'Do unto Deuba as BP did to Matrika'

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Representatives of the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress (NC) appearing before the Election Commission(EC) on Tuesday reaffirmed the claim that the “tree” election symbol of the party and the four-star party banner belongs to their group. Advocate Shree Hari Aryal in the course of his two-and-a-half-hour-long pleading said the decision should be “far-sighted” and should be reached after considering the past practice. “If the Nepali Congress general convention held in Biratnagar in 1955, where Matrika Prasad Koirala was overthrown by B PKoirala, is valid then so is Deuba’s move to oust Koirala,” he argued. Saying that Khum Bahadur Khadka, general secretary of the Deuba faction, has said that he would verify the 797 signatures of the members who took part in the general convention, Aryal added: “The EC should give the party an opportunity to do so to reach a responsible decision.”

When Deuba, who is the prime minister in accordance with Article 53(4) of the Constitution, forwarded his recommendation to the monarch to dissolve the House and conduct mid-term polls in six months, he never apprehended that his faction wouldn’t have the tree symbol or the use of the party flag during the polls.“Since he recommended the dissolution of the House as the parliamentary leader of the NC, he is entitled to the party symbol and banner,” Aryal added.

Vegetables worth millions rotting in stores

KATHMANDU: Agricultural products worth millions of rupees are rotting in stores as farmers are unable to reach the markets because of landslides. According to reports coming in from the areas affected, thousands of litres of milk too is going to waste, bringing despondency to farmers. Their woes are deepened by the fact that there is no longer any local body to provide aid or initiate development projects. The southern part of Lalitpur district is one of the worst-hit areas. Madhav Paudel, outgoing chairman of the Lalitpur district development committee, said farmers have not been able to transport agricultural products worth millions to markets because of the damage to the Lele-Chandanpur road.

“Nearly 60,000 litre of milk and other summer vegetables are rotting,” Paudel said. The Lubhu-Lankuri Bhanjyang road, another important link for bringing vegetables to the city, has also been damaged. Paudel said the area the highway runs through is a key supplier

of vegetables to the city, particularly cucumber. Besides causing woes to farmers, landslides have also blocked the road leading to the television station in Phulchoki and disrupted drinking water supply in many villages. Irrigation projects have also been severely

hampered.