UML renews appeal to govt on local bodies' term

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The Communist Party of Nepal-UML, which enjoyed a majority at the local level, today repeated its appeal to the government to extend the term of the elected local representatives by a year. “It is still not late. We have heard the government is yet to reach a decision. We appeal to the government to extend the term (of the local bodies) by a year in accordance with the constitutional provision,” the party’s general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal told reporters at the party headquarters here on Thursday. Nepal said the extension would be in the interests of the people and democracy, adding that the government couldn’t make political appointments at such a level against the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission. “The government should either hold elections or extend their term,” he said. According to the constitutional provision, the term of local bodies can be extended for a year in a special situation or when it is not possible to conduct local polls. The party condemned the Sher Bahadur Deuba government for “dishonouring” the local representatives and making a mockery of democratic governance. It said the government by placing the authority of local governance in the hands of civil servants had taken an extremely undemocratic step. The term of 2,13,922 elected representatives, 3,913 village development committees, 58 municipalities and 75 district development committees ended on July 16.

Women from slums come forward to fight poverty

KATHMANDU: A cluster of 112 women groups from various slum areas in different parts of the valley have raised Rs 3.9 million with technical assistance from Lumanti, a non-governmental organisation, which has been conducting a variety of programmes to address existing urban poverty. This was said on Thursday at a press tour organised to throw light on the condition of the slums in various parts of the valley. Lajana Manandhar, chairman of Lumanti, said: “We need to address the problems before it is too late. Our programmes also aim at increasing the dignity of Sukumbasi and to help them lead a respectful life. “The money collected from 1,979g roup members will be used for developmental activities such as income generation, education and health and housing in slum areas. The groups are being developed into cooperatives out of which three have already been registered. Lumanti, which came into existence in 1993, has been running programmes on housing, health and sanitation, education, good governance and gender issues in 68 slums and squatters’ colonies in various parts of the valley.