BHIMDATTANAGAR: Deputy Superintendent of Police Angur GC dragged into the rape and subsequent murder of Nirmala Panta reported to the district court on Monday.

Recording GC’s statement has started, said registrar Hari Krishna Awasthi. The court on March 10 had ordered GC to present in the court acting on separate cases filed against GC and other suspects by Nirmala’s mother Durga Devi and Khadka Bista.

BIRATNAGAR: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Ishwar Pokharel remembered late Nepal Communist Party leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari as a multi-dynamic leader.

“He (Adhikari) had the efficiency to bring all together. His dreams, ideology and contributions would benefit the party for long,” he said at a condolence assembly organized on Monday here in memory of late Adhikari by the Morang district committee of the NCP.

KATHMANDU: Property of late King Birendra and his family is being leased out in far less amount, thanks to the mismanagement on part of the Office of the Nepal Trust.

The Trust now has a property of total 532 ropanis of land in 12 districts. It has 2, 30,102 units of shares in the share market. Similarly, the Trust has a cash deposit of over Rs.380 million. It also has a cash deposit of pound sterling 48,466 and USD 1, 37,000 at various banks.

Nepal Trust Act, section 5 stipulates that the property under it should be utilized for greater public benefit and in contributing towards national interest, and in the sectors of education and health.

However, the Trust lacks any plans or vision on the utilization of huge property belonging to the former royal family, now under it.

Section 25 of the Act entitles the Trust to formulate regulations on the use of the fixed assets. The Trust has not yet enacted any regulations.

A report by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) states that the Trust is unable to utilize the property belonging to the late King.

“The Trust does not have an updated record of the persons leasing the property, and the rent levied in lieu of the rented property,” said Bishnu Prasad Rijal, spokesperson at OAG.

Kathmandu Business Park is located in Teku, one of the commercial hubs of the capital city. Several structures stand on the leased land. However, its monthly lease amount comes to a mere Rs. 333,000 which is very cheap given the existing rate in the area. A similar calculation shows that the monthly rates of other leased property at other places within the capital are quite nominal.

The Trust has been leasing out the property of the late king and his family members at rates far cheaper to the prevalent market price. This is reflected in the list below.

CHITWAN: Senior leader of Nepal Communist Party, Madhav Kumar Nepal today said the state should initiate action in the face of challenged posed by group.

The state is not a helpless entity, he said at a program in Chitwan.

The former Prime Minister Nepal termed the government’s move to bring CK Raut to mainstream politics.

On the occasion, Nepal further stated that all disgruntled sides should be brought into confidence. “The government should call them for talks,” he said.

BIRGUNJ: More than 1,400 households of Tangiya settlement at Jitpursimara Sub-Metropolitan City in Bara district do not have land ownership certificate. They are forced to live as landless squatters.

Though such number of families from different communities including Brahman, Chhetri, Tamang and Bishwokarma has been living there since the last 44 years, they have not yet been provided with land ownership certificate.

A local woman leader, Pabitra Sundar, said that they are now worried whether they would be shifted from there after the construction of the second international airport. Around four billion rupees has been estimated to shift the settlement.

Mayor of Jitpursimara Sub-Metropolitan City, Dr Krishna Poudel, said, “We are considering three nearby places—Pasaha, Haraiya and Tamagadhi for shifting these families and a study was underway in this connection.”

BIRATNAGAR: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, Ishwor Pokhrel said the army will be mobilized only with the decision of the National Security Council.

Talking to journalists at Biratnagar Airport on Monday, Minister Pokhrel said the army can be mobilized only after the President approves a proposal brought by the Prime Minister in the capacity of the Chair of the Council and endorsed by the meeting of the Council of Ministers, if the Council’s meeting cannot take place.

He added that such a proposal has to be approved by the House of Representatives (HoR) a month after the army mobilization. Minister Pokhrel further maintained that it would be wrong to say that the Prime Minister can alone mobilize the army.

On the occasion, he said talks would be held with the Biplav-led faction only if it abandoned arms. “The government will not hold talks with a faction raising arms,” he said.

KATHMANDU: The Meteorological Forecasting Division has forecast light and moderate rainfall in most parts of the country, including in Kathmandu this evening.

This has been attributed to the influence of the Westerly winds. The Division said there is a possibility of intermittent to light rain accompanied by thunder in the western region as well as in the hilly region.

The influence of the Westerly wind will be seen in the western region, Meteorologist Ganga Nagarkoti said adding that the weather in the central and eastern region will be gradually affected in the evening

According to Nagarkoti, the hilly areas will remain generally cloudy.

DHARAN: Morang Police has made four murder-accused public after arrest. Police arrested them for their alleged involvement in the murder of Nimesh Tamang at Bagainchaline in Dharan Sub Metropolitan City during Holi festival.

The arrested are Sushanta Limbu, 18, of Dharan Sub Metropolitan City-9, Manish Lawati Limbu, 18, of Dharan-7, Nishchal BK, 17,  and Sharan Rai of Sunsari, said DSP Gyan Prasad Phuyal.

They had gone into hiding after murdering Tamang in cold blood with a sharp knife over minor dispute that erupted while celebrating Holi.

Police said they have started investigation after filing a murder case against them.

INARUWA: A fire gutted four houses at Bhokraha Narsingh rural municipality-2, in Sunsari, police said.
According to the police, properties worth Rs 1.2 million were burnt. The fire destroyed houses of locals, including Deep Narayan Sharma, Ram Prasad Sharma, Satya Narayan Sharma, and Budh Narayan Sharma, police said.

The fire was doused with the help of police, locals, and fire engine.