KATHMANDU: Standing committee meeting of the ruling CPN-UML today urged all political parties to start fresh dialogues to expedite the process for timely adoption of new constitution and to take the ongoing peace process to a logical end.

“Despite the fact that we have differences over a number of

issues, there is no option but to forge understanding among ourselves for the solution,” stated a press statement issued after the meeting held in the party headquarters, Balkhu.

After the major parties are

yet to reach a general understanding on some key issues pertaining to the new constitution, the Constituent Assembly meeting has been adjourned indefinitely due to lack of business.

The meeting, chaired by party president Jhala Nath Khanal, also expressed its serious concern over the deaths of over 200 people in the mid-western hilly districts of Jajarkot and Rukum from curable diseases of diarrhoea and cholera.

The party urged the government to arrange effective medical treatment to the affected people on a war footing and provide compensation to next of kin of those

killed. It also demanded that the government arrange strategies for safe drinking water and eradicate malnourishment in the impoverished districts.

The standing committee also drew the government’s attention towards unprecedented price rise of essential commodities in the recent times. Supply side must be made effective in order to tackle the price rise, the statement said.

The meeting also formed a six-member central secretariat, members of which include general secretary Ishwor Pokharel, secretaries: Yubaraj Gyawali, Bishnu Poudel and Shankar Pokharel, and Gangalal Tuladhar and Parshuram Meghi Gurung. It also approved a list of members for the department of natural resources and means proposed by department head Pradip Nepal.

UML vice-president and former deputy Prime Minister, Bamdev Gautam, said that the meeting

also finalised the political report presented during the eighth general convention in February. The

party also decided to hold zonal-level meet of party cadres by the end of August.