PRESIDENT FILES FOR JAPAN MONDAY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT Kathmandu, 17 June: President Dr. Ram Baran Yavad flies for Japan Monday afternoon for treatment/ medical check-up n recommendation of the medical board. Investigation of his large intestine will be conducted at a well-equipped hospital;. He will be accompanied by 10-member team. Son Dr.Chandra Mohan Yadav and daughter Anita Yadav are accompanying the president. Legal Advisor Surya Dhungel, Personal Physician Yadav Bhatta, a doctor from TU Teaching Hospital, foreign ministry officials and a group of security personnel are accompanying the head of state. nnnn . THREE TRAFFICKERS ARRESTED Kathmandu, 17 June; Three traffickers smuggling 38kg hash in a bus from Birgung to the capital were arrested by drubs enforcement officials Sunday. Umesh Lama, 27, Bir Bahadur Tamang, 38, and Dhana Bahadur Tamang, 37, of Dhading were nabbed from the bus. Nnnn NEA REFUSES COMPENSATION CLAIM OF CHINESE TRISHULI CONTRACTOR Kathmandu, 16 June: Nepal Electricity Authority General Manager Ramchandra Pandey today said NEA has turned down the compensation demanded by the Chinese contractor of Upper Trishuli 3A Hydro Project, The Himalayan Times reports. . Talking to this daily, Pandey, who also heads the Generation and Construction division of NEA, said Northwest Hydro Consulting Engineers, the project consultant, had already rejected the amount quoted by the Chinese contractor. China Gezhouba Group Co had claimed Rs 8 billion from the country’s power-utility as compensation after the NEA board on Wednesday decided to roll back its controversial decision to upgrade the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydro Project. Earlier, NEA had decided to upgrade the project capacity from 60 MW to 90 MW. However, the decision became controversial as it would have escalated the project cost by Rs 4 billion and delayed the construction by three more years Further, the decision gave the contractor, which had completed only 30 per cent of the construction work in 25 months, a free run. Pandey said the division has already directed the project office in Nuwakot and contractors to speed up work to complete the run-of-river project by May 31 next year. “As work progress is below 30 per cent and the contractor has sought two-year term extension, the project can be completed on time if the Chinese contractor continues with the project,” he added. The four trade unions are heading for the project site tomorrow to take stock of project development. nnnn NOC JUNE LOSS Rs.242.1 MILLION Kathmandu, 16 June: Owing to the increase in the prices of petroleum products in the international market, loss of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) would further go up this month (June). As per the new price structure received from the Indian Oil Corporation Sunday, the NOC is likely to face a loss of about Rs. 252.1 million in the month of June this year. The corporation had projected its loss only at Rs.33.8 million as per the price structure it received from IOC 16 days ago. The corporation had made a profit of Rs.80 million in May this year. NOC receives the new price structure from the IOC twice a month. Shiva Prasad Pudasaini, director at the NOC, said that increment in POL product prices in the international market as well as rise in the value of the US dollar would lead to an increase in the loss of the corporation this month. As per the new price structure, the NOC's loss would be bigger that it projected earlier, he said. He informed that the prices of kerosene and cooking gas had not increased in the international market. Based on the new price structure, the corporation will face a loss of Rs. 2.93 in a litre of diesel and Rs. 363.84 in a cylinder of cooking gas. However, NOC will be making a profit of Rs. 5.68 from a litre of petrol, Rs.16.08 from a litre of kerosene and 27.98 from Air Turbine Fuel. Earlier, the corporation faced a loss of Rs. 0.58 in a litre of diesel and Rs. 363.84 in a cylinder of cooking gas. The NOC made a profit of Rs. 8.93 from a litre of petrol, Rs.16.08 from a litre of kerosene and 26.98 from a litre of Air Turbine Fuel. He said that there was no alternative but to adjust the prices of cooking gas to reduce the loss of the NOC. The corporation has been facing around Rs.510 million losses in cooking gas alone. Stating that the NOC has implemented the two-colour gas cylinders, he said that the government has planned to sell the blue cylinders at the cost price. The household consumers will use the red cylinders and the industrial consumers will use the blue ones. He said that the loss of the corporation on LPG will be reduced by 50 per cent after it starts selling the blue-cylinder gas at the cost price. The government had planned to provide a subsidy to the household users, he said adding that the prices of both gas cylinders will be same in the beginning. He said, “We are preparing procedures to adjust the price of gas and provide subsidy to the targeted consumers.” Talking about the loan of the corporation, he said that the corporation was affected as it had to pay the interest of loan regularly. The corporation pays around Rs.180 million interest a month, he said and added that the loan of the corporation has reached Rs.28.51 billion. 11.7 MILLION HAVE REGISTERED FOR 19 NOV.VOTE Kathmandu, 17 June. Following the approval of election ordinance by the President, the Election Commission (EC) has geared up for formulating the related regulations and directives to facilitate the upcoming Constituent Assembly election, The Rising Nepal reports. The bill ordinance meant to amend the CA Member Act-2008 received the Presidential nod along with the announcement of the election last week. "The amendment of the Act requires the new regulations," said EC spokesman Bir Bahadur Rai. Talking with The Rising Nepal, Rai Sunday said that the new poll law had reduced the number of CA members and debarred the persons with criminal records from contesting the election. So, the EC has to devise the regulation accordingly, he said. "The government has provided the EC with the Act. We started preparing regulations and directives from today, which might take 5 to days" he informed. Rai further informed that the EC would issue election code of conduct soon. "However, the EC has already brought the code of conduct informally stating that what the parties should do and what not," he said. After the government announced November 19 as the date for holding CA election, the EC has got down to its business. Around 11.7 million voters have registered their names in the electoral roll. Now it is focusing on finalizing the voter roll, the number of the parties contesting the polls and appointing election officers in districts Nnnn NOC JUNE LOSS RS.252.1 MILLION LOSS Kathmandu, 17 June: Owing to the increase in the prices of petroleum products in the international market, loss of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) would further go up this month (June), The Rising Nepal reports.. As per the new price structure received from the Indian Oil Corporation Sunday, the NOC is likely to face a loss of about Rs. 252.1 million in the month of June this year. The corporation had projected its loss only at Rs.33.8 million as per the price structure it received from IOC 16 days ago. The corporation had made a profit of Rs.80 million in May this year. NOC receives the new price structure from the IOC twice a month. Shiva Prasad Pudasaini, director at the NOC, said that increment in POL product prices in the international market as well as rise in the value of the US dollar would lead to an increase in the loss of the corporation this month. As per the new price structure, the NOC's loss would be bigger that it projected earlier, he said. He informed that the prices of kerosene and cooking gas had not increased in the international market. Based on the new price structure, the corporation will face a loss of Rs. 2.93 in a litre of diesel and Rs. 363.84 in a cylinder of cooking gas. However, NOC will be making a profit of Rs. 5.68 from a litre of petrol, Rs.16.08 from a litre of kerosene and 27.98 from Air Turbine Fuel. Earlier, the corporation faced a loss of Rs. 0.58 in a litre of diesel and Rs. 363.84 in a cylinder of cooking gas. The NOC made a profit of Rs. 8.93 from a litre of petrol, Rs.16.08 from a litre of kerosene and 26.98 from a litre of Air Turbine Fuel. He said that there was no alternative but to adjust the prices of cooking gas to reduce the loss of the NOC. The corporation has been facing around Rs.510 million losses in cooking gas alone. Stating that the NOC has implemented the two-colour gas cylinders, he said that the government has planned to sell the blue cylinders at the cost price. The household consumers will use the red cylinders and the industrial consumers will use the blue ones. He said that the loss of the corporation on LPG will be reduced by 50 per cent after it starts selling the blue-cylinder gas at the cost price. The government had planned to provide a subsidy to the household users, he said adding that the prices of both gas cylinders will be same in the beginning. He said, “We are preparing procedures to adjust the price of gas and provide subsidy to the targeted consumers.” Talking about the loan of the corporation, he said that the corporation was affected as it had to pay the interest of loan regularly. The corporation pays around Rs.180 million interest a month, he said and added that the loan of the corporation has reached Rs.28.51 billion. Nnnn BROTHER RECOUNTS SISTERS BEING SWEPT AWAY BY TRISHULI Kathmandu, 17 June:: Prashant Regmi was clicking pictures when the Trishuli River swept away his three sisters and two of their friends in front of his eyes. He survived since he was suffering from common cold and chose not to play in the River, The Himalayan Times reports.. Four siblings — Prashant, Monika, Rajni and Liza — were in Bharatpur yesterday, while their parents had gone to Kathmandu to bring their daughters Rojita and Samikshya studying in Kathmandu. Rojita recently appeared for Chartered Accountancy last year exam and Samikshya had taken Grade XII examinations. “We decided to go for a picnic to Kurintar. We called Rajni’s close friend Asmita Thapa. We also called Rajni’s friend Janak Rawat from Kathmandu. The couple staying at our house on rent asked us where we were heading to. We lied to them that we were going to a maternal uncle’s house. Five of us boarded a bus at 10:30 am from Pulchowk and left for Kurintar,” 14-year-old Prashant told THT. “After Janak came from Kathmandu, we had our lunch at Riverside Spring Restaurant at around 1 pm and were surfing on our laptop in the park. Janak came up with the idea of clicking pictures on the banks of the Trishuli River. My sisters were reluctant to go, saying they would get late to return home. Nonetheless, we went to the river at around 4 pm. Since I was suffering from common cold, I did not step in the water. I started clicking their photographs from a distance, while they played in the river. “The water level was below their knees. While all five of them were playing in the river, the force of water pulled Monika. Asmita went to rescue her. We were scared after Asmita stepped into the water, as she also started sinking. Liza, Rajni and Janak tried to rescue her but after a while, I could only see four heads and Janak’s hand above water. In no time, all five were under the water. “It happened so quickly. I was at a distance from them and could not go to the river to try and rescue them. I called my father through my sister’s cellphone. It took some time for me to come to grips with the tragedy that unfolded in front of my eyes,” recalled Prashant, the lone survivor in the group, holding back tears. All five still missing Gorkha: The whereabouts of five persons, including three sisters, who were swept away by the Trishuli River on Saturday are yet to be known. SSP Durga Kuwar at Disaster Management Centre said the day-long search operation yielded no result. According to him, four teams, each comprising 11 members, carried out the search at Dharapani, Thauwatar, Manakamana and Devghat areas. Suman Regmi, missing Regmi sisters’ uncle, said fishermen also helped in the search operation. Of the missing Regmi sisters, Rajni, 22, was a health assistant at Bharatpur-based Narayani Community School, Monika, 20, a nurse at Olive Hospital in Bharatpur and Liza, 16, a ninth grader at Bharatpur-based Hidden Garden School. Janak and Asmita, both 21, were their friends. nnnn