Ilam, Feb. 23: Construction work of the Puwakhola hydropower project has been completed and the task of releasing water from the intake tunnel to the headrace tank has been accomplished today.

Digging of the 4,380 metre long tunnel and the remaining construction work have already been completed, according to project chief Bishnu Bahadur Singh.

Seventyfive per cent of the investment has been made by the Nepal Electricity Authority (nea) while remaining 25 per cent cost has been met by His Majesty’s Government (hmg).

Construction of the project was initiated in 1994-95 and carried out by the Nepalese technicians.

The water of the Puwakhola stream has been channelled through the tunnel from the confluence of the Ghattekhola and the Puwakhola to the head tank at Ward No. 4 of Ilam Municipality.

The water is channelised through the penstock pipe and released to the power house where two turbines will be generating 6,200 kilowatt of power. Necessary machines have already been installed for the generation of power.

However, the water of the Puwakhola stream will not be able to sustain the generation of power for three months in a year, according project chief Singh.

While controlling the Puwakhola stream in this way, water at the rate of 240 litre per second will be released for the conservation of environment and the farmers who are dependent on irrigation project below the intake, it is learnt.

The Project will generate 40.8 million kilowatt hour of electricity on the average in a year.

The cost per unit of the power will be Rs 2.80 and the annual income will be Rs 200 million and the investment will be recovered in fifty years, according to project engineer Bhanubhakta Pokharel.

Bhaktapur, Feb. 23: Nepal Revolutionary Students Association central committee organised an open blood donation programme here to mark  Martyrs Day.

Sixty-nine persons donated their blood at the programme held to commemorate four persons who attained martyrdom on the second day of the Historic People’s Movement of 1990.

President of Nepal Workers Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe mp, giving away certificates to the blood donors, said the younger generation should be motivated to bring about a revolution in the interest of the people and the country.

Central president of the association and journalist Saroj Raj Gosai said a new revolution should be launched in keeping with the ideals of the martyrs.

Various student leaders including Laxmi Bhakta Kuwar also expressed their views at the programme chaired by chairman of ward No. 7 committee of the association Balaram Gosai.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: A high level delegation of Amnesty International led by its General Secretary Pierre Sane called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and held discussions on the problem concerning the Bhutanese refugees.

Likewise, the delegation also met Attorney General Badri Bahadur Karki and held talks on the various aspects of human rights.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23 : CPN-UML Standing Committee member and deputy leader of the Parliamentary Party k. P. Sharma Oli chaired an extended meeting of the action Mobilisation committee formed by the Party Standing Committee here today.

The meeting decided to make public its action programme soon through a press meet.

Biratnagar, Feb. 23: Gyan Bahadur Tamang, a security guard at the  Cooperative Ltd in Biratnagar Municipality Ward No. 5 chased away a gang of armed robbers intending to loot the premises at 3:30 am yesterday and killed one of them while he was jumping the wall, according to the district police office, Morang.

The dead man was identified as 24-year-old Aftab Alam Miya Alias Pappu of ward No. 4 in the Sub-municipality.

The security guard attacked the robbers while they were ransacking a steel cabinet and lockers inside the office room and warehouse of the cooperative. The rest of the robbers fled without taking anything.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, it is learnt. Meanwhile, police superintendent Kalyan Timilsina has awarded Tamang a purse of Rs. 2,000. Robbers had twice before made unsuccessful attempts to rob the cooperative, the police said.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: MinIster for Finance, and Foreign Affairs Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has expressed dissatisfaction over auditing of the Rastriya Beema Sansthan (rbs) or National Insurance Corporation which has not being done for the past four or five years.

Addressing the 33rd anniversary function of the rbs here today, Dr. Mahat said its fiscal work and services also needs to be updated.

Things should be made clear as to why the rbs could not function in a systematic and satisfactory manner, he said, adding that the liberal economic policy pursued after the restoration of democracy in the country has widened and broadened the fiscal sector.

Dr. Mahat also spoke of the need to modernize and enhance the efficiency of the bureaucracy for the progess of the fiscal sector.

Rbs executive chairman Shambhu Prasad Paudel presided.

Sarlahi, Feb. 23: The Sana Guthi (Small Trust) in Sarlahi district held a group Bratbandha or thread ceremony at the district headquarters of Malangwa the other day. Some 10 boys, aged between six to 13 went through the ceremony as per Newar tradition. It cost each of the boys a total of Rs. 701 to undergo the ceremony, member of the Trust Gopal Nandan Karmacharya said.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: General secretary of the cpn-ml Bamdev Gautam has issued a congratulatory message stating that it is a matter of pride for the entire nation that “Caravan”,  a Nepalese motion picture directed by French artiste Eric Valli in collaboration with National Studio has been nominated for the world renowned Oscar Award. In the message he also extended heartly congratulations to the director, producer, co-producer and all artistes associated the picture and wished them success in winning the award.

Kathmandu, Feb 23: Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai is to hold discussions and consultations with Nepali congress mps on February 25 in view of the existing political deadlock, according to the Prime Minister’s Private Secretariat stated today.

According to a notice issued by the secretariat, discussions will be held with mps from the far western and mid-western regions at 8.30 am that day, with mps from the Western Region at 9.30 pm, mps from the central region at 2.30 pm and mps from the eastern region at 3.30 pm.

The notice has requested the mps concerned to be at the Prime Minister’s residence at Baluwatar at the times fixed.

Bhaktapur, Feb. 23 : The Nepal Cancer Prevention Centre, Bhaktapur is to run a cancer clinic in Bhaktapur.

Oncology specialists Dr. Rajendra Baral and Dr. Arati Shaha will render service at the clinic free of cost, district secretary of the association and coordinator of the proposed clinic Dhanman Shrestha said.