Substation padlocked

Mahendranagar: Three student bodies, demanding reduction in power outage hours in Kanchanpur, have padlocked a Nepal Electricity Authority substation indefinitely beginning Monday.The substation lockout has further worsened the power supply, reducing 20 megawatt from the grid. Agitating Nepal Students’ Union, All Nepal National Free Students’ Union and ANNFSU (Sixth) also burnt tyres on the East-West Highway disrupting vehicular movement for an hour. The lockout has hindered power supplies to the far-west and the mid-west, except Kanchanpur, NEA said. The protesting students alleged that the power received for Kanchanpur was diverted elsewhere. NSU district president Bhim Dutta Bhatta warned of more protest programmes if the supply situation were not improved. — HNS

NBA unit shut

Parasi: Work in Nawalparasi unit of the Nepal Bar Association has been obstructed since the past one month. Some legal practitioners had padlocked the office accusing the association of failing to hold its election on time. They have also demanded inclusiveness in the new working

committee of the office. — RSS

Dalit discrimination

MYAGDI: Perturbed by discrimination against Dalits by the community members themselves, some social workers in Myagdi have launched a campaign to root out the evil practice. Generally, so-called upper caste people are found to discriminate against Dalits. Gambe Pariyar, Chairman of Pariyar Service Committee, said they had launched a two-month awareness drive to put an end to the discrimination existing among Dalits. — RSS

Permanency sought

BAITADI: Demanding that their jobs be made permanent, sub-technicians from nine districts in the far-western region submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister. A regional assembly of the sub-technicians of the district drinking water and sanitation sub division offices and the district technicians’ offices, which concluded recently, had submitted a memo to the PM. — RSS

Hetauda water project

BHIMPHEDI: The second phase of construction work for the massive drinking water project based at Handikhola and Padmapokhari VDCs in Makawanpur has begun. The government is chipping in Rs 21 million while Nepal Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office, Makawanpur, is providing Rs 12 million for the project. It is believed that around 5,000 households will benefit once the project comes into operation. — RSS

Maoists criticised

BIRATNAGAR: Nepali Congress central committee member Dr Shekhar Koirala blamed the Maoists of being against drafting a democratic constitution. Addressing a Tarun Dal mass here on Monday, Koirala said, “It is hard to believe that the Maoists are for a democratic order since they have been refusing to return seized land and attacking media.” Demanding immediate return of seized property and alternatives for power outage, Morang chapter of Nepal Tarun Dal demonstrated here on Monday. The Dal alleged that the Maoists had not implemented their reiterated commitments. — HNS

Women targetted

Khajura: Twenty-two-year-old Motishara BK dreamt of earning handsomely working abroad. Her dream, however, got a blow when she came to know that the agent was trying to cheat her. Worse still, the agent was immediately released after arrest. With agents being on the prowl, some girls in Banke have been finding themselves at the receiving end of fake job assurances. According to Jamunaha Police Post, two to four India-bound women are sent back daily. Of late, Kuwait, Saudi Arab, Qatar and other Gulf countries have been a favourite destination for Nepali women. But some of them have fallen prey to unscrupulous agents. According to Maiti Nepal, 109 women were rescued this year. — RSS

Timber smuggling

DAMAK: An Armed Police Force patrol has held two youths from Lakhanpur Village Development Committee of Jhapa while they were smuggling timber on Sunday night. Fifteen-year-old Raju Liwang and 16-year-old Binu Lawati of Lakhanpur VDC-3 were caught red-handed smuggling timber from a community forest in Ilam’s Chulachuli area. Bal Kumar Shrestha of APF Pathibhara Battalion, Mechi, said nine bicycles and 40 cubic feet of timber were confiscated from the duo. The seized timber has been handed over to the area forest office of Surunga, the APF said. — HNS