What can we expect from PM’s China trip?
After first going to India and then hosting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Prime Minister KP Oli is now laying the ground for his state visit to China in early June. Starting with his time as government head during the 2015-16 border blockade, Oli has consistently emphasized Nepal’s need to maintain a calibrated balance between India and China. The five months of the crippling blockade had cruelly brought home to Nepalis the dangers of overreliance on any one of its two big neighbors. Oli, both during his first term as prime minister and later in the opposition, continued to strongly pitch for ‘equidistant’ relations. Thus it is not surprising that having done his bit to mend his frayed ties with India, which were badly damaged during the blockade, PM Oli, in his second inning as prime minister, is now focused on enhancing relations with China. Oli has made no secret of his ambition to make Nepal a ‘vibrant economic bridge’ between the two economic powerhouses next-door. To this end, during his upcoming China trip, he will focus on operationalizing the landmark Trade and Transit treaty that he had signed during his 2016 China trip as prime minister.
“My understanding is that China wants Prime Minister Oli to come with clear plans of the projects Nepal wants to develop under the Belt and Road Initiative [BRI],” says Gopal Khanal, PM Oli’s former foreign policy advisor. “So far Nepal has failed to offer a credible and specific plan on how it is to benefit from the BRI.”
Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, while speaking to media-persons in Beijing recently, seemed to suggest that Nepal was keen on having China develop some big-ticket infrastructure projects in Nepal under its BRI initiative. “Nepal has expectation that the initiative should contribute to the development of physical infrastructures, enhancing cross-border connectivity including railways and roads, promotion of trade, tourism and investment, and people-to-people relations,” he had said.
In other words, Nepal wants China to foot the bill, in toto, for connectivity projects. For instance, in addition to China bearing the expenses of the railway line up to Rasuwagadhi on the border, Nepal wants its northern neighbor to also pay for the rail link from Rasuwagadhi to Kathmandu (and beyond). Nepal could likewise lobby for the enlistment of the Damak Industrial Corridor project and cross-border electricity transmission lines under the BRI initiative.
During bilateral talks, the Chinese, for their part, may seek a formal extradition treaty, like the kind Nepal has with India, says someone privy to Oli’s upcoming China trip.
But by and large it will be a case of PM Oli putting forth a laundry list of expectations before the Chinese leadership.
Simrik Air completes search for the missing Bulgarian
Simrik Air helicopters on May 16 completed their search and rescue mission for the Bulgarian national Boyan Petrov, who had gone missing in an area of the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China since April 29.
Petrov is a veteran climber who has summited all 10 peaks over 8,000m. As the operation could be undertaken only by Nepali helicopters, with Chinese permits, Simrik had deployed its helicopters on an immediate basis on a special request of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in New Delhi.
After the first unsuccessful mission on May 11-12 to spot Petrov, involving two helicopters, on May 16 one of Simrik Air's helicopters flew over the concerned regions for the second time, again to no avail. The search flight over Shishapangma, the Tibetan mountain Petrov was climbing, lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Further, Sherpas reached 10 meters closer to the summit. They found some of Petrov’s belongings, such as insulin, medical kit with some energy gels and his t-shirt at camp 3, but there was no sign of the climber. APEX BUREAU
Making a 24-hour Thamel possible
Thamel stops abruptly after midnight and so do business opportunities of thousands of people who make a living there. Neither foreign tourists nor local revelers seem happy by this arrangement. “I like to go out and party sometimes on weekends but the timing is a major problem,” says Anu Shrestha, who is in her early 20s. “Even the late-opening pubs shut down around 2-3 am and then we have nowhere to go. I don’t like going to hotels at night and I can’t go back home to disturb my sleeping family at 3 in the morning. If only they’d let us stay till the morning!”It is in order to address the grievance of the likes of Shrestha that the government, for a number of years, has been mulling a 24/7 open Thamel.
In 2015, a meeting between the Kathmandu District Administration, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Thamel Tourism Development Board and Nepal Police decided to let businesses in Thamel operate for 24 hours. Ek Narayan Aryal, the then CDO of Kathmandu, had declared that Thamel would be open at all hours starting April 14, the Nepali New Year. It wasn’t meant to be.
Thamel is still the old Cinderella, with her strict midnight deadline—barring a few places that get to run till 2 or 3 am.
“The problem in Thamel right now is that Nepal Police is still understaffed and underequipped to give 24-hour security,” says Ashok Sen, co-owner of Purple Haze, one of the most popular live music venues in Thamel.
Opportunities galore
Like most entrepreneurs in Thamel, Sen is a believer that opening Thamel for 24 hours will help lure in more revelers and tourists. Raju Damai, co-owner of Thamel-based Fire and Ibyza dance clubs, agrees. “It will increase the flow of tourists and give them more spending options. More revenues for businesses, more tax for the government and new employment opportunities for locals, what is there not to like about a 24/7 Thamel?” he questions.
Generally, the nightclubs in Thamel are allowed to open till 2 am, a couple of hours later than restaurants and bars because people visit nightclubs at the end of their outing. Both Ibyza and Fire have, however, taken special permits.
“Opening Thamel for 24 hours is not only about restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It’s also about other businesses that cater to tourists in the area,” says Sameer Gurung, President of Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC), an NGO that has been promoting tourism in Thamel since 1989.
“Basic facilities like departmental stores, trekking equipment shops, liquor stores, ATM machines, medical stores also need to run 24/7. Only then will tourists be assured that all their needs will be catered to.” Gurung thinks that a 24-hour Thamel will perfectly complement the recent government decision to open the Tribhuvan International Airport for 21 hours a day.
Still more popular
The TTDC is mediating talks between 18 different committees in Thamel and the government for a final approval, to allow all businesses in Thamel to operate round the clock. There are 150 registered hotels/guest houses/lodges, 100 restaurants and 60 bars and nightclubs in the Thamel area alone, according to the NGO. Gurung says the recent introduction of the concept of “walking streets” in parts of Thamel, where there are no vehicles allowed, has already increased the allure of the place, and “keeping it open at all hours will make it still more popular”. Gurung points to frequent government changes and equally frequent changes in police leadership as the main hindrance to this ambitious undertaking. The hope is that the ruling left alliance, with a near two-thirds majority, will be able to bring stability.
On law and order, “the preparations are in their final phase,” says Dipak Pokharel, DSP of the Sohrakhutte Police Station that looks after security in Thamel, “In the meantime, we do what we are supposed to: ensure that Thamel is safe for as long as it stays opens.” The Sohrakhutte station is preparing to handle more responsibilities that will come with the new status of Thamel.
No Khao San Road
But is everyone up for a 24-hour Thamel? Rabi Thapa, the author of “Thamel: Dark Star of Kathmandu”, a biography of the place, is not sold on the idea. “When people say Thamel has to keep up with or become like other tourist hotspots, I ask them ‘why?’. Thamel is unique. Also, which places are we comparing ourselves with?” he asks.
Thapa, who has been a regular patron of Thamel for a number of years and has travelled around the world, does not think the western culture in Nepal is developed enough to offer round-the-clock entertainment. He also thinks it is important to consider the wishes of the locals who still live there. “Apart from that, Thamel is not like the Khao San Road in Bangkok. We probably don’t want a 24-hour tourist economy based on sex,” he adds. “We owe part of our youth to Thamel, and yes we were frustrated that places closed early, but we always found ways to have fun, and get trashed anyway,” Thapa says.
But my interviews with various stakeholders in Thamel suggest that Thapa’s is a minority voice. Most say they are in favor of a 24-hour Thamel, if for different reasons. But if it is to happen, when?
The Assistant CDO of Kathmandu, Basu Ghimire, says the committee looking into this issue has a deadline of June 29. “Hopefully, all preparations will be complete by then,” Ghimire added.
With recent developments like introduction of walking streets, 21-hour operation of TIA, no load-shedding, and Melamchi waters only months away, a 24-hour Thamel appears more and more possible.
Many parts of Nepal without road links
Forty-eight rural municipalities in 37 districts remain unconnected by roads. As many as 259 Village Development Committees (no longer administrative units after last year’s local level restructuring) are unconnected. (It’s from these VDCs that the centers of the 48 rural municipalities were fixed. The remaining VDCs were converted into 211 wards.) The government hopes to connect every ward at the local level with a road network. The government, through the Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads (DoLIDAR) and the Department of Roads (DoR), has so far constructed roads spanning 70,000km throughout the country. Still, two north-eastern districts—Dolpa and Humla—are not connected by roads. Humla has seven rural municipalities; Dolpa has eight.
Altogether seven rural municipalities and 37 wards in Province 1, four rural municipalities and 17 wards in Province 3, 24 wards in Province 4, eight wards in Province 5, 26 rural municipalities and 107 wards in Province 6, and 11 rural municipalities and 66 wards in Province 7 are without a road connection. All the rural municipalities and wards in Province 2 are connected by roads.
Jeevan Guragain, chief of DoLIDAR’s Rural Agricultural Road Branch, informed that the government, with the aid of donors like the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the DFID, has been investing more and more in rural roads. “In the current fiscal, one billion rupees has been allocated for rural roads. Of this, Rs 550 million has been invested in roads constructed with public participation and the remaining Rs 450 million in roads built to connect rural municipalities and wards,” he said.
Dinesh Thapalia, a Secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, said that in the past, the roads to connect rural municipalities and wards were not a priority as there would have been few users of these roads. “But the ministry is now strongly lobbying the government to connect each rural municipality and ward of the country to a road network,” he said.
Disconnected
According to a recent master plan that DoLIDAR took three years to prepare, in Province 1, three rural municipalities and 16 wards in the district of Taplejung, two wards in Bhojpur, four rural municipalities and 14 wards in Solukhumbu, and five wards in Khotang are not connected to a road network.
In Province 3, two wards in Ramechhap, one ward in Dolakha, two rural municipalities and seven wards in Kavre, one ward in Nuwakot, two wards in Rasuwa, one rural municipality and three wards in Dhading, and one rural municipality and one ward in Chitwan are not connected.
In the same vein, in Province 4, eight wards in Gorkha, three wards in Lamjung, one ward in Tanahun, two wards in Kaski, two wards in Manang, six wards in Myagdi and two wards in Baglung are not connected. Similarly, in Province 5, one ward in Pyuthan, one ward in Rolpa, and six wards in Rukum are not connected.
In Province 6, four wards in Salyan, three wards in Surkhet, three wards in Dailekh, two rural municipalities and 10 wards in Jajarkot are without road connections. In the same province, two wards in Jumla, eight rural municipalities and 21 wards in Dolpa, seven rural municipalities and 24 wards in Kalikot, two rural municipalities and 13 wards in Mugu, and seven rural municipalities and 27 wards in Humla are not connected.
And in Province 7, three rural municipalities and 10 wards in Bajura, one rural municipality and seven wards in Bajhang, five wards in Doti, four wards in Achham, one rural municipality and three wards in Kailali are sans road links. Besides these, four rural municipalities and 23 wards in Baitadi and two rural municipalities and 14 wards in Darchula are not connected.
By Gopi Krishna Dhungana | Kathmandu
