FORMER KING VISITING JALESHWOR THURSDAT Kathmandu, 20 June: While saying he was ‘concerned’ with the current situation and saying nobody should be ‘sidelined; calling for inclusiveness in neighbouring Dhanushaa one day earlier, former Jung Gyanendra visits neighbouring Jaleshwor in Mohottari Thursday. A couple was shot and injured in Mohottari Wednesday for defying a bandh called by a terai outfit to disrupe the then king’s visit. The then king was accorded a civic reception in Dhanusha and received spontaneously by thousands of people. DEPRECIATION OF RUPPEE AGAINST US DOLLAR CONTINUES Kathmandu, 20 June: The Nepali rupee’s depreciation against the uS dollar continued. Nepal Rashtra Bank fixed Thursday’s exchange rate at Rs.94.25 to one dollar. Dollar has gained as the Indian rupee also deprecated against the greenback. Nnnn CCHAIRMAN REGMI ORDERS IMMEDIATE COMPLETION OF VALLEY ROAD RECO0NSTRUCTION Kathmandu, 20 June:, Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi issued Wednesday issued directives to expedite the ongoing road widening campaign in the Kathmandu Valleym The Rising Nepal reports.. During the meeting of the high level road expansion monitoring committee, Regmi directed the officials to complete maximum works this month. “Make efforts to complete as much as works in Asar (mid-June to mid-July) coordinating with telephone, electricity and drinking water authorities by respecting the existing legal provisions and without any selfish interests,” he said. He also instructed to monitor the works of the contractors and provide compensations immediately. Chhabiraj Panta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development, asked to stress additional focus on the ongoing works. Chief Secretary Lilamani Poudel directed to work as per the existing legal provisions. Krishna Hari Baskota, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, who is also the coordinator of the road expansion drive in the capital, said that the meeting decided to gravel the road as soon as possible as there was difficulty in movement due to rains. The roads have turned muddy and the movement has become difficult, he said. “The meeting decided to gravel the roads immediately and clear the roads of debris.” He said that the meeting also decided to keep maximum vigilance on the works as there could be substandard works during the rainy season. Nnnn EC BEGINS ELECTION TALKS WITH PARTIES, INCLUDING OPPOSITION Kathmandu, 20 June:: A day after the Election Commission (EC) made public its Constituent Assembly Election Work Plan - 2013, the constitutional body Wednesday held discussions with the four major political forces, along with some agitating parties for holding the CA elections in a free, fair and credible manner, Amarendra yadv writes in The Rising Nepal.. The EC had invited the UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress (NC), CPN-UML, United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) and the three agitating parties- the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist, the Upendra Yadav-led Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Nepal and the Ashok Rai-led Federal Democratic Party-Nepal but the CPN-Maoist skipped the meeting held at the EC central office in Kantipath, Kathmandu. It was the first EC meeting with the major and agitating political parties after the Commission Thursday announced November 19 as the date for the new Constituent Assembly polls. The meeting between the EC officials and the leaders of the seven parties discussed the matters related to the ongoing election preparation of the both sides and the EC future strategy for holding the elections on November 19. According to the EC spokesperson Bir Bahadur Rai, the party leaders was updated about the progress of the EC for holding the CA election on time as well as informed about the EC’s future work plan during the meeting. Talking to The Rising Nepal over phone, Rai said that the party leaders pledged that their parties would fully coopretate the constitutional body to conduct the announce elections on time in a free, friar and credible manner. The EC also presented the poll process work plan published on Tuesday to the leaders during the meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Uprety. Talking to the Rising Nepal after the meeting, Rameshwor Ray Yadav, senior vice-president of the Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar-led Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Democratic, a constituent of the UDMF, said, they promised to the EC that they would not left any stone unturned to conduct the scheduled CA election in free and fair manner. Madhesi leader Yadav also said that the four major forces were ready to be more flexible in order to incorporate the agitating parties in the poll process, adding that the High Level political Committee was trying its best to bring the poll-opposing parties on board to make the election a big success. Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Nepal central advisor Amaresh Narayan Jha, who also attended the meeting, said that his party was fully positive towards the CA polls but the government and the four major parties should address this party’s demands regarding how to make fresh CA election meaningful. Apart from Yadav and Jha, UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, NC vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel and UCPN-Maoist general secretary Post Bahadur Bogati were present at the meeting. nnnn