KAVRE: The government of Japan today handed over BP Koirala Highway to Nepal government. the 160-kilometre highway, constructed in eighteen years, is a short-cut alternative road to connect Kathmandu with Tarai. At a programme held in the district, Japanese envoy to Nepal Masashi Ogawa handed over the highway built with grant assistance of his government to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. The highway, though named as Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas, starts from Dhulikhel. Japan’s Hamja Company had carried out the road construction. The highway was constructed at the cost of over Rs 21 billion. The highway was completed in four phases. Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas project Chief Bharatkaji Debaju said that the highway would shorten the travel time from Kathmandu to Tarai and eastern Nepal.

Zinc sheets for victims

NAGARKOT: Anita Schmitz, German national, distributed zinc sheets to as many as 660 quake-affected families of Baluwapati Deupur VDC in Kavre on Friday. Schmitz distributed a bundle of galvanized zinc sheets to each resident of wards 5, 6 and 8 of the VDC in coordination with Semanta Sundar Pokhrel, proprietor of Nagarkot-based Hotel Eco Home. She also distributed goats and sewing machines to the victims. She had collected five million rupees from her friends in Germany and other donors, aiming to help the quake victims of Nepal, especially those whose houses were completely damaged in the disaster. She had reached the VDC and distributed the relief on behalf of Helfende Hande Fur Nepal EV Mainz Germany.

Rapist priest jailed

JHAPA: Jhapa District Court convicted a priest of Shree Krishna Pranami Temple of Kankai Municipality of rape and sentenced him to five years in jail on Thursday. A single bench of District Judge Purneswor Prasad Upadhyay had slapped priest Mohanananda Subdei, 60, with the jail term and a fine of Rs 50,000. The priest had been raping a 14-year-old girl for a long time. He was arrested almost about 45 days ago.

Two detained

KATHMANDU: Police on Thursday arrested two persons from Sundhara with an idol of historical and archaeological significance. Anoj Shrestha, 31, and Dinesh Maharjan, 29, of Lagan Tole were arrested with the idol. A police team of the Metropolitan Police Circle, Janasewa, had intercepted the motorcycle they were riding at Sundhara and confiscated the idol of a Hindu deity. Police said that they had launched an investigation into the case.