THT 10 YEARS AGO: House passes Water Bill

Kathmandu, January 3, 2007

The House of Representatives today passed the Nepal Drinking Water Corporation (third amendment) Bill 2006 to amend the Nepal Drinking Water Corporation Act 1989. The Bill aims at handing over management of the corporation to a private party and to hand over the job of supplying drinking water in the Kathmandu valley to a non-governmental authority.

The Bill will turn an Act after Speaker Subas Nembang authenticates it. Though some MPs, including a few from the UML, objected the provision to hand over the management to a non-governmental organisation, the House has passed the Bill by a simple majority. UML MPs Prakash Jwala and Ananda Pokhrel had left from the session while the Bill was voted.

Earlier, they criticised the provision claiming that it is a wrong idea to provide the authority to any non-governmental organisation to supply drinking water. They argued it is the job of the government. Jana Morcha Nepal led by Chitra Bahadur KC and Nepal Workers and Peasant Party MPs voted against the Bill.

The MPs have flayed the government’s role to hand over the management to a foreign company for supplying drinking water in the Kathmandu valley. “How can the government hand over the responsibility to a nongovernmental institution as supplying water is the job of the government?,” Jwala and Pokhrel asked.

They have claimed that since it was the right of the people to get parable drinking water from the government it cannot escape from the responsibility.

Lack of key officials hits work at PU

Kathmandu, January 3, 2007

All infrastructure development works of the Purbanchal University (PU) have been pending due to non-appointment of key officials, a former vice-chancellor of the PU said at an interaction organised here today.

Addressing the interaction organised by the Students’ Association of Purbanchal University (SAPU) and Students’ Club of Don Bosco College today to mark its 11th annual day, former vice-chancellor of the PU, Toran Bahadur Karki, said the appointments should not be delayed.

Speaking at the interaction, Minister for Education and Sports Prof Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar said, “The process of appointing officials is long and systematic.” “We are going through the proper channel to find best candidates for the posts,” he said, adding, “The officials will be appointed very soon.” On behalf of the parliament, Speaker of the House of Representatives Subas Nembang committed “full support” for the university.

Chuda Raj Dhakal, president of the SAPU, told this daily that they will give continuity to their protest to press for the appointment of university officials. “The association will come up with novel forms of protests, including the publication of a vacancy announcement in media.”