Tourists wait for the sun to break through over the hills in Sarangkot, Pokhara on Tuesday. Although tourist arrivals in Pokhara have increased this year, the frequent bandas, strikes and street protests have reduced the expected number of visitors to the region.
(Photo : Kulchandra Neupane ) Aftermath of Kapilvastu riots (Photographs)
Over Rs 1.5 billion poll budget gone with the wind
The amount, put up by the government and received from the international community was spent for CA poll preparation.
The Election Commission (EC) said it has spent over Rs 510 million and various donor communities have used up over Rs 540 million for election related activities.
Unveiling a report on the expenditure, Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel on Tuesday said that out of Rs 1.28 billion allocated in fiscal year 2006/007 the Commission spent Rs 234 million to update the electoral rolls.
In 2007/008, the government had released Rs 287.1 million from its annual budget of Rs 1.911 billion for election purposes, and the Commission has already spent Rs 118 million.
According to Pokharel, the preliminary estimate of the total expenditure to date at the center and district level is Rs 281 million.
Similarly, Pokharel informed that various foreign countries mainly the US, UK, India, China, Japan, Denmark, Austria, Canada, Norway and Korea andincluding international donor agencies, provided technical and logistic assistance worth Rs 540 million.
"The EC has not received assistance in cash from the donor community," he said.
He also said a detailed report on international assistance provided for different social and non-government organizations to launch civic education and voter education campaigns across the country is yet to receive allocations.
Besides, the US had decided to provide US$ 2.8 million to arrange over 500 million ballot papers required for the CA polls, whereas the EC has already set up three wave machines and imported 300 tons of paper needed to print the ballot papers.
In order to carry out voters' education programs by mobilizing over 8,400 volunteer, the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction had released Rs 121 million from its Peace Trust Fund. Similarly, the ministry had released Rs 118 million to train over 234,025 staff and volunteers needed to conduct the polls, whereas the EC has already spent in total Rs 123 million for the above mentioned purpose.
Besides, over 940,000 billboards, stickers and posters and 1,800,000 pamphlets and 3,682,270 invitation cards among other things were printed for the voter education campaign.
Similarly, the EC had allocated Rs 32.65 million for a media campaign across the country.
When asked about exact figures on wasted goods and items that can be used in future, he said, "The budget meant for institutional capacity building and several logistics items can be used, but those documents prepared for the mixed electoral polls on November 22 can perish if the government decides to adopt a different electoral system."
Meanwhile, 24 non-government organizations have already received Rs 162.11 million from different foreign donors to launch media and voter education campaign across the country.
Scores of non-government organizations, which were allowed to observe the election, have received over Rs 90 million for the purpose.
KATHMANDU, Oct 17 - A vehicle driven by Crown Prince Paras hit an escort vehicle from the rear at Chabahil, damaging both vehicles.
Eyewitnesses said Paras escaped serious injury. A van escorting Paras on the way back to Nirmal Niwas from Gokarna hit a traffic divider and derailed before being hit by Paras's vehicle. Paras' vehicle was driven to the crown prince's residence while the escort vehicle was dragged away by a traffic police crane.
Maoists up extortion in Ilam, imply threats
ILAM, Oct 17 - Claiming that it is necessary to start a second Janaandolan to establish a republic in the country, Maoists in the district have recently made it mandatory for civil servants to make 'donations'.
Intensifying their latest extortion drive, Maoists here have written letters to individual teachers and officials, in more than three dozen government offices, including VDCs, instructing them to either pay the demanded sum or contribute physical labor.
The VDC secretaries in the district have received verbal or written instructions from Maoist cadres to contribute Rs 20,000 to Rs 50, 000 from the development budget. Similarly, Maoists have demanded all permanent teachers employed at lower, secondary and higher secondary schools to hand over money equivalent to every Saturday's salary.
The Maoists have also demanded Rs 80,000 to Rs 130, 000 donation from different tea estates in the district.
"The letters we received from Maoists does not bear any official letterhead, party's stamp or even authorized signatures," one of the principals at a secondary school in Western Ilam said showing the letter he received. "They have threatened that anything could happen if we do not give the asked for sum," he said, adding that the cadres told him that they would return after a week.
Meanwhile, VDC secretaries stated that they would not be able to carry out administrative tasks if the Maoists resumed their "old tantrums". "They have been repeatedly coming to us and threatening physical action," a visibly terrified VDC secretary said requesting anonymity, adding, "Perhaps it's time for us to desert the villages again."
Condemning the latest forced donation drive, VDC Secretary Rights Forum in Ilam released a statement recently, stating that "the VDC secretaries will be bound to start a fresh agitation after leaving their respective workplaces if the government did not address
the problem." The statement also deplores the Maoist party for breaching the Comprehensive Peace Accord, claiming that the party cadres this time chose VDC secretaries as their target.
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