Road construction

KATHMANDU: The Rural Access Programme (RAP) handed over the management of the 26 km Hile-Leguwa road section to the Department of Roads on Friday. The construction of the gravel road was started by RAP in March 2004 and was completed in January at a total cost of Rs 77 million. The road is a part of the 92 km Hile-Bhojpur Feeder Road that connects Dhankuta to Bhojpur. — HNS

Women’s Day plan

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and various organisations working for women rights on Sunday made public their week-long programme to jointly celebrate the 97th International Women’s Day on March 8. The activities include interaction and workshops on women’s issues and oratory contest, among others. — HNS

Govt forms talks team

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Education and Sports has constituted a talks team under the coordination of the director of the Department of Education to discuss the demands put forth by the School Employees’ Council. The ministry has appealed to all concerned to sit for talks and seek a way out for resolving the problems faced by the employees. — RSS

One shot dead

KAPILVASTU: An unidentified group on Saturday night shot dead one Ashok Mishra, 30, of Tilaurakot VDC in Kapilvastu district. He was shot at the southern Kudan area of the district, said Superintendent of Police Jay Bahadur Chanda at the Kapilvastu district police office. A pistol was also recovered from the site. Police has suspected involvement of Indian criminals in the incident. — HNS

Panel grills Major

Kathmandu: The Supreme Court-appointed probe panel headed by appellate court judge Lokendra Mallik on Sunday quizzed Nepalese Aarmy major Purushottam Bikram KC. “We started interrogating him for his role in the disappearance of a man, Bipin Bhandari, who was in army custody when he was the chief of the No 1 Bahini of Field Gulm at Thankot barracks,” a member of the panel said. The panel has been investigating the diappearance of Bhandari, Rajendra Dhakal, Dil Bahadur Rai and Chakra Bahadur Katuwal. The panel was set up by the Supreme Court. — HNS

Police spokesman

KATHMANDU: Nepal Police on Sunday named SSP Sushilwar Singh Thapa as the spokesperson of the Police Headquarters, a press release issued by the outgoing spokesperon Deputy Inspector General of Police Kiran Kumar Gautam, stated. “As the government promoted me to the post of the DIG on February 26 and posted at the Regional Police Office at Hetauda, SSP Thapa will take the post of spokesperon of the Nepal Police Headquarters with effect from Sunday,” Gautam said. — HNS

Freedom fighter dead

SYANGJA: Freedom fighter Hukum Singh Thakuri, who had played a leading role in the democratic movement of 1951, died on Saturday. He was 90. He had led a group at the call of Nepali Congress to liberate Bahakot. His last rites were performed at the Seti river in Pokhara on Saturday. He is survived by four sons and four daughters. — HNS