One of the most favourite spots for protesters and demonstrators has now been made off-limits for them by the government.

The District Administration Office of Kathmandu has banned rallies, protests, sit-ins and demonstrations from the roundabout of Maitighar Mandala.

Stating that the decision was taken in consideration of the city environment and aesthetic beauty, the DAO has asked protestors to stay away from the place.

Khula Manch or the Open Theater, however, has been designated as the alternative to the demonstrators. nepalnews.com sd Nov 03 08

A meeting between the government and the transporters to review the public transportation fare ended inconclusively on Monday with the latter refusing to lower the fares commensurate with the reduced price of petrol and diesel.

During the meeting held at the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, representatives of the Transport Entrepreneurs National Federation insisted that they were unable to lower the fares right now because of increased operation costs including the passenger insurance, which is their liability.

Saroj Situala of the federation told reporters after the meeting that operators are in favour of long-term policy on transportation fares rather than adjusting the fares every time the prices of petroleum products change. The government according to him, is also positive about introducing a long-term and scientific policy on transformation fares.

Minister for Labour and Transport Management Lekhraj Bhatt, who was present at the meeting, however said the fares must be reduced in proportion with the recent cuts in fuel prices.

Within a couple of weeks, the government reduced the price of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel twice owing to the decline in oil prices in the international market.

The government representatives and the transporters will again sit for talks over the issue some time next week.

eanwhile, the airlines operators have decided to reduce the fuel surcharge on air tickets by 50 to 300 rupees depending on the flight distance.

A meeting of the Airlines Operation Association Nepal today took this decision. nepalnews.com mk Nov 03 08

Sher Bahadur Deuba
Former prime minister and senior Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday lashed out at the Maoists for running the government in a “authoritarian manner” and said any decision made by the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) would be unacceptable to the party.

Addressing a mass assembly of party activists in Tikapur of Kailali today, Deuba said that the Maoists are running the government in an authoritarian manner rather than through consensus and that his party has started the nationwide awareness campaign chiefly to oppose it.

He also accused the Maoist led government of trying to tamper with the national security by trying to integrat PLA combatants into Nepal Army, and adding that since the AISC was formed unilaterally without any consultation with political parties the decision taken by it would be unacceptable to his party.

He also called on the Maoists to return the seized property to its rightful owners.

Deuba’s remarks comes a day after NC and CPN (UML) accused the Maoist led government of foul playing, saying that some of the points included in the 20-point Terms of reference for the AISC contradicts past pacts and understandings. nepalnews.com Nov 03 08

Parties, including those in the coalition government, have stressed the need to reconstitute the army integration special committee before it begins its work.

Speaking at an interaction programme Monday, Maoist leader C. P. Gajurel said the committee has to be reconstituted involving Nepali Congress to ensure that works of army integration and rehabilitation go smoothly.

Rejecting the demand for equal number of members from all political parties, Gajurel insisted his party must have two members in the committee, one each representing the government and the party since the integration is linked with party’s armed force.

CPN (UML) leader Pradip Gyawali urged parties not to make the special committee as a contentious issue, the committee has to be reconstituted to include NC. Without involvement of NC, the process of army integration will not be completed, he said.

Nepali Congress vice president Gopal Man Shrestha reiterated his party’s stand not to join the committee unless it is reconstituted. He also stressed the need to include other parties such as Terai Madhes Loktaktrik Party in the committee. He said decision by four big parties cannot be regarded as a decision of national consensus.

Leader of TMLP Hridesh Tripathi argued that the ruling parties established the committee without consulting other parties represented in the parliament and warned to disrupt the parliamentary proceedings if the committee is not reconstituted. nepalnews.com ia Nov 03 08

Education minister and member of the government’s talks team, Renu Yadav, today said talks with armed groups operating in Terai would start immediately after Chhath, a major festival of Terai people.

Speaking to reporters in Biratnagar, minister Yadav said the government talks team is in contact with insurgent groups through certain links and that formal dialogue would start after once the venue is fixed.

She said talks are likely soon after Chhath festival that falls on Nov 4, but didn’t reveal which of the numerous outfits were in contact with the government team.

The government recently three-member ministerial team led by peace minister Janardan Sharma to hold talks with armed groups active in Terai plains and eastern hills, but it has not said anything whether separate talks would be held with all armed groups. nepalnews.com mk Nov 03 08

The tourist season has attracted 16.3 percent more visitors in October compared to the same month last year, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said.

According to NTB, number of visitors via air in October has reached 50,567, which is highest in a month since 2000. With this, the total number of visitors till October 2008 has reached 307,748, representing an increase of 4 percent in comparison to the same period last year.

Arrivals from South Asian nations have shown positive growth of 26.3 percent with Bangladesh and Pakistan registering growth by 73.9 percent and 35.3 percent respectively, except for arrivals from Sri Lanka which have decreased by 5.9 percent. India, the largest tourist generating market for Nepal, maintained a steady growth of 14 percent in October also.

Similarly, arrivals from other Asian countries, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and China have maintained the upward trend with 150.4 percent, 53.2percent, 24.4 percent, 23.2 percent and 1.6 percent of growth respectively while arrivals from Japan witnessed negative growth by 10.9 percent.

UK, Israel, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, United sates and Canada have also maintained the increasing trend in the arrival figures. However, visitors from Italy and Spain have gone down by 13.2 percent and 7.5 percent respectively. nepalnews.com ia Nov 03 08

A partner in the current coalition government Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) has warned of quitting the government if ‘all’ Maoist combatants are integrated into the national army.

MJF chief and Foreign Minister Upendra yadav told journalists in Parsa Monday that his party is against the idea of wholesale integration between a politically indoctrinated forced and the Nepal Army.

However, stressing the need to manage the Maoist army for concluding the peace process, Yadav suggested involving PLA in Industrial Security Force, border security force or help them find jobs in foreign countries. But Yadav also said some of the combatants, who meet the set standards for entry into NA, can be merged into the national army force.

Saying that the government was formed on the basis of joint commitments and consensus, Yadav said party would not continue with the current government if the consensus is violated.

He also informed that the government is working to hold talks with rebel groups operating in Terai. nepalnews.com ia Nov 03 08

The global economic crisis is putting a dent in funds sent to poor South Asian countries by nationals working abroad amid fears their armies of cheap workers will become redundant, reports Agence France Presse (AFP).

Millions of families in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka rely on remittances from relatives working in construction or as domestic servants in booming southeast Asian and Gulf nations.

Unskilled workers can often save in a month what they could in a year back home, helping prop up shaky balance of payments in their domestic economies.

But recruiters told AFP this is now under threat after oil prices fell to a near two-year low of 61 dollars per barrel and as the worst global financial turmoil since the 1930s grips the developed world.

“Oil prices have tumbled which will sharply slow down demand for our workers in the Gulf’s booming construction industry in coming months. Other jobs will also take a hit,” Golam Mostafa, president of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies told AFP.

Bangladesh sent a record 832,000 people abroad in 2007, many of whom landed jobs in oil-rich Gulf countries after sky-rocketing crud prices led to a construction boom in the Middles East.

In the past fiscal year migrant workers pumped eight billion dollars into the Bangladeshi economy accounting for 12 percent o its gross domestic product.

In Nepal, 2.2 million overseas workers contribute about one billion dollars a year to the economy, according to the Department of Labour, which says the economic crisis has already hit the remittances inflow. “Our preliminary reports say that there has been a drop of between five to 10 percent in the numbers going abroad in September and October,” department spokesman Shsyam Khatri Chetri said.

“We are anticipating a further fall in the numbers leaving.”

In the capital Kathmandu Binod Karki has been sending around 100 workers to Malaysia everyt month for the past five years, but cutbacks have started to bite.

“Since the crash, demand for factory workers has been completely dried up,” said Karki.

Meanwhile, a high-level committee headed by Vice-Chairman of National Planning Commission Dr. Pitambar Sharma has been formed by the government to study the possible fall out of the global financial melt down on Nepal’s economy and make necessary policy-level recommendations to the government to tackle the crisis.

The 7-member committee comprises Nepal Rastra Bank acting governor Krishna Bahadur Manandhar, finance secretary Rameshwore Khanal, senior advisor of the finance ministry Shree Ram Paudel, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Kush Kumar Josh and Nepal Bankers Association President Radhesh Pant as members nepalnews.com ag Nov 03 08

The government has formed a taskforce to study the likely consequences of global financial meltdown on Nepal.

The taskforce is headed by Dr. Pitambar Sharma, vice chairman of National Planning Commission.

The taskforce includes acting governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Krishna Bahadur Manandhar, Finance Secretary Rameshwore Khanal, economic advisor at the Ministry of Finance Shriram Poudel, president of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kush Kumar Joshi, and president of Nepal Bankers Association Radhes Pant as members.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry Bimal Wagle has been appointed as the member secretary of the taskforce.

The taskforce has been formed as experts have pointed at adverse effects on Nepalese exports, remittance earning and tourism, among others, due to the global crisis. nepalnews.com sd Nov 03 08

The Supreme Court today issued show cause notice to the government regarding the five percent ‘education service tax’ introduced through the new budget last month.

Following preliminary hearing in a case jointly filed by Institutional Schools Association Nepal (ISAN), Nepal Law Society and Guardians’ Association, a single bench of Justice Gauri Dhakal ordered the government to furnish clarification on the service tax.

The petitioners said the tax is unjustifiable and should be revoked. It also says the tax is against the constitutional provision that guarantees free education up to secondary level to every citizen.

The Inland Revenue Department issued notice to private schools, urging them to comply with the tax policy.

While the private school operators have opposed the service tax which they say will be an extra burden on guardians education minister Renu Yadav has repeatedly said the government would not revoke it. nepalnews.com mk Nov 02 08