Govt warns to terminate contract of Narayangarh-Butwal road section citing slow progress

As the construction works along the Narayangarh-Butwal road section of the East West Highway remained intolerably slow, the government has warned the contractor of contract termination. Issuing a notice on Sunday, the South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project of the Department of Roads said that the contract agreement would be terminated if the existing way of working of the contractor was not improved. The 114 kilometers of road stretch was separated in two sections while awarding the contract through a global bidding process. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited had won the tender bidding of both section for pledging to construct the road section in the minimum base rate. It is said that several complaints were received on the part of the construction company regarding the dillydallying of the project. The project was expected to complete on August 7, 2022. However, the construction company completed just 18 per cent of the total task in the final deadline. Against this backdrop, the Department of Roads has warned the construction company to mend its ways and ensure reforms in a month otherwise get ready to face contract termination. The Department has further said that the travelers and vehicles have faced several issues including difficulties in travel, air pollution and others due to carelessness of the construction company. The community people in the affected area have also suffered while road accidents have soared. As the contract agreement ended on August 7, the government has extended the deadline for one more year at the request of the construction company but the construction works at present have halted, Chief Engineer of Narayanghat-Butwal Road Project (Eastern Section) Ramesh Kumar Dristi said. The project being developed with nearly Rs 17 billion in loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

First day of navaratra: Ghatasthapana being observed (In pictures)

The first day of "Navaratra" is being marked today by worshiping the deity Shailaputri in accordance with Vedic rituals and preparing for Jamara (barley shoots) by sowing maize and barley seeds in a jar filled with soil and cow dung for germination. Deity Shailaputri is worshiped for observing Ghatastapana on the auspicious hour. The auspicious hour for observing Ghatasthapana is 10:23 am today, according to Nepal Calendar Determination Committee. Deity Shailaputri is one of the nine deities worshiped in Navaratri. Prayers are also offered to Durga Bhavani, the goddess of power today. Germination of the auspicious "Jamara" is also initiated at Hanumandhoka Dashain Ghar in accordance with Vedic rituals. With the marking of Ghatasthapana, celebrations and worships take place in the Shaktipeeth across the country including in the Kathmandu Valley. Likewise, there is also a tradition of sacrificing animals while initiating the germination of the "Jamara".

Typhoon Noru: Four dead as 'explosive' typhoon hits Philippines

Four rescue workers have been killed and one left missing after a typhoon hit the main island of the Philippines, BBC reported.

Typhoon Noru, previously classed as a super typhoon, caused gusts of up to 240kph (149mph) on Luzon, where more than half of the country's 110 million population live.

Forecasters say the storm experienced an "explosive intensification" as it made landfall west of Luzon.

Noru is the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year.

The Governor for the Bulacan area Daniel Fernando said five personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices were washed away in flash floods while carrying out rescue operations in the district of San Miguel.

Typhoon Noru, known locally as Karding, weakened as it made second landfall at 20:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Sunday, and is expected to leave the Philippines by Monday evening.

More than 74,000 people had been evacuated from the typhoon's path, and officials had earlier issued warnings of "serious flooding" in areas of the capital, Manila.

"I think we may have gotten lucky, at least this time," said Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos during a briefing on Monday. "I think it's clear from what we did these last two days is that, very, very important, is preparation," he added.

"It's not yet over. I think the point when we can stand down is when the majority of evacuees are already back in their homes," he said.

Mr Marcos has ordered that supplies be airlifted and clean-up equipment provided to communities that have been most affected, according to BBC.

In Quezon Province, east of Manila, fishermen had earlier been prevented from heading to sea, and there were reports of some areas being without power.

Flights and ferry services have been cancelled. On Luzon, President Marcos suspended all government work and school classes were also cancelled.

In Dingalan municipality, northeast of Manila and on the Pacific coast, residents were forced to seek shelter.

"We live away from the coast so we're staying put so far. We're more worried about the water from the mountains," a resident told AFP.

Trading on the country's stock exchange will also be suspended on Monday and Mr Marcos warned that the energy ministry had placed on high alert all energy-related industries in the county.

Thousands of volunteers are monitoring river levels, bridges and mountains for landslides which could hamper rescue efforts, said Dick Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.

Information will be crucial in getting help to where it is needed, he said, BBC reported.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is highly vulnerable to storms. It sees an annual average of 20 tropical storms.

An estimated 400 people died when Typhoon Rai hit the country in December 2021, with rescue teams describing scenes of "complete carnage".

And in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, killed some 6,300 people, according to BBC.

Nepal reports 51 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday

Nepal reported 51 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 206 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 40 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 818 people underwent antigen tests, of which 11 were tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 100 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 1, 223 active cases in the country.