Kathmandu, November 26, 2008

Much conceived, but little delivered The Maoist-affiliated union has lived up to its threat. It has ensured shutdown of around 58 hotels and resorts in Nagarkot during the peak season. Allegations between the hospitality industry and hotel and restaurant workers’ union flew thick and fast through the day as tourists were forced to beat a hasty threat, thanks to the prevailing uncertainty. The union brought a rally today, shouting slogans like fulfill the demands of workers. Hotel Country Villa and Dragon Resort have been exempted from shutdown. A seminar is going on at Hotel Country Villa, while Dragon Resort, where a few guests are still checked in, has been spared on humanitarian ground. Dipak Lamichhane, secretary, Nagarkot Naldum Tourism Development Committee (NNTDC), admitted of bowing to the Maoists’ pressure. “Guests, who are here, will be allowed to stay. But, no hotel is accepting any fresh booking. We will meet tomorrow with various trade bodies and government authorities to resolve the dispute. Hotels in Dhulikhel will also be closed from tomorrow because of the same problem,” said Lamichhane. Purushottam Gautam, secretary, Bhaktapur district committee, All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union (ANHRWU), said that a task force had met the representatives of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), but the talks failed to resolve the deadlock. Mohan Gajurel, president, Kavre district committee, ANHRWU, today said that the union would submit a memorandum to the ad-hoc Dhulikhel Tourism Development Committee tomorrow.

Kathmandu, November 26, 2008

Much was expected from the Maoist led coalition government. Much was promised. But little has been delivered in the first 100 days of governance. The government had to win the confidence of close neighbours and other friendly countries, pass the government’s policies and programme and the fiscal budget, maintain relations with the opposition and bring the ongoing peace process to a logical end. Civil society, media and even the opposition parties gave fair marks to the government’s performance in dealing with the Koshi crisis. But the government turned its deaf ear to the woes of the flood-hit victims in the mid and far-western region. The coalition government did its best to win the confidence of the close neighbours. Though the PM visited China to take part in the closing ceremony of the Olympics, breaking the long-held tradition of paying first official visit to India by any new PM of the country, he balanced it with a “political visit” to India. Subsequently he took part in 63rd session of the United Nations, where he met the US president George Bush and urged the US officials to remove the terrorist-tag attached on his party.