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A Chinese company deemed disqualified has been awarded with the contract to construct the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track. Nepal Army, the in charge of the project, awarded the contract to the China First Highway Engineering Co. Ltd on November 11, which was disqualified earlier in the bidding process. Later, the company was deemed qualified and included in the bidding process on November 6. A total of 12 companies had applied for the bidding process of ‘Double Lane Dual Carriageway Standard Expressway Road, Bridge, Slope Stabilization, Interchange, Toll Plaza and Allied Works, in the sixth package of the Kathmandu-Tarai-Madhesh Expressway. Based on Nepal Army’s technical evaluation, five companies were qualified for the bidding process. The China First Highway Engineering Co. Ltd, which was not selected in the bidding process, filed a case against the decision at the Public Procurement Review Committee. Later, the Committee issued a directive to include the Chinese company in the bidding process which was called on June 1. After the inclusion of China First Highway Engineering Co. Ltd, six companies were selected for the bidding process. Of the qualified companies, CFHEC won the contract to construct the fast track at Rs 18. 80 billion. India’s Afcons Infrastructure Limited had bid Rs 19. 99 billion for the contract while China Overseas Engineering Group Company Ltd, China Railway No 2 Engineering Group Co Ltd had bid Rs 20. 46 billion for the contract. Similarly, Sino Hydro Corporation Limited, Power China Chendu Engineering Corporation Limited had bid Rs 22.16 billion and China State Constructing Engineering Company and Poly Changda Engineering Company had bid Rs 27. 58 billion and Rs 42 billion for the contract. Brigadier General Bikash Pokharel was given the responsibility of the project at the time of bidding and technical evaluation of the contract for the sixth phase of the fast track. He was later replaced by Brigadier General Kamal Bikram Shah. An official at the Nepal Army said that the CFHEC was included in the bidding process following the directive of the Public Procurement Review Committee. So far, the tender has been called for six packages and all the packages were awarded to Chinese companies. The construction was started in 2017 and the new deadline to complete the project is July 2024.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 6. 59 points to close at 1,897.86 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 33 points to close at 373. 71 points. A total of 2,745,109 unit shares of 229 companies were traded for Rs 1. 02 billion. Meanwhile, Citizens Mutual Fund-1 was the top gainer today with its price surging by 4. 58 percent. Likewise, Taragaon Regency Hotel Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 56 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 72 trillion.

Bal Krishna Basnet, who has long been involved in journalism, has started directing documentaries in recent times. Written and directed by Basnet, his first documentary ‘Voice For Climate Justice’ was screened at the International Climate Conference, COP 27, in Egypt. The damage caused by the effects of climate change from high Himalayan region and central mountains to Tarai region of Nepal was shown in the documentary. The documentary directed by the senior journalist was screened at four different conferences of COP27. This documentary screened at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) currently underway in Sharm el-Sheikh of Egypt, has given the message that the world should pay attention to the compensation of calamities Nepal has been facing due to climate change. A team including forest and environment experts led by Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Uma Regmi took part in the mega event from Nepal. The documentary was produced by ‘Sath Sathai Foundation’. The documentary shows the melting of snow in high mountains like Mount Everest, flood and landslides and their effects to the crops, life and property caused by unseasonal rains. A group of 40 women from various sectors had made a joint journey to Kala Patthar on the base of Mt Everest on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on March 8 last year.  A special program was also organized there. The ‘Kala Patthar Declaration’ was adopted drawing the attention of the international community to the adverse impact of climate change and the urgent need of tackling it. Sath Sathai Foundation Chairpersons Prajita Karki, who also participated in the conference, said that this documentary was made with an objective to draw the attention of the world towards the loss and damage faced by Nepal. The damage caused by climate change is incomparable in Nepal which produces less carbon dioxide. Karki expressed her hope that this documentary would play an important role to draw the attention of the big countries towards the loss and damage caused by climate change in Nepal. The Foundation said that the documentary was produced in coordination with the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Nepal Tourism Board and Nature Conservation Fund. Director Basnet, who is also the Chairman of Press Council Nepal, said that the documentary does not only show the damage caused by climate change. It also gives the message that the world should pay attention to the compensation and rehabilitation of the people of Nepal who have been facing the problems of natural disasters for a long time, he added.

The world must not engage in “population alarmism” as the number of people living on Earth nears 8 billion, a senior UN official has said, The Guardian reported. The global population is projected to reach that milestone on 15 November, with some commentators expressing worries about the impact of the growing number on a world already struggling with huge inequality, the climate crisis, and conflict-fuelled displacement and migration. However, Dr Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UN Population Fund(UNFPA), urged countries not to panic but instead focus on helping the women, children and marginalised people who were most vulnerable to demographic change. “I realise this moment might not be celebrated by all. Some express concernsthat our world is overpopulated, with far too many people and insufficient resources to sustain their lives. I am here to say clearly that the sheer number of human lives is not a cause for fear,” she said. Kanem said that if governments focused on the numbers alone they ran the risk of imposing population controls that had been shown by history to be “ineffective and even dangerous”. “From forced sterilisation campaigns to restrictions on family planning and contraception, we are still reckoning with the lasting impact of policies intended to reverse, or in some cases to accelerate, population growth,” she said. “And we cannot repeat the egregious violations of human rights … that rob women of their ability to decide whether [or] when to become pregnant, if at all. Population alarmism: it distracts us from what we should be focused on.” As a result of falling birthrates, the pace of worldwide population growth, which reached a recorded peak at just over 2% a year in the late 1960s, has now fallen below 1%. However, the global picture is more varied than ever before. The UN estimates that about 60% of people live in countries with fertility levels below the recognised replacement level (when a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next) of an average of 2.1 births for every woman, according to The Guardian. At the other end of the spectrum, just eight countries, including Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Philippines, are forecast to account for half of all population growth by 2050. One of those countries, India, is expected to pass China from next year and become the world’s most populous country.  

The government has announced a two-day public holiday for the elections to the House of Representatives and Province Assembly slated for November 20. The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced public holidays on November 20 and 21 for the polls, read a statement issued on Tuesday. Likewise, the government has decided to close all the schools where voting centers are located from November 18 to 21.  

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 98, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 97, 200 on Monday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 97, 700 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver is being traded at Rs 1, 325 per tola today.

A fire broke out at the Prasain Super Market in Birtamod-5 of Jhapa. Police said that the Bangsal Clothing Shop of Raj Kumar Bangsal was completely destroyed in the fire. DSP Rugam Bahadur Kunwar of the Area Police Office, Birtamod said that the fire was taken under control with the help of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel backed by the fire engines of Birtamod, Mechinagar, Kamal, Kankai and Bhadrapur. Details of the properties destroyed in the flame are yet to come, he said. The fire is believed to have been caused by short circuit.    

A person died and other sustained injuries when a water tanker and a motorbike collided with each other at Sallaghari in Bhaktapur on Tuesday. DSP Raju Pandey of the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur said that the deceased has been identified as motorbike rider Sajan Duwari (26) of Lokanthali, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-1. Similarly, pillion rider Amanal Sah (23) of Jhapa, currently residing at Madhyapur Thimi-3, who sustained injuries in the incident, is undergoing treatment at the Iwamura Memorial Hospital. DSP Pandey said that the motorbike (Province 02-031 Pa 7862) collided head-on with the tanker (Ba 4 Kha 4268) this morning. Police said that they have impounded both the vehicles and arrested tanker driver Prabin Sunuwar (28) of Byasi, Bhaktapur Municipality-2 for investigation.