DHANGADHI: Unified CPN-Maoist leader Lekhraj Bhatta today warned of stern protest against efforts to erase the history of the far-west. Speaking at the Second Extended Meeting of Seti-Mahakali National Mukti Morcha in Bhimdutta Nagar of Kanchanpur, Bhatta said he had been putting a note of dissent to the party asking it to guarantee the rights of people of the far-west for the last one decade. He said that he would launch a struggle within his party to force the party to pay heed to his demand. “If the party fails to heed my demand, I shall quit the party,” Bhatta warned. Further, the Maoist leader accused the centre of pushing the far-west behind in development and making it a mere colony.

‘Remove secularism’

POKHARA: Nepali Congress central member Dr Shashank Koirala stressed the need to remove the word ‘secularism’ from the final constitution to be drafted. Speaking at a party programme here on Tuesday, the NC leader spoke against the provision of secularism in the statute, and federating the country along ethnic lines. “As NC has always saved the nation in critical times, this time again the onus of saving the Hindu identity of the nation has fallen on our shoulders,” he argued. “The party has four stars in its flag and among them one is for Hinduism, so we need to save Hinduism,” he said, adding, “In fact the party does not want to spark a religious war.”

Families relocated

DHADING: As many as 1050 households displaced due to the April 25 earthquake have been relocated to a safer place in Dhading. The District Disaster Rescue Committee said the families were shifted to safer places after they lost their property and houses in the disaster. CDO Basudev Ghimire said they were planning to shift the remaining others by the end of July. “We have been preparing to relocate over 1,000 households to safer places,” he said. A team led by lawmakers of the district had carried out a feasibility study of local places and decided to shift a total of 2,144 households at risk of landslips after the temblor. CDO Ghimire said households in the northern part of the district like Tipling, Ri, Lapa, Darkha, Bharlang among other places, were shifted to Damgade, Kumalgaun, Bhansarpakha, Alchhidanda, Aanpaswara and Dholal.

Indian assistance

KATHMANDU: Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae on Tuesday handed over a cheque of 386.26 million rupees to Minister of Irrigation Narayan Prakash Saud as part of India’s ongoing assistance to river training construction of embankments along the Lalbakaiya, Bagmati, and Kamla rivers in Nepal. With the assistance, the total grant already disbursed for embankment construction along these rivers stands at 3.67 billion rupees, according to a statement released by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu. The amount has been extended on various dates since 2008. India remains committed to continue working closely with Nepal for further cooperation in the field of water resources, including the River Training works on other major rivers, read the statement.

Three hurt in accident

RAJBIRAJ: Two separate road mishaps injured at least four persons in Saptari, in the past two days. Three persons sustained injuries when a motorbike collided with a bicycle along the Rajbiraj-Rupani road in Saptari on Monday night. The victims are: Mohammad Kaila Miya, 60, of Basabitti, Amit Ram, 30, and Bechan Ram, 50, of Tilathi, Saptari. Kaila and Bechan are receiving treatment at a Biratnagar-based hospital after their treatment was not possible at Gajendra Narayan Singh Zonal Hospital where Amit is being treated.