Rainfall in Pokhara

POKHARA: Pokhara recorded a brief rainfall on Thursday for the first time during this winter season. However, it could not bring delight among the farmers as the intensity and duration of rainfall was very small. The rainfall lasted for 20 minutes before the dusk. According to the head of the Narayani Basin Office Pokhara, Bishnu Narayan Gurung, the long spell of drought has caused problems to the farmers. Pokhara has seen such a drought only three to four times in the last four decades, he said. However, the office failed to record the amount of rainfall as the rainfall occurred after the office time. — HNS

SC order to govt

KATHMANDU: The Supreme court on Thursday ordered the government authorities to produce four student leaders including Ranjeet Karna and Sarod Gautam before the Court on February 14 in order to decide whether or not to release them from detention. They are in judicial detention after they were arrested from a demonstration against the municipal elections. A single bench of judge Paramananda Jha issued the order following a hearing on a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking the court’s order to release them. — HNS

Victory for blind

BIRATNAGAR: Thirty-year-old Chiranjibi Sharma, who is blind by birth, and can be seen selling polythene bags on city streets, was elected unopposed as ward member of Ward No. 8, Biratnagar sub metropolis. Sharma is the only visually-impaired elected official in this municipal polls, filed his nomination on the ticket of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Kamal Thapa). He said he had borrowed Rs 100 from a ward chairman candidate, Pashupati Bhagat, to file his candidacy. — HNS

2 Maoists killed

GORKHA: Two Maoist activists were killed in the security operation in Gorkha on Thursday. Maoist in-charge of area number 2, Rahul Kunwar and Maoist cadre Bhisan were killed in the action taken by patrolling team of security forces at Chisapani of Khoplang VDC of Gorkha, district based security source said. The security forces also recovered two socket bombs, battery charger, combat dress and Maoist documents from the site. — HNS

Houses bombed

Damauli: Maoists bombed houses of former minister Durga Shrestha and newly-elected mayor of the Byas Municipality, Sundar Bahadur Gurung on Thursday. The blast has damaged the house, Resham Shrestha, husband of the former minister, said. Another blast has caused damages to the eastern section of Gurung’s house. The blasts have left the locals of Damauli terrified. Indradev Yadav, a policeman whom the Maoists had shot at in Itahari on Saturday, died on Thursday. — HNS