GOLD PRICE FALLS BELOW RS.50,000 PER TOLA Kathmandu, 119 May: Gold price fell below th e Rs.50,00 per tola mark Sunday. The price fell Rs 651 per tola compared to Friday The precious metal was traded for Rs 49,099 per tola. Nnnn MORE CLIMBERS ATOP EVEREST Kathmandu, 19 May; More climbers this time from a joint Nepalese-Indian army expedition scaled the 8848 meters high Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak. Major Samir Basnet, Captain Kishor Adhikari, Sergeant Gyanendra Loudari, and Corporal Dhiren Shahi climbed the peak.. Major Ranbir Singh Jamwal, Subedar Mingma Gurung , Havaldar Chatar Singh, and Lance Naik Sukbir also stood atop Everest. Nnnn TOURIST PLAN FOR PASHUPATI Kathmandu, 19 May: The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has asked the government to provide more than Rs 1 billion in order to attract foreign to attract foreign tourists in and around the Pashupatinath Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by developing necessary infrastructure there, The Himalayan Times reports.. A meeting of the PADT’s performance appraisal committee decided to ask the government for Rs 1 billion and 3.6 million to develop urgently-needed infrastructure, according to the PADT. “We need the sum immediately to give the heritage site a facelift,” said Narottam Vaidya, PADT treasurer. “We will begin renovation as soon as the government provides us the funds,” he said. The PADT plans to pool some 42 ropanis of land at Bankali to develop infrastructure and attract foreign tourists. A ropani of land, as per a previous evaluation, costs about Rs 16 million. “The rate may vary now,” said Vaidya. The PADT needs Rs 70 million to construct an electric crematorium. “We have already purchased necessary equipment and brought it to the site. However, the construction process has not moved forward due to the lack of funds,” said the PADT officials. The PADT earns about Rs 10 million monthly from the devotees’ offerings, but this amount is not enough for big development projects, said PADT officials. “We have sought Rs 6 million for the deer sanctuary at the Pashupatinath area, Rs 18.5 million for managing tourist-friendly infrastructure, Rs 6 million for conservation of shelters at Bammukteshwor, Rs 5 million for construction of a water supply system, Rs 3.5 million for preservation of the Gorakhnath culture, Rs 22 million for stone paving, Rs 6.5 million for renovation of the heritage site area, and Rs 15 million for preservation of the Guheshwori temple,” said Vaidya. Rs 3.5 million is meant for maintenance of the Jayabageshwori-Bhuwaneshwori road, Rs 3 million for conservation of the Shsleshmantak forest, Rs 5 million for the protection of Kirateshwor temples, and Rs 5 million for emergency services at Bhandharkhal. Recently, the Department of Roads blacktopped the Mitrapark, Gaurighat and Dakshinmurti road sections, while the Nepal Electricity Authority completed underground wiring at the heritage site area. The PADT allocates about Rs 500 million annually for the heritage site, while the government provides Rs 110-150 million to it every year. Vehicles ban The PADT plans to bar all kinds of vehicles from the Pashupati area. “We will impose the ban after completion of infrastructure development works,” said PADT treasurer Vaidya. “People living close to the heritage site must abide by the rule.” Nnnn AGREEMENT ON NC, UML POLL DEMANDS Kathmandu, 19 May:: Contrary to his party’s — Unified CPN-Maoist — stance on the provision of threshold and size of the Constituent Assembly (CA), UCPN-M standing committee member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi today expressed support for what the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML want, The Himalayan Times reports.. While the UCPN-M and United Democratic Madhesi Front are lobbying for removal of the threshold system and are all for retaining the previous 601-member CA, the NC and UML want the threshold system and are stressing on the already agreed upon 491-member CA. On the proposed provision of the threshold, that makes it mandatory to secure minimum one percent votes to get a seat in the Constituent Assembly (CA) polls under the proportional representation system, Rayamajhi today said, “If we do not retain the threshold system, it will have long term negative impact on party politics. So, the threshold system should be retained to prevent the trend of setting up parties on individual basis.” Talking to journalists, at Reporters’ Club, Rayamajhi said the number of the CA members should not be more than 491 as the country cannot sustain a bigger CA. On the Mohan Baidhya-led CPN-Maoist threat to disrupt polls, he said, “The polls are inevitable in November and no one can disrupt them.” Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC alleged that UCPN-M was actively working to disrupt polls by taking up the agendas of other parties. It seems the UCPN-M again wants to capture power by making the incumbent government fail. KC said the NC would not go against the 11-point agreement reached among the major political parties on March 13 and compromise on issues. “If the Maoists backtrack from the agreement, it means they do not want polls in May,” KC said. UML leader Bhim Rawal said his party would not compromise on the threshold provision. “Those leaders who want to secure their own position are protesting the threshold system,” he said. He alleged that those parties that name less than 30 percent candidates in the list under proportional representation system are describing the inclusive system in an inappropriate way as they are guided by personal desire to secure seats in the CA. Madhes based parties are opposing the idea of requirement of the same inclusive principle that applies to bigger parties as it does to them. Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Party Chairman Saratsingh Bhandari said the threshold system must be removed to ensure polls. He demanded that the four-party syndicate system, that is calling the shots in the decision making process related to national political agendas, be scrapped. nnnn