HETAUDA: The government of Province 3 has pledged to provide Rs 10 million in relief to the cyclone-hit victims of Bara and Parsa districts.

The cash relief, the government said, would be provided to the victims through the government of Province 2.

A cabinet meeting of Province 3 held on Monday took a decision to this effect.

KATHMANDU: Runway rehabilitation has begun at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in a full-fledged manner since last night. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), which is the regulatory body of aviation sector, has been entrusted for the up-gradation of the runway.

Sitaram Bhandari, Chief at the Air Traffic Controller (ATC), informed that the landing and takeoff of flights have not been disturbed. According to him, a Narrow Body Airbus of Nepal Airlines landed at the TIA this morning while and Jet Airbus took off of its first flight.

Domestic flights are also being operated smoothly from the airport.

The TIA has been closed for 10 hours a day for the next three months from April 1 for rehabilitation. Around 80 meters of the runway have been blacktopped in the first day of renovation, according to Baburam Poudel, Director of Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project of CAAN.

The TIA would limit its service for 14 hours with the effect of renovation for the next three months.

The airport would remain open from 8.00 am to 10 pm every day during the rehabilitation. Earlier, the TIA was providing service from 6.00 am to 3.00 am.

In the course of rehab, the existing pitch of the runway would be removed and new pitch would be rehabilitated.

The CAAN had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese Company, China National Agro Technology International Engineering Corporation for up-gradation of runway. The agreement of Rs 3.75 billion was signed with the company for the blacktopping of runway.

KATHMANDU: A meeting of the Judicial Council is currently underway to make appointments in five vacant posts of the judges at the Supreme Court.

Sources claimed that the meeting is likely to appoint three judges from among the lawyers while the Chief Justice will nominate the rest two.

KATHMANDU: Nepali Cine Artist Sitaram Kattel, who is popularly known as Dhurmus, and Journalist Rabi Lamichhane have distributed  relief materials to cyclone-hit victims in Bara and Parsa districts.

Dhurmus-Suntali Foundation has distributed rice, tarpaulins and noodles. The relief materials were distributed to the windstorm victims in the hardest-hit Feta Rural Municipality in the presence of chairman Amirlal Prasad Sah, said the Foundation.

Earlier, Dhurmus had played a significant role in relief and rescue operations for the earthquake victims of 2015. He has already constructed Integrated Model Settlements in three different places for the quake victims. He is also currently engaged in the construction of International Cricket Ground.

Similarly,  a team led by Journalist Rabi Lamichhane has  distributed relief materials to Bara storm victims. He went to visit hospitals to know the condition of the injured and said in a Facebook status that he has some food stuffs in stock for few days.

Meanwhile, the government has directed the Home Ministry to intensify the relief distribution work. A cabinet meeting held on Monday directed the ministry to this effect. An emergency cabinet meeting of Province 2 also decided to provide Rs 300,000 to each family of the deceased and formed a five-member high level committee led by Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Gyanendra Yadav in response to the cyclone victims.

At lest 27 died and over 500 sustained critical injuries when a deadly cyclone hit Bara and Parsa districts on Sunday evening.

KATHMANDU:  Facebook on Monday deleted as many as 687 Facebook pages and accounts of main opposition Indian National Congress (Congress I) of India.

With the general election just around the corner, social networking giant deleted accounts saying that the the party violated cyber law.

Facebook said it deleted  Facebook accounts of Congress I for insulting the rival party leaders by creating fake accounts and disseminating misleading information.

India is holding general elections from April 11 to 19.

KATHMANDU: Meteorologists have said the devastating cyclone that lashed at Bara and Parsa of Province 2 on Sunday evening had been caused by local and westerly winds.

“The unprecedented deadly gale that caused a huge loss of lives and property ran at the speed of 45 to 55 kilometers per hour. It occurred beyond prediction,” said Meteorological Forecasting Division, Kathmandu.

According to Sarju Kumar Baidhya, Director General of the Division, it was caused by the local and westerly winds. Even though it cannot be exactly said at what speed the gale ran but it can be guessed that the speed was of around 45 to 55 kilometers per hour.

He further said that the destructive wind started in Pokhara before it entered into Bara via Chitwan.

At least 27 people died and over 500 sustained critical injuries in the cyclone in Bara and Parsa.

KATHMANDU: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank of Nepal, has incinerated Nepali bank notes worth Rs 476,091,900,000 so far. The NRB destroyed the bank notes which had been already tattered, soiled and damaged.

According to NRB, it destroyed Rs 58,281,997,333 bank notes as of April 1 in the ongoing fiscal year 2018/19. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2017/18, it destroyed bank notes worth Rs 40,5770338 while Rs 25,754,210,495 were incinerated in the fiscal year 2016/17.

Likewise, in the fiscal year 2015/16, the bank destroyed Rs 26,277,843,000 old, tattered, soiled and damaged notes.

NRB destroys such kinds of old, tattered, soiled and damaged notes so as not to let them come into use.

BHAKTAPUR: Ramechhap district In-charge of the Netra Bikram Chand Biplav-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has been arrested on Monday.

The arrested leader is Yadav Dhungel, 38, of Chauri Deurali of Ramechhap district.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rewati Raman Pokharel, Dhungel was taken under control by a squad from the District Police Office, Bhaktapur, from Surya Binayak.

KATHMANDU: Nepali leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane of Delhi Capitals ended his four overs bowling spell grabbing two wickets in the match against Kings XI Punjab on Monday.

He took wicket of Sam Curran at 3.5 overs and of Sarfaraz Khan at 13.5 overs of the match. Sandeep gave 27 runs in his bowling spell.

KATHMANDU: A meeting of Council of Ministers on Monday evening decided to carry out rescue and relief operations in the windstorm-hit areas in coordination with the state government.

The meeting also decided to bear the treatment cost of those injured in the tragedy while expressing sadness over the calamity.