Maoists return assets

BHOJPUR: CPN-Maoist on Monday returned the land and property belonging to Toran Karki, former district development committee president. The Maoists had seized the Pyauli VDC-based property, including house, land and mill, worth Rs 10 million during their decade-long insurgency in 2002. Issuing a press statement, the party’s district committee on Monday said the property had been returned as per the 12-point understanding and other later

agreements. “We have formally returned all the property,” Bhojpur-4 area committee secretary Bimal said. Also a district leader of the Nepali Congress, Karki has been living in

Biratnagar. — HNS

Clashes condemned

KATHMANDU: Inter-religious Council Nepal on Monday condemned the attacks on a press conference held at the premises of Pashupatinath temple on Sunday. The council said the appointment of the new priests had violated the stay order issued by the Supreme Court. Issuing a press statement, the inter-religious body maintained that the state should not interfere in the religious and cultural proceedings, adding that there should not be any foreign influence on national affairs. It also called on the government to form a high level committee to probe the ongoing row instigated by the disputed replacement of the Indian Bhattas by Nepali priests a few days back. — HNS

Three in police net

Damak: Police on Sunday night arrested three persons including Mechi-Koshi army commander of the Sanyukta Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha-Chauhan Singh group, Dashrath Mikhiya. The other arrested are Ranjan Mahato and Gyanumati Mahato. — HNS

Civic body grant

Kathmandu: Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) has provided Rs 6.5 crore to Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) for its physical infrastructure development. Shaligram Rijal, under secretary of the Social Welfare department of KMC said that they had to fulfill certain criteria set by the ministry. According to the criteria, 80 per cent of the amount should be spent on the physical infrastructure development, 15 per cent in poverty mitigation and five per cent in organisational development of KMC. — HNS

Gautam talks tough

SARLAHI: Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam on Monday said that the government was determined to take action against those who are committing murder, violence, abduction and extortion in the Tarai and eastern hilly districts. Speaking at the fifth district convention of the CPN-UML, Gautam claimed that the elements who struck terror to discredit the federal democratic system cannot be political figures. He also said his party was in favour of the revolutionary land reform policy. — HNS