IMPORT, DISTRIBUTION OF TWO ENERGY DRINKS BANNED Kathmandu, 3 June: Government has banned the import, distribution and sale of energy drinks Red Star and Rhino-S. Government took the decision Sunday. It ha asked distributors to recall the drinks from the market. Government through a notice in Monday’s newspapers. Government didn’t mention the county here the drinks were manufactures. Details of the drinks’ contents as required by law aren’t mentioned, the Labels. But such drinks are normally imported from Inia and Southeast Asian countries. Nnnn NO INDIAN PLAN TO WITHDRAW FROM KOSHI DESPITE NEPAL REQUEST Kathmandu, 3 June: In an apparent indication that it does not have any immediate plan to close its ‘controversial’ camp office at Biratnagar, India has said that the purpose of the establishment of the unit is yet to be fulfilled, Mahesh Acharya/Devendra Bhattarai write in the Kathmandu Post from New Delhi.. India n official sources told the Post that the office’s continuation is essential as embankment works at the cross-border Koshi river were ongoing. The camp office was established under the India n embassy in 2008 primarily to issue route permits to the Nepali vehicles to enter the India n territory after a 13-kilometre section of the east-west highway was damaged due to the floods in the Koshi river. The government of Nepal, however, wrote twice to New Delhi requesting the closure of the office over the last two years saying that the ‘primary purpose of the office was accomplished’. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent two separate letters in January 2011 and February 2013 apprising the India n government that the traffic flow had already been normalised following the maintenance of the damaged section of the east-west highway some four years ago. Apparently, the India n side has a different story to impart. “The process of embankment is still under way. We spent IRs 21 crores last year on the embankment and this year we plan to spend IRs 26 crores,” said India n official sources, arguing that the purpose of the office was yet to be achieved. The India n side has also said it wants to continue the office to handle the traffic that could be created after the completion of the Jogbani-Biratnagar Integrated Check Post (ICP). “The construction of the ICP is under way and once it is operational, the traffic will be very high. So we will need the base office to handle that,” added the sources. Call against shutting down Biratnagar office The Biratnagar branch of the Nepal India Friendship Association has demanded the continuation of the India n field office in Biratnagar. In a statement published on the Gorkhapatra daily on May 19, the association said, “Our serious attention has been drawn regarding news reports about the India n field office in Biratnagar. The contact office has been facilitating thousands of students to apply for India n scholarships.” Moreover, the association claimed the office is instrumental in running India -funded projects in the region, providing permits for Nepali vehicles to enter India and helping India n nationals who travel to Nepal. “The field office is also helping traders sort out their problems at the local level,” the statement read. “If the field office is closed, its service seekers in the region will have to travel to Kathmandu, which is time consuming and costly.” The association also asked the stakeholders concerned not to close the office and deny local people services from the office. Meanwhile, some Biratnagar-based youth organisations have also submitted memoranda to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathamndu and urged the authorities not to shut the field office. “We have received at least three applications addressing the Foreign Minister and the foreign secretary,” an official at the ministry said. Nnnn ROAD TAX CENTERS RAIDED BY CIAA Kathmandu, 3 June: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Sunday raided the road tax collection centres on the Prithvi Highway acting on a complaint about rampant irregularities, The Kathmandu Post reports.. After raiding the road tax collection centres in Dharke and Majhimar, CIAA officials found that staffers mobilised by the Division Road Office, Bharatpur, were collecting road tax from vehicles plying the highway without receipts. A CIAA team seized Rs 590,000 during the raid at Dharke road tax collection point and the employer’s house. The team, which was deployed based on special intelligence, also raided the Majhimtar road tax collection and seized Rs 436,000. The officials also confiscated misused receipts, bank vouchers and various other valuable documents. CIAA spokesperson Krishna Prasad Dhungana said the anti-graft body is investigating the matter. The Road Board and Road Division offices are collecting road tax from the vehicles on some highways. CIAA and Hello Sarkar and other authorities concerned have been receiving several complaints about the misuse of road tax and other anomalies prevalent on the highways. nnnn