Nepal-B'desh body

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Nepal and Bangla-desh are all set to form a bilateral mechanism to deal with issues relating to common concern. The Foreign Secretary level body will review activities between the two South Asian neighbours and investigate the prospect of expanding it, said a Foreign Ministry officer. Foreign Secretary Durga Prasad Bhattarai is leaving for Dhaka, leading a three-member delegation on July 30, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to this

effect with his counterpart Mijarul Quayes. Nepal has similar mechanism with Indian and Pakistan in the region.

Regular power supply

MYAGDI: The regular power supply at Inglekhola of Gurja VDC has started from Thursday after the completion of micro hydropower project with 30 watt capacity of power, project Chairman Jhak Bahadur Chhantyal informed. The project, completed in two years, is said to benefit 230 families in the remote area. The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, Gurja VDC and locals had invested Rs 10 million for the project. The power supply round the clock has boosted the spirit of local folks though the VDC lacks access to road, communication and other development infrastructures.

Houses under threat

KALIKOT: The rain-swollen Karnali River has put as many as 200 houses of Kalikot's Jite Bazaar under landslide threat. The river, which is flowing above the danger mark, has triggered fear among the locals. Jite Bazaar is a trade centre of Dailekh, Achham and Kalikot districts. Locals run their business during the daytime and take refuge in the neighbouring village at night, informed local businessman, Lila Baral. District Administration, Kalikot has advised people of Jite Bazaar to evacuate their houses and shops at the earliest.

DDC office padlocked

JUMLA: Officials of the West Upper Mountainous Poverty Alleviation Programme under the Local Development Fund had padlocked the office of Jumla District Development Committee from Thursday. Officials have demanded that the DDC resume the programme immediately. They have padlocked the DDC office saying that the programme, which ran in 11 districts across the country, was only phased in three districts of Karnali zone without informing them. Similarly, the service recipients in the DDC have been affected after the office was padlocked.

Telecom offices

BIRGUNJ: Minister for Information and Communication Raj Kishor Yadav inspected Nepal Telecom (NT) Regional Office, Birgunj, and NT Birgunj Office on Friday morning. Minister Yadav advised the service pro-viders to provide effective and quality services and ensure easy access to the villages. The organisation should be developed as the people's institution, he said, adding that the workers of the NT should rise above the political prejudices to make working system of the company more systematic, reliable and techno-savvy.

Five injured

DHADING: Five persons were injured, two critically, when a commuter bus collided with a tipper at Bhumesthan-6, Simle, in Dhading along the Prithvi highway at about 7.30 pm on Friday. According to the police, four passengers of the bus

and one of the tipper were injured. They have been sent to Kathmandu for treatment.