Kathmandu, June 8: MPs who took part during special time at the meeting of the House of Representatives today drew the attention of His Majesty’s Government to a report published in India Today, the Maoist problem, voter identity cards, budget allocations and to the inundation problem.
At the outset, Subhas Nemwang of CPN-UML demanded that the government clear its perceptions before the House over the recent report about Nepal in India Today magazine.
Govinda Bahadur Shaha of Nepali Congress asked why talks could not be held between the government and the Maoists despite their utterances about coming to the negotiating table.
He thanked the Political Science Association of Nepal for presenting its Polsan Award to former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.
Hridayesh Tripathi of CPN-UML referred to the demand made for citizenship certificates while photographing for voter identity cards and demanded citizen certificates for people who have not yet received such certificates or inclusion of their names in the voters list.
Sherdhan Rai of CPN-UML said that treatment of patients at Bhojpur district hospital which has a staffing level of three doctors has been hindered due to the absence of doctors and demanded deputation of the doctor assigned there.
Homnath Dahal of Nepali Congress said that the government should make its view on the article published recently in an Indian magazine clear since it tarnishes the image of Nepal
Renu Kumari Yadav of RPP said the budget appropriation was unbalanced and prejudiced and if such a prejudiced budget was going to be formulated what was the point of calling national planning commission members for discussions.
Rishikesh Gautam of NC said adequate budget allocation has not been made for road construction in Bara district constituency No 3.
Bijaya Subba of CPN UML complained that members of the foreign relations and Human Rights Committee who were out to investigate the inhumane incident that took place at Dhaku and Khara had not been allowed to go there on grounds of security, adding that the government had ignored the work done by MPs and parliamentary committees.
Shivaraj Joshi of NC (Dailekh) said NC workers in various VDCs of Dailekh district were under attack from the Maoists and recently two of them were seriously injured. He demanded medical treatment for them and supply of foodgrain to the grain depots.
KP Sharma Oli of CPN UML said construction of a l3.60 km dam on the Rapti river by India 300 meters from the border had led to inundation of nine settlements in Nepal and displacement of l,723 families, and drew attention to the need to immediately hold talks with India and make arrangements to prevent the inundation as well as to accomodate and feed the displaced.
He also said that people had been brought from across the border for photographing for voter identity cards in Jhapa on June 4 and they were later taken by jeep beyond the Mechi bridge.
Sushil Koirala of NC said the report published in India Today was a conspiracy to tarnish Nepal’s image and no amount of condemnation of this is enough. Individuals from politics and various other callings in Nepal had been implicated and the government should take this very seriously, he added.
He also drew the government’s attention to the fact that India was going ahead with building a dam astride the Rapti in such a way as to inundate many villages even though talks had been held in this connection with the minister concerned.