Nepalgunj/Dhangadhi, Sept 9, 2005

Japanese Encephalitis has already claimed at least 244 people in different districts of Western Terai this year. The death toll due to encephalitis had reached 74 in Banke alone. In Bheri Zonal Hospital, 55 people have died of encephalitis. Chief of the hospital’s Statistic Department Nanda Lal Shrestha said out of 287 patients admitted, 167 had been discharged after successful treatment. As of today, 65 encephalitis patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital, he said. Managing Director of Nepalgunj Medical College, Dr Suresh Kumar Kanaudiya said 19 encephalitis patients had died at the hospitals and medical colleges at Nepalgunj and Kohalpur.

Out of 213 patients admitted to the medical colleges, 72 were still undergoing treatment while 33 had been successfully treated, he said. The disease has claimed 75 lives in Kailali and Kanchanpur — 43 died at Seti Zonal Hospital in Dhangadhi, 21 at Tikapur Hospital, 11 at Mahakali Zonal Hospital in Mahendranagar. Of the 203 patients admitted at the Seti Zonal hospital, 43 died and 121 were discharged after treatment. Of 126 patients admitted at Tikapur Hospital, 21 died while 87 were successfully treated, staff Sanjeev Shah said. However, he said the inflow of patients in his hospital had decreased.

Dr Giri’s name off CIB blacklist

Kathmandu, September 9, 2005

Himalaya Plastics Pvt Ltd, a blacklisted company in which Dr Tulsi Giri, vice-chairman of council of the ministers has been associated with, has cleared all the dues of Nepal Bank Ltd (NBL) following a repayment of Rs 8.4 million in cash this morning. With today’s amount, the company has repaid a total of Rs 13.566 million against the total outstanding loan liability of Rs 17.5 million. The total repaid amount doesn’t include the concession given on penal and compound interest as well as 10 per cent discount on total outstanding simple interest. Himalaya Plastics, in which Dr Giri was the then board chairman, had taken a loan from NBL’s Balaju and New Road branch in 1986. Despite frequent requests, the company had not repaid the loan for the last 20 years. On the request of NBL, the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) had blacklisted the company along with its chairman Dr Giri and the other two promoters in 2001. Following a disclosure in the media that Dr Giri has been blacklisted by CIB in June this year, an Indian national D S N Pandey handed over a draft worth IC 2.2 million (Rs 3.5 million) issued in the name of Bank of India to NBL on August 25. The Himalaya Plastics repaid in cash Rs 1.6 million at the NBL’s New Road office a week ago. However, the identity of the person who repaid the loan has been kept a secret. As per the understanding reached between NBL and Himalaya Plastics after a series of  negotiations, NBL had agreed to completely exempt penal and compound interests.