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A person died and five others sustained critical injuries when a mini-truck they were traveling in met with an accident in Baitadi district on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Durga Chand (25) of Surnaya Rural Municipality-3, Inspector Rajesh Shahi of the Area Police Office, Patan said.

Critically injured in the incident, Chand breathed her last in the course of treatment at the Dadeldhura Hospital.

Police said that the incident occurred when the mini-truck (Se 1 Kha 1242) turned turtle after hitting a roadside drain at Patan Municipality-6 on the Dasharath Chandra Highway last night.

The injured have been identified as Madhavi Chand (35), Basanti Bhatt (35), Kalawati Bhatt (33), Bimala Chand (28) and Parbati Bista (23) of Surnaya Rural Municipality-3.

Madhavi, Basanti and Kalawati are undergoing treatment at Dadeldhura Hospital and Bimala and Parvati at Patan Primary Health Center.

Police said that they are looking into the case.

The construction of the Mainahiya-Sampatiya 132 kV transmission line deemed important for the exchange of electricity between Nepal and India has gained momentum.

The double circuit transmission line linking Mainahiya in Rupandehi district of Nepal with Sampatiya (New Nautanahawa) in Uttar Pradesh (UP) State of India has achieved 60 per cent progress in construction, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

Target has been set to complete this project within mid-July, 2023. Foundation has been laid for 44 of 96 towers that will be erected across the 28-km transmission line. Similarly, five towers are already put in place. 

A team comprising secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Devendra Karki, board members of the NEA, executive chairperson among others recently made oversaw the project works and instructed for the timely completion of the project. 

Stating that the transmission line was important for the exchange of energy between Nepal and India, the team urged the project management to complete the project within the deadline. 

The 6th meeting of the Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level Joint Steering Committee in Pokhara on January 24, 2019, had agreed to proceed with the implementation of cross-border 132 kV transmission lines between UP in India and Nepal. 

NEA executive director Kulman Ghising said that the Mainahiya-Sampatiya transmission line is being constructed to facilitate cross-border energy trade since, he said, Utter Pradesh had 33 kV transmission line structures. 

He said that the surplus electricity could be exported to UP while electricity could be imported to Nepal in need. ‘That is why this transmission line is important for the facilitation of cross-border electricity trade between the two countries.”

The project cost is estimated at USD 8 million. RSS

Police have arrested four persons in possession of red panda hides from Anjana Hotel in Nepalgunj-12, Banke.

The arrestees have been identified as Harka Bahadur BK of Tripura Sundari Municipality-3, Bivek Bohara and Ram Krishna Shahi of Tripura Sundari Municipality-11 and Sukram BK of Thulobheri Municipality-1, Deputy Superintendent of Police Madhusudan Neupane said. Police recovered two red panda hides hidden in a plastic bag at the hotel.

According to Neupane, the four arrested could be fined Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million and imprisoned for five to 15 years or both as per Section 26 (1) of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 BS. RSS

A team of eight icefall doctors has reached the Everest Base Camp to pave the route for mountaineers.

A team led by Angsarki Sherpa, an icefall doctor who has been active in route construction for a long time, has reached the base camp.

The team left Namche for the base camp on March 12 and will start the work after paying homage at the Pangboche monastery and determining the auspicious hour with the guidance of a lama, said Vice-Chairman of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) Lama Kaji Sherpa.

Icefall doctors carve out the route from the base camp to camp II of Mount Everest using stairs and ropes.

Meanwhile, with the onset of the tourist season, foreign tourists have started coming to Khumbu in the Everest region. The number of foreign tourists entering the Khumbu region has been increasing following the onset of spring. According to the Khumbu Pasanglamu Rural Municipality, more than 100 domestic and foreign tourists visit the Khumbu area daily.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, tourist arrivals in the Khumbu area had been affected for a long time. Tenzing Jangbu Sherpa, a tourism entrepreneur from Khumbu Pasanglamu Rural Municipality-4, Chukum, said that tourists have started coming in large numbers now.

The bustle of tourist arrival has increased at the Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla with up to 20 helicopters and 35 air flights made to Lukla daily, said Dwarika Achhami, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Lukla.

Tourist arrivals in the Khumbu area increase from September to November and from February to May. RSS