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Five sections of different highways that were obstructed due to recent rain-induced floods and landslides are yet to be opened.

According to the Nepal Police sources, more than four dozen road sections blocked by floods and landslides have been opened and five roads are still completely obstructed.

Eight other road sections have been opened one-way; the police informed. Deputy Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki, also the central spokesperson of Nepal Police, said efforts were underway to clear the blocked road.

As per their information, the Charshayabesi section of the BP Highway at Roshi in Kavrepalanchowk, which has been closed since September 27, has been completely halted.

The Bhakure of the same highway, Seleghat of Manthali Municipality-6 of Ramechhap, Ramechhap-Sindhuli-Khurkot of Bhotekoshi, Barhabise-Tatopani road of Bhotekoshi and Baluwatar section of Jaya Prithvi Highway of Bajhang have been completely blocked.

According to police, Lele-Tikabhairab of Godavari, Tinghare of Mid-Hill Highway of Tahrathum, Ramite of Mechi Highway at Panthar Phidim and Kanti Lokthap of Bhimphedi have been opened unilaterally.

The Kaldhunga section of the BP Highway at Roshi, Ghumaune, Hanumangadhi Keraghari section and the Benighat Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway have also been opened one-way.

So far, 246 people have died in the disaster. 18 people are still missing.

Floods and landslides have blocked most of the roads connecting the capital, making it difficult for people to return home during Dashain. Despite these challenges, valley residents have been able to easily purchase goats, including Himalayan goats. The Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC), Bagmati Province, is facilitating the distribution of these goats to consumers.

Nabin Chaulagain from Budhanilkantha was surprised to be able to buy a goat, as he has been purchasing from the company for the last 10 years. On Monday, he traveled 15 kilometers to the FMTC office to purchase one. “I’m happy the food company provides healthy goats and Himalayan goats for the festival every year,” he said.

Sudhir Sharma from New Baneshwar, who lives in Australia, returned home to celebrate Dashain after 11 years. On Monday, he purchased a goat priced at Rs 22,000 and expressed his happiness at being able to celebrate Dashain with his family. He appreciated the ease of purchasing the goat at a reasonable price. Similarly, Sundar Fuyal from Sundarijal bought 20 kilograms of goat meat, expressing his satisfaction with the quality.

The demand for goats and Himalayan goats in the valley is 1,700. FMTC Bagmati Province aims to bring 1,400 goats and 300 Himalayan goats for Dashain. By Monday, they had brought in 1,200 goats and Himalayan goats, with 300 goats and 50 Himalayan goats already sold. Assistant Departmental Manager Gyanu Thapa noted that consumer demand typically increases during Phoolpati, Saptami, and Ashtami, and they anticipate a rush of buyers.

“There’s a high demand for healthy goats and Himalayan goats, and consumers are satisfied without having to stand in long lines,” said Thapa. Veterinarians mark healthy goats with green-colored horns, and only these goats are sold to consumers.

Prices are slightly lower this year, with a reduction of Rs 10 per kilogram for goats and Rs 30 for Himalayan goats. “The relationship between demand and supply affects the selling price, but as a government-owned company, our focus is on serving consumers during the festival rather than making a profit,” said Thapa. She added that despite floods and landslides, they managed to transport the goats to Kathmandu after a challenging 10-day journey, ensuring the valley residents would have their supply in time for Ashtami and Nawami.

Taking advantage of the floods and landslides, traders around Gaighat have hiked the prices of vegetables. With roads blocked due to heavy rains and trucks unable to deliver fresh produce, traders have tripled the prices of vegetables compared to normal times.

Locals complain that traders are arbitrarily setting prices, even selling stale vegetables as fresh, despite regulatory agencies’ monitoring. Srijana Tamang, a resident of Gaighat, expressed frustration over the price inconsistencies, saying, “Vegetables are not cheap, and the price of the same vegetable varies from store to store.”

Consumers are further upset that despite the rising prices, authorities have shown little interest in controlling them. They also complain that traders are selling vegetables that have been in stock for several days due to the road damage caused by the floods and landslides.

Tomatoes, once sold at Rs 60 per kg, now cost Rs 200 per kg. Radishes have jumped from Rs 25 per kg to Rs 100 per kg, and mustard greens have reached Rs 160 per kg. Similarly, cauliflower now costs Rs 200 per kg, and cabbage Rs 150, according to vegetable vendor Kusheshwar Chaudhary.

The price of onions has surged from Rs 50 per kg on Sept 26 to Rs 140 per kg. Potatoes are now Rs 90 per kg, yardlong beans Rs 130 per kg, mushrooms Rs 280 per kg, pumpkins Rs 100 per kg, bitter gourds Rs 120 per kg, cucumbers Rs 150 per kg, brinjals Rs 70 per kg, and chayote Rs 40 per kg, all prices have tripled since Sept 28.

Lemons, which were previously Rs 20 for five pieces, are now Rs 15 per piece. “We don’t have any stock at home, and due to damaged roads, we’re forced to buy produce at higher prices, so we can’t sell it cheaply,” Chaudhary explained.

Another vendor, Tej Narayan Sah, echoed these concerns, stating that the higher purchase prices have inevitably led to increased selling prices. He mentioned that due to the rains, fewer vegetables are being supplied from outside districts, making it difficult to meet demand. Gaighat typically receives up to 200 tons of vegetables daily, but this has now dropped to only 50 tons.

Locals claim that although the local government, administration, and industry and commerce associations have set official vegetable prices, implementation has been ineffective, and traders’ monopolistic practices have increased.

Following the severe floods and landslides in different parts of Nepal, Russian officials expressed their sincere condolences to the government and the friendly people of Nepal.

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to President of Nepal Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Chairperson of the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament, the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko forwarded a similar message to the Chairperson of the National Assembly of Nepal Narayan Prasad Dahal.

Likewise, Chairman of the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin expressed his condolences to the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal Devraj Ghimire.

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Nepal Aleksei A. Novikov sent a letter of condolences to the Foreign Minister of Nepal Arzu Rana Deuba as well.

The national flags of Russia were lowered in the Embassy compound and at the Ambassador’s residence in Kathmandu in order to mourn the victims of the calamity.

The Hatiagola Food Depot located in the remote northern area of Sankhuwasabha has seen a shortage of rice.

Locals have been deprived of accessing subsidized rice with the annual food quota limiting to 500 quintals.

There has been a shortage of rice in the food depot for the last 15 months. The Food Management and Trade Company said it has not been able to supply subsidized rice due to lack of timely completion of the administrative process.

Bhotkhola Rural Municipality chair Wangchhedar Bhote said there has been a shortage of rice in Hatiyagola food depot since last year.

He complained that although the District Administration Office had approached the Provincial Food Management and Trade Company Biratnagar and the Central Office, Kathmandu, in writing, the supply of rice to the Hatiagola food depot was not made even during the festive season.

There is a shortage of rice in the depot, Bhote said, adding the closure of the border transit point in Kimathankana due to landslides in China has caused more problems to the people of Bhotkhola.

Most of the people of Bhotkhola Rural Municipality have been relying on the border Chinese markets for daily necessities including food.

Vehicular movement has been banned there since September 28 due to a landslide in Changa, China.

A quota of 1,500 quintals has been stipulated for the district headquarters Khandbari and 500 quintals in Bhotkhola in the northern region.

Seven people, including three men and four women have so far lost their lives to dengue infection in Gandaki Province.

The Ministry of Health shared that a 48-year-old man of Tanahun had breathed his last on July 25 due to dengue infection.

Since then, dengue infection claimed a 40-year-old man from Kaski on August 6; a 52-year-old woman from Kaski on August 15, and a 61-year-old man from Myagdi on September 4.

According to the ministry data, three women aged 81, 70 and 75 years died in Kaski during September and October.

Information Officer and senior Health Education Officer at the Ministry, Prashant Raj Sharma, said 12,726 dengue cases have been confirmed in Gandaki since January 2024.

He further informed the province capital Pokhara has been the most affected by dengue infection. So far, 6,452 people have been confirmed infected in Pokhara Metropolitan City alone.

A total of 70 dengue cases were reported in January, while the number of infected people has increased to more than 12,500 in the nine months since then. Officer Sharma said the rate of dengue infection has been increasing since July last year. He said 728 dengue cases were reported in July; 4,083 in August and 6,720 in September.

Kaski has so far the highest number of dengue infected people with 6,548 while Manang has the lowest with two.

A total of 2,861 cases of dengue have been confirmed in Tanahun; 1,146 in Parbat; 664 in Gorkha; 539 in Baglung; 443 in Syangja; 213 in Myagdi; 181 in Nawalpur; 120 in Lamjung and nine in Mustang.

Doctors have warned of a higher risk of dengue infection from June to November.

The auction for the Nepal Premier League (NPL) concluded in Kathmandu on Sunday, with eight franchise teams securing their lineups for the upcoming season. Each team purchased three players in Grade A, four in Grade B, and three in Grade C. Out of the 164 players who participated in the auction, 80 players were sold to various teams.

Eight marquee players were already snapped up by the teams, including Kushal Malla for Chitwan Rhinos, Sompal Kami for Karnali Yaks, Rohit Kumar Paudel for Lumbini Lions, Dipendra Singh Airee for Sudurpaschim Royals, Sandeep Lamichhane for Biratnagar Kings, Aasif Sheikh for Janakpur Bolts, Karan KC for Kathmandu Gurkhas, and Kushal Bhurtel for Pokhara Avengers.

Wicketkeeper Anil Kumar Sah was the most sought-after player, with bids from all eight franchise teams. Gulsan Jha, Lokesh Bam, and Rupesh Singh also attracted bids from seven teams each.

Below are the players sold in the NPL auction:

Chitwan Rhinos  

Rijan Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee, Sharad Vesawkar, Bipin Rawal, Santosh Karki, Dipesh Shrestha, Amar Singh Rautela, Deepak Bohra, Ranjit Kumar, Gautam KC.

Karnali Yaks  

Gulsan Kumar Jha, Nandan Yadav, Mausam Dhakal, Arjun Gharti, Dev Khanal, Rit Gautam, Bhuban Karki, Dipendra Rawat, Dipak Dumre, Unish BS Thakuri.

Lumbini Lions  

Surya Tamang, Bivek Yadav, Sundeep Jora, Aashutosh Ghiraiya, Tilak Raj Bhandari, Durgesh Gupta, Arjun Saud, Dinesh Adhikari, Abhishek Gautam, Bikas Aagri.

Sudurpaschim Royals

Aarif Sheikh, Abhinash Bohra, Binod Bhandari, Ishan Pandey, Arjun Kumal, Khadak Bahadur Bohora, Naresh Budhayer, Amit Shrestha, Naren Saud.

Biratnagar Kings  

Lokesh Bam, Pratish GC, Basir Ahmad, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Jitendra Kumar Mukhiya, Anil Kharel, Dipak Bohora, Subhash Bhandari, Naren Bhatta, Mrinal Gurung.

Janakpur Bolts  

Lalit Rajvanshi, Anil Kumar Sah, Rupesh K Singh, Aakash Tripathi, Kishor Mahato, Shubh Kansakar, Sher Malla, Hemant Dhami, Arniko Prasad Yadav, Tul Bahadur Thapa Magar.

Kathmandu Gurkhas  

Shahab Alam, Bhim Sharki, Rashid Khan, Shankar Rana, Dipesh Prasad Kandel, Sumit Maharjan, Krishna Karki, Bivek KC, Pratik Shrestha, Raju Rizal.

Pokhara Avengers  

Sagar Dhakal, Akash Chand, Kiran Kumar Thangunna, Narayan Joshi, Bipin Khatri, Dilip Nath, Trit Raj Das, Sunam Gautam, Dinesh Kharel, Amrit Gurung.

The Election Commission and the National Women Commission have submitted their annual reports to President Ram Chandra Paudel.

The reports, incorporating the works carried out by the two constitutional bodies in the fiscal year 2080-81 (2023-24), were presented to the Head of State amidst separate programmes held at the Office of the President in Shital Niwas today.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya and National Women Commission Chairperson Kamala Parajuli presented the annual report of their respective commissions.

On the occasion, President Paudel said that periodic election is the basis for consolidation of the federal democratic republic and for the nation's development and stability. He opined that it (periodic election) is the beauty and mandatory aspect of democracy, as it is through the election that people achieve their democratic rights and privileges.

Similarly, after receiving the National Women Commission report, the President said that although women participation is encouraging in some areas due to the sustained efforts, the representation of women, who make up more than half the population of the country, was still not satisfactory in the decision-making level. 

"It is seen that the women's participation in and contribution to other key sectors of life needed to be ensured through even more effective means. I am confident that the NWC will carry out works toward that end in a more vigorous and effective way in the coming days," President Paudel said.