Once-over

Officials elected

Birgunj: Independent candidates Bimal Srivastav and Purushottam Jha were elected as mayor and deputy mayor in Birgunj Sub Metropolis respectively. Srivastav was elected mayor with 4000 votes more than his nearest rival, Pradeep Subedi of RPP -Thapa. Jha was elected as Deputy mayor with 3000 votes more than his nearest rival, Mohammad Hussein of RPP-Thapa. Srivastav had received 13,962 votes and Jha had received 12,999 votes, Election Office, Parsa said. This is the fourth win for Srivastav as mayor. — HNS

Transport strike called

Hetauda: Pro-Maoist Joint Revolutionary Peoples’ Council, Makwanpur, has announced transportation strike in Narayani Zone from Saturday. Secretary of the Council, Bhim Pakhrin, issuing a statement said the decision was made to protest the security forces’ halting of vehicular movement in Raigaun-Phaparbari route from the past three weeks. Meanwhile, security forces said transport services in the Raigaun-Phaparbari route would not resume for the time being because there is much possibility of the services being misused by the Maoists. — HNS

Bombing condemned

TANAHUN: Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON) Tanahun said Maoists have violated the Geneva Convention 1949 by bombing the houses of former minister Durga Shrestha at Byas Municipality-2 and the house of one Jag Lal Gurung neighbouring to that of Mayor Sundar Gurung at ward number 11 of the municipality. District chairman of HURON, Ram Nath Bhattarai and District chairman of Nepal bar Association, Yagya Rana, issuing a joint statement on Saturday said the blasts had affected women and children severely. The statement said it was found that bullets had hit homes of locals after the security forces opened fires after they heard the blast. — HNS

Panel formed

KALIKOT: A 201-member main function committee has been constituted here under the convenorship of DDC Chairman Katak Bahadur Shahi to celebrate the Tribhuwan Jayanti and the National Democracy Day falling on Falgun 7. The committee has plans to organise district level quiz contest, procession and illumination and other programmes. — RSS

Discussion held

BUTWAL: Participants of a talk program held by District Administration Office, Rupandehi, on the occasion of the Authority Day have emphasised on the need of regular and effective monitoring for the building of a corruption-free society and establishing good-governance. The rights, responsibilities and work scopes of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) should be made more effective for checking corruption in the country, said Judge at the District Court Surendra Bir Singh Basnyat while inaugurating the programme. Assistant Chief District Officer Rudra Nath Bashyal and others expressed their views at the programme. In Humla the Authority Day was marked here on Friday amid a function. Speaking on the occasion, Acting Chief District Officer Yagya Raj Bohara said that corruption should be extricated. At the programme headed by DDC Chairman Kali Bahadur Shahi, different persons including representative of Nepal Samata Party Sher Bahadur Rokaya expressed their views. — RSS

Timber seized

GAUR: A patrolling team sent from District Forest Office, Rautahat, has seized a total of 150 cubic feet of illegally felled timber from Gaidatar VDC, Thada Tol. Smuggling of timber is on rise for the last few months in Rautahat and other districts at its periphery, it is said. — RSS