Submit your Article

The Tenth Aviation Safety Campaign in Nepal started on Monday. This four-day event comprises two separate two-day training sessions, targeting both pilots and stakeholders within the aviation industry.

The event organized in Kathmandu, with Prem Nath Thakur, deputy director general of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN), serving as the program's chairperson. Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, joint secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, was invited as the chief guest.

Other notable attendees included Capt Sameer Sajet, head of the Regional Aviation Safety Office of the World Food Program (WFP) in the UAE; Anoj Rimal, acting president of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN); and Manoj Karki, general secretary of AOAN.

Rimal emphasized that safety has consistently been a top priority for Nepali airline operators. Capt Sajet from WFP stated that Nepal plays a vital role in various sectors, underscoring the need for stakeholders to uphold airline safety standards to bolster the nation's sectors. He also mentioned WFP’s efforts to modernize aviation safety through computer-based training.

CAAN Deputy Director General Thakur acknowledged the challenges faced by airline companies under the current circumstances and highlighted the significance of programs like Aviation Safety Campaign in improving the safety and quality of Nepal’s aviation industry. He stressed that CAAN and airline operators are interdependent and can achieve better outcomes through collaboration and coordination.

Chief Guest Lamichhane underscored the importance of aviation safety training sessions. He noted that such programs benefit both airline operators and the general public. Considering aviation safety as an ongoing concern, he remarked that countries worldwide are actively working to enhance aviation safety standards.

Koshi Province Chief Minister Uddhav Thapa won a vote of confidence from the provincial Parliament on Monday.

Province Assembly member Israel Mansuri, who presided over the Province Assembly, announced that Thapa won the vote of confidence.

In the 93 Province Assembly, Thapa garnered 47 votes while 30 lawmakers cast their votes against Thapa.

Mansuri said that 77 lawmakers were present in the meeting held on Monday.

With India reeling under tomato shortage, the export of Nepali tomatoes to the southern neighbor has surged dramatically in the past one month. Nepal has exported 670 tons of tomatoes to India in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August).

The preliminary data of the Department of Customs shows tomatoes worth Rs 8.7m were exported from Nepal to India. According to traders, the shortage of tomatoes in the Indian market has increased demand for Nepali tomatoes, resulting in a sharp rise in exports. The demand for Nepali tomatoes has increased especially from border Indian cities.

The Customs Department officials said major customs offices saw a huge shipment of tomatoes from Nepal to India in the past one month, especially through Birgunj, Bhairahawa, and Kakarbhitta customs. According to Shovakant Poudel, Director General at the Customs Department, tomatoes were exported to India in high volume in the last one month. According to traders, 15-20 tons are being exported to India from Birgunj, the main custom point of the country.

Due to substantial exports of tomatoes by Nepali traders to India, the domestic markets are grappling with supply limitations, leading to significant price surges. The wholesale price of large tomatoes rose steeply by a staggering 385 percent, from Rs 35 per kg to an astonishing Rs 170 per kg.

With traders preferring exports to India, the supply of tomatoes to Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market has declined by 50 percent. “The supply of tomatoes has fallen to 35 tons per day from earlier 65 tons,” said Binay Shrestha, information officer at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board. According to Shrestha, the local market in Kathmandu is currently getting tomatoes from three neighboring districts—Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur.

The tomato exports to India surged in the last two months as the southern neighbor experienced a shortage of tomatoes. While Nepal has been requesting India to facilitate the imports of vegetables including tomatoes, the southern neighbor has restricted the tomato imports.

However, faced with a shortage and steep price rise, India in the first week of August lifted import restrictions on tomatoes. The relaxation of quarantine rules for Nepali tomatoes will last till October 31, according to officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

Tomato production decreased in India, especially in the top 10 tomato-producing states - Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, leading to a steep price rise.

Given the Indian restriction, tomatoes have never been among Nepal’s significant export items to India, despite the country’s export of various agricultural products like tea, cardamom, cabbage, and ginger. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the top three export commodities to India were refined palm oil, soybean oil, and cardamom.

However, tomato exports to India did surge in the last fiscal year to 1094 tons compared to 40 kg in 2021/22.  Interestingly, these 1094 tons of exports happened in Ashar (mid-June to mid-July), which is the last month of the Nepali fiscal year.

Nepali farmers grow tomatoes on 22,600 hectares and produce more than 432,000 tons annually, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, Nepali farmers cultivate tomatoes across an area of over 22,000 hectares and produce over 400,000 tons annually. In 2021/22, Nepal produced 422,703 tons of tomatoes on 22,911 hectares.

However, Nepal still imports a huge quantity of tomatoes from India every year. The latest data from Customs Department shows the country imported 42,105.60 tons of tomatoes totaling Rs 610.86m in 2022/23.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists has warned the Civil Aviation Authority to immediately withdraw the clarification sought over the news published in the Annapurna Post national daily.

The FNJ concluded that asking for clarification in an illegal way is objectionable and against the constitutional concept of press freedom, reads a letter signed by FNJ General Secretary Roshan Puri.

The federation has warned the CAAN to withdraw the clarification asked in an illegal way by respecting the constitutionally-guaranteed rights to expression and press freedom.

Objecting to the news published by AMN outlets, including the Annapurna Post national daily, the CAAN on August 18 had sought clarification from Simrik Air Chairman Capt Rameshwar Thapa, who also chairs the Annapurna Media Network (AMN).

ALSO READ: Editorial: CAAN should come clean

The authority has been widely criticized for its move to ask for clarification for the news published in the national daily.

The FNJ said that its serious attention has been drawn over the clarification sought by the CAAN over the news published in the Annapurna Post national daily under the Annapurna Media Network among other media outlets.

“There are prevailing provisions and methods for seeking legal remedies if anyone has grievances or is dissatisfied with the news materials published in the media outlets. The responsibility of the news published in any of the media outlets rests on the shoulder of the editor,” the federation said, adding,” It cannot be justifiable from any point of view to ask clarification from a person by the state body who is not in the editorial team by curtailing the editorial freedom.”

The clarification letter states that AMN has repeatedly disseminated news, analyses, and comments that gravely undermine flight safety. The letter further points out that despite Capt Thapa’s role as the head of an airline company responsible for upholding flight safety, he seems to have misused his publishing rights through his media outlet, engaging in misleading and rumor-spreading activities.

ALSO READ: CAAN move condemnable

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 12. 93 points to close at 1,998.28 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 50 points to close at 382. 62 points.

 A total of 4,163,872-unit shares of 272 companies were traded for Rs 1. 40 billion.

Meanwhile, Laxmi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd and Kutheli Bukhari Small Hydropower Limited were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Menchhiyam Hydropower Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 7. 99 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 99 trillion.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee unanimously endorsed Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha as the Chief Justice.

A meeting of the Committee held in Singha Durbar on Monday made a decision to unanimously endorse the name of Shrestha.

Janata Samajbadi Party lawmaker and Committee member Prakash Adhikari informed that the name of Shrestha has been unanimously endorsed as the Chief Justice.

“The Parliamentary Hearing Committee unanimously endorsed Shrestha as the Chief Justice. Now, the government will make preparations to administer the oath of office and secrecy,” he said.

Shrestha had presented his action plan before the Committee.

Prior to this, the Committee had addressed the complaints it received against the proposed Chief Justice.

As per the constitutional provision, the recommendation for the appointment of Chief Justice shall be made by the Constitutional Council and it requires to be endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee before the President makes appointment to the post.

Shrestha has been taking charge of the acting Chief Justice since August 5 after erstwhile Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki was retired due to age-limit.

The Constitutional Council on August 3 had nominated the senior-most Judge of the Supreme Court Shrestha (63) as the Chief Justice.  

The Committee on August 9 had sought complaints, if any, against the proposed Chief Justice, and it had received three complaints.  

The complaint was required to be in decent language and supported by evidence.

Born in Doti in 1959, he had joined the government service as the section officer in 1981.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police recorded the statements of former prime minister duo Baburam Bhattarai and Madhav Kumar Nepal in connection with the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The statements of the former prime ministers were recorded at a time there were rumors that the CIB was preparing to submit the investigation report without interrogating Bhattarai and Nepal.

Meanwhile, taking to Facebook, Bhattarai said that he informed the CIB about the truth after various questions were raised regarding the decision taken by his cabinet.

“I have fulfilled my duty by giving truthful information to the CIB as per my public commitment regarding the questions related to the decision taken by his Cabinet in the Lalita Niwas land scam during my tenure,” he said.

He expressed his belief that this case will be a milestone to end all types of corruption and irregularities.

The Bhattarai’s Secretariat said that Bhattarai responded to all the questions against him by calling the CIB officials at his house.

Four years ago, a case was filed against the then prime ministers Madhav Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The hearing of the case has not been held yet.

ALSO READ: ApEx Explainer: Everything you need to know about Lalita Niwas scam

During the Madhav Kumar Nepal government, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar of the Nepali Congress served as a Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Deep Basnyat was the secretary at the ministry. It was during their tenure that they decided to fraudulently register plots of land in the names of numerous individuals and fake tenants.

The Nepal Cabinet had made a decision to expand the prime minister’s residence and construct a road within Lalita Niwas by compensating individuals who had illegally occupied the land. This agenda was brought by Gachhadar in the Cabinet. It has been found that the Nepal Cabinet made three different decisions in three separate meetings, providing an opportunity for the accused parties to engage in the scam.

All of the decisions were against the law. Several members in the Nepal Cabinet have stated that Lalita Niwas-related matters were never discussed during meetings, indicating the potential direct involvement of former prime minister Nepal.

The probe committee identifies Shova Kanta Dhakal and Ram Kumar Subedi as key individuals involved in the scam, labeling them as ‘land mafias’. From the early stages of the scam, these individuals have been implicated, as they still hold over 15 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land in their names, even after selling 30 ropanis of land to others.

The proprietor of Bhatbhateni Supermarket, Min Bahadur Gurung, and his family are owners of more than 29 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land. They acquired the land from Dhakal and Subedi. Furthermore, the duo also sold approximately five ropanis of land to former election commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah.

When Bhattarai was prime minister, his Cabinet decided to transfer around three ropanis of land of Nepal government to ‘Pashupati Tinkinchha Guthi’ but the Trital-led committee had been unable to find about this Guthi. Neither the ministry officials nor the Guthi stakeholders know about the existence of this Guthi, raising suspicion against Bhattarai in the land grab case.

The gold is being traded at Rs 110, 300 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 109, 750 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,390 per tola today.