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Transport entrepreneurs have demanded the government adjust the prices of petroleum products in the domestic market as per its falling prices in the international market.

Issuing a press statement today, Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs-FNNTE reminded that the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the supplier of petro products to Nepal, has lately reduced the prices twice while the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has not revised the price list in line with its supplier.

"The public transport sector which has greatly suffered an economic loss due to COVID-19 pandemic has to clamor for the adjustment of fuel prices instead of getting a relief for the loss," the press release adds.

Federation Chair Bijay Bahadur Swanr said transport entrepreneurs are largely affected by the unexceptional rise in motor vehicle tax, bank interest, route permit charge, vehicle-test insurance and motor engines. The prices should be quickly revised as per the international market.

As the Federation said, 60 percent discount facility in tax, route permit, and vehicle-test that transport entrepreneurs were getting for providing concession for students, people with disabilities and senior citizens has been presently suspended and it should be resumed.

Two school buildings, one police post and 475 houses suffered damages so far when a magnitude six earthquake hit Khotang on Sunday.

According to the District Disaster Management Office, a house was completely destroyed while other houses suffered cracks. Similarly, the earthquake destroyed four-room building of Thurpurdanda secondary school at Kepilasgadhi rural municipality-5, a four-room building of Surkedanda secondary school at Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi rural municipality-3, a police post building at Kepilasgadhi-2, said the District Administration Office.

A house belonging to Tej Bahadur Nepali of Halesi Tuwachung municipality-5 was completely damaged by the earthquake. Chairperson of Sakela rural municipality, Rabi Prakash Rai, shared that 464 houses at Sakela rural municipality, the epicentre of the earthquake, suffered damages so far.

A total of 134 houses at Banjhechyandanda, 88 houses at Ratanchha, 57 houses at Khidima, 105 at Mattim and 80 at Mattimbirta were damaged in the earthquake, he added.

The temblor has damaged six houses at different wards of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi municipality, one house each at Mahadevsthan and Salle of Halesi Tuwachung municipality, two houses at Khotehang rural municipality and one house at Rawabensi rural municipality, informed Surya Prasad Sedhai, the Chief District Officer and Coordinator of the District Disaster Management Committee.

"The local levels continue to report the damage caused by the earthquake as well as by floods and landslide. All the 10 local levels in the district have been urged to provide within three days information on the damage caused by the earthquake," he said, adding that it seems it will take longer to get the exact information as heavy rainfall is taking place in the district.

The National Earthquake Measurement Centre has stated that it is the most powerful earthquake to occur in the country so far after the April 24, 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. The epicentre of the Khotang earthquake was at Sakela rural municipality which borders with Diktel bazaar, the major trade centre of the district.

The people are in fear of more temblors like the last one. Although no human casualties occurred due to the latest earthquake in the district so far, aftershocks continue and the general public has been urged to adopt precaution, CDO Sedhai said.

According to him, the Nepali Army, Police and Disaster Management and Rescue team have been kept in ready position for mobilising the moment information about the disaster is received.

Halesi Tuwachung municipality has written to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) for assessing the damage. Mayor Bimala Rai said that immediately after the earthquake they have written a letter to the NDRRMA, Ministry of Home Affairs, for conducting an integrated disaster vulnerability assessment.

The rest of the local levels in the district too have started collecting information about the damages caused by the earthquake in their respective areas. The Disaster Management Committees have been formed at all the 10 local levels in the district for the rescue, relief and management whenever a disaster occurs.

The weather is likely to go cloudy throughout the country today with chances of light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division.

Similarly, there are chances of heavy rainfall in a few places of the Province 1, Madhesh Province, Bagmati Province, Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province.

Tonight, there will be partly to generally cloudy throughout the country. Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning has been forecast in some places of the country with the possibility of heavy rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places of Bagmati Province, Gandaki Province, Lumbini Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Pashchim Province.

According to the Division’s meteorological analysis, at present axis of monsoon trough is slightly towards north from the normal position.

Monsoon which has been active since the past few days is likely to become weaker from Wednesday, resulting in weather improvements, according to meteorologist Manju Basi.

At present, light to moderate thundershower is taking place at some parts of Province 1, Bagmati Province, Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province and one or two places of the rest of the places.

The Nag Panchami Festival that falls on the Shrawan Shukla Panchami as per the lunar calendar is being observed today across the country by Hindus as per the time-honored tradition on Tuesday.

The festival is being marked by worshiping Nag or the snake god and sticking a picture of the snake god above the main door of the house.

It is believed that sticking the picture safeguards the family from snakes and scorpions, fire and lightning.

Nag Puja is believed to have started in the Vedic time and Nag is considered the king of snakes as per the Vedic tradition.

Special Pujas are being offered at Nagpokhari and Taudaha in Kathmandu, Siddhapokhari in Bhaktapur and several other ponds and shrines across the country on this day.

After worshiping, the snake god is offered cow milk, Akshata, Dubo grass, rice pudding and Roti with due respect.

The air service in Humla has remained disrupted for four days due to bad weather. Flights from Nepalgunj and Surkhet have not arrived here due to thick clouds and continuous rain, the Civil Aviation Authority Office, Humla said.

The supply of essential commodities has also been disrupted due to the flight disruption. A shortage of cooking oil, sugar and other essentials has been seen in Simkot, local traders said. According to Bir Bahadur Singh, a local of Simkot Rural Municipality-7, candidates preparing for the teacher license examinations have been hit as they cannot travel to Nepalgunj, Surkhet or Bardiya to attend the impending exams.

The Tara Air, Summit Air and Nepal Airlines Corporation have not conducted flights to Simkot for four days while the Sita Air has not done so since two days, the Civil Aviation Authority, Humla said.

The cases of dengue have been confirmed in some places of Lalitpur district.

According to the District Health Office chief Dr Satish Bista, the cases of dengue fever have been detected at wards 5 and 14 of Lalitpur metropolis and at some wards of Mahalaxmi municipality in the district.

With the detection of dengue patients at Manbhawan, Kumaripati, Tikhidewal and Mahalaxmi, we have launched the mosquito search and destroy campaign in the given areas. So far, the district reports 31 confirmed cases of dengue, according to him.

The office urges the people to keep their house balcony to house surroundings including yard and garden neat and clean, and to intervene in stagnant ditch and water in and around the house to reduce the risk of infection.

The office, the District Administration Office, Lalitpur and the local governments have mobilised a team for the sanitation in the areas reporting the dengue cases. Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness and according to the UN, the primary vectors that transmit the disease are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

In view of increasing COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Health and Population has managed COVID-19 treatment in all seven provinces by designating hospitals.

Seventeen federal and provincial hospitals in the provinces have been selected for the purpose, said Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, joint secretary for the Ministry.

As per this management, in Province 1, Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar and B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan have to take care of COVID-19 patients. Similarly, in Madhes Province, Janakpur Provincial Hospital, Janakpur and Narayani Hospital, Birgunj will take care of infected people.

In Bagmati, infected people will be provided medical treatment at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, Kathmandu; Bharatpur Hospital, Chitwan; Bir Hospital, Kathmandu; Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu; Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur and in Gandaki Province at Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Pokhara and Dhaulagiri Hospital, Baglung.

Likewise, in Lumbini Province, Lumbini Provincial Hospital, Butwal and Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj will take care of infected people while in Karnali Province, Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, Jumla and Surkhet Provincial Hospital, Birendranagar. In Sudurpaschim Province, Seti Provincial Hospital, Dhangadhi and Dadeldhura Hospital will treat COVID-19 patients.

Minister of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal today said the government would cancel the licence of those electricity developers who had reached power purchase agreement and failed to execute construction work.

The government is ready to take necessary steps to encourage actual promoters of hydropower, said the minister while addressing a workshop with the theme of Cross Border Energy Trade with Focus on Open Access and Transmission Pricing' organised here by the Society of Economic Journalists Nepal.

"Our first priority is to increase and consume energy produced within the country, make electricity consumption per person production comparable with the regional and international level and increase economic production," she said.

According to the minister, there is no alternative to exporting surplus electricity to the international market. Homework has been done to resume a PPA with the run-of-river hydropower projects.

Nepal has been exporting around 365 megawatts electricity from six projects to India and bringing in foreign currencies from the sales, she informed.

Similarly, efforts were under way at political and diplomatic levels to reach agreement for additional electricity sale.

Vice-chairperson of National Planning Commission Bishwanath Paudel stressed the need to slash cost on the production, transmission and distribution of electricity to increase its domestic consumption and exports. For this, participation of private sector should be encouraged, he said.

Secretary at the ministry Sushil Chandra Tiwari and secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat Dinesh Ghimire underscored the need to produce and expand electricity lines as much as possible to support the country's economy.

Similarly, Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising emphasised increasing the use of electric vehicles and domestic consumption of power.