-3, Jhapa died when lightning struck himm rSS reports from Jhapa.. The thunderbolt struck him while he was irrigating in paddy field at around 9:00 pm on Friday, said Area Police Office Birtamod. He was found dead on the field this morning, said Chauhan family. nnnn UML SEEKS ELECTORAL ALLIANCE Kathmandu, 20 April:: Senior leader of CPN (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that there was no alternative to moving ahead for fresh elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA) after fixing the number of constituencies and completing the registration of biometric voters´ name list, RSS reports from Bhaktapir.. Speaking at an interaction programme organized by UML affiliated Intellect Council in Bhaktapur, leader Nepal said the dissenting political parties should be brought into consensus before conducting the CA polls. He reiterated that the UML could forge an alliance with the like-minded political parties in the elections. The UML should take initiative to welcome the dissenting leaders from the UCPN (Maoist), the UML leader added. He also cautioned the UML leaders not become closer with the UCPN (Maoist) as that was weakening the party. On the occasion, Chairman of Youth Association Nepal (YAN) Mahesh Basnet said the YAN would rein in the possible anarchic activities during the CA polls. Similarly, Council´s Chairman Prof Dr Mahesh Raj Dahal and UML Bhaktapur Chairman Rajendra Rajthala, among others expressed UML´s preparations for the upcoming CA polls. Nnnn TRC CONTROVERSY DEEPENS Kathmandu, 20 April: : The controversy surrounding Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) formation process has deepened further with the stay order of the apex court as many believe that the faulty provisions in the ordinance were included by the government with the intention of delaying the processm The Himalayan Times reports.. As the Supreme Court has stayed the formation of the long-awaited mechanism to deal with the war-era cases questioning some provisions, human rights activists and lawyers have blamed politicians for the delay. Charan Prasai, chairman of the Joint Forum for Human Rights, said issuing a faulty ordinance was a ploy of the government, political parties and those who have human rights violation cases against them were involved in delaying the transitional justice. “This was brought with the evil motive of delaying the process and to harass the victims and the human rights defenders,” Prasai told The Himalayan Times. Subodh Raj Pyakurel, chairman, Informal Sector Service Centre, however, said though it was stayed by the apex court, there is some hope that the agenda may feature in discussions at sessions of the future Parliament. “Definitely, this would be an agenda for new parliament, if the apex court continues its stance on its verdict,” he added. Pyakurel also said the apex court’s decision does not go against the victims and the rights activists. “This is delayed but it would be a matter of public discourse in the coming days, which was never an agenda for the political parties in the last seven years.” On April 1, the Supreme Court had issued an interim order against the implementation of the TRC formation ordinance issued by Khil Raj Regmi-led government formed on April 14. “The ordinance was forwarded by political parties with faulty provisions, so the apex court should not be blamed for delay in TRC formation,” rights advocate Govinda Sharma Bandi said. Nnnn UML, MADESHBADI PARTIES AT OODS ON PROPORTIONSL REPRESENTATION Kathmandu, 20 April: The CPN-UML has demanded that the quotas for marginalised communities, women, backward regions and others under the proportional representation system of elections should apply to all the parties and not only the national parties, Ram Kumar Kamat writes in The Himalayan Times.. Under the existing laws, any party which fields less than 30 per cent of candidates under the PR system needs to meet the quota requirement only for women category, but are exempted from the requirement of other quota categories such as Madhesi, Dalit, marginalised castes/indigenous nationalities/ backward region and others. UML has communicated its concerns to the Election Commission and the Chairman of the interim election council Khil Raj Regmi. UML leader Agni Kharel said if Madhesi parties are truly federalist forces and proponents of inclusion, then they should also be ready to make their outfits inclusive and meet the PR quota requirement. Election laws were amended on the eve of the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, exempting the regional parties from the quota requirement except for women. The exemption for regional parties was only for up to 20 per cent PR candidacy, but that was hiked to 30 per cent after the government signed an eight-point deal with the United Democratic Madhesi Front. Kharel said Madhesi parties did not bring Dalit, marginalised communities and people of Pahadi origin into the CA last time. “Had the quota rule been equally applied to all parties, representation from Madhesi parties in the CA would have been more inclusive,” Kharel said, adding that his party’s concerns were not directed merely against Madhesi parties but against any other party that champions the ethnic and regional causes. “If we have to be inclusive, why not others?” Kharel questioned. He argued that the abolition of quota exemption (for regional parties) would prevent regionalisation and communalisation of politics. He was of the view that an inclusive structure of a party prevents radicalisation of political outfits. “When a party is inclusive, one radical view is checked by another balancing view. Therefore, there is a need to make all parties inclusive,” he added. Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav said polls could not be held if old election laws were changed. “We are fighting against the hegemony of the ruling class. We can think of their inclusion once we attain our emancipation,” he said. Yadav said UML’s lobbying for new change in election laws was aimed at diluting Madhesi cause. Jitendra Dev, General Secretary of MJF-D, said Pahadis represented overly in all sectors, and therefore, regional parties should not be required to ensure inclusion of Pahadis. nnnn