Patients affected

RAMECHHAP: Dental patients of Ramechhap district say have been compelled to visit the capital city Kathmandu and other districts and pay hefty prices for treatment due to lack of qualified dentists and other trained manpower in the 15-bed district hospital and 55 health posts and sub health posts across the eastern district. —RSS

Arsenic pollution

GAUR: Two hundred five families living in Budharwa village development committee in Rautahat district have no option except to drink water containing arsenic. According to locals, the problem arose after the secretary of the VDC installed hand pumps given by the Division Office of Drinking Water and Sanitation only in the courtyards of local political leaders. — RSS

Nine held for robbery

ITAHARI: Police have arrested nine persons on the charge of stealing gold worth Rs 3.2 million and Rs 145,000 in cash from Bijeswori Jwellers in Itahari three weeks ago. As the police could not recovered the loot from them, they have been probing into the case further. — RSS

Poll preparations

DHANGADHI: A meeting was held at the Office of the Kailali District Election Officer’s Office in connection with holding the municipal elections. At the meeting, district elections officer and chief district officer Ram Prasad Sharma said the preparations for the elections has entered the final stage. All the materials except the ballot papers have been received from the Election Commission, and staffers have been designated to conduct the elections. Sharma said adequate security arrangements have been made to hold the elections in a free and fair manner. Some 16 polling booths have been fixed in nine wards of Tikapur municiapality and 29 booths in Dhangadhi. Tikapur has 23, 092 voters and Dhangadhi has 43, 454. Political parties have expedited publicity campaigns. — RSS

Medicos dispatched

HUMLA: Health workers and medicine supplies have been dispatched to different parts of Humla district to treat people affected by cold, according to the District Health Office. — RSS

26 posts vacant

HETAUDA: The Ministry of Education has not yet appointed 26 teachers for the secondary schools of Makwanpur district, the Makwanpur district education committee said on Thursday. The committee has directed schools in the district to appoint 93 teachers for primary and lower secondary schools. Out of them, 54 teachers are to be appointed for primary schools and 39 teachers for the lower secondary schools, district education officer Rambilas Raya said. Stating that teachers under quota are picked mainly from the Dalits and indigenous nationalities, Raya said: “Most of the teachers have been appointed for the schools located in remote region.” — HNS

Death condoled

KATHMANDU: Expressing shock over the untimely demise of Belibasna Sharma, 65, mother of editor of Janamanch weekly, Sunil Sharma, the Editors’ Society Nepal has extended hearty condolences to the bereaved family. — RSS

Reception committee

BIRGUNJ: People of Narayani zone have been awaiting the arrival of the King and the Queen. An all-party meeting held on the premises of the office of District Development Committee on Wednesday decided to hold a ceremony to welcome the King and the Queen. A civic reception committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the District Development Committee, Parsa, Shambhu Prasad Chaurshiya, to organise the ceremony. The committee has chairmen and vice-chairmen of Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Chitwan and Makwanpur as well as former minister, social workers, intellectuals, industrialist, businessmen and media persons as members. The meeting has decided to constitute a 21-member executive committee and advisory committees. On the occasion, regional administrator Rabindra Chakrabarti said that people in Narayani zone are eager to have an audience with the King and the Queen. — RSS

Discussion on polls

CHITWAN: The Office of Election Officer, Chitwan organised discussion programmes with the secretaries of all 14 wards of Bharatpur municipality on holding municipal elections scheduled for February 8 in a free, fair and peaceful manner. The participants at the interaction came up with commitments including informing general voters about the polling centres and voters number as well as distributing and giving wider publicity to the polls by using publicity materials received from Election Commission. Those present at the programme presided over by District Election Officer and CDO Narandra Raj Poudel were representatives of Rasdhtriya Prajatantra Party (Nationalists), Democratic Nepal Party, Rashtrabadi Milan Kendra and Samata Party. Leaders and representatives of these parties expressed their commitment to participate in upcoming municipal elections which is the backbone of democracy. Other necessary preparations along with publicity of the poll are going on smoothly and extensively, said officials of the District Election Office, Chitwan. — RSS

Minister on polls

TULSIPUR: People will boycott the political parties that will attempt to foil the upcoming municipal elections, Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Golchhe Sarki, has said. The assistant minister was addressing a gathering of political leaders and party workers in Ghorahi on Wednesday. Calling on all the political parties to take part in the polls, he assured that the polls will be held in an impartial and peaceful manner. The government will spare no efforts to give protection to voters and candidates, he said. The minister also held interactions with businessmen, intellectuals, social workers and representatives of the civil society on the same day. — RSS