Kathmandu, July 4, 2007

The government has decided formulate a “comprehensive work plan” to democratise the army, making it inclusive in nature.

The Programmes and Policies for the fiscal year 2007-08 tabled before the House today has a provision for a special committee to decide on appropriate strength of the army and recommend ways to integrate and rehabilitate Maoist combatants.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, while tabling government policies, vowed to improve the law and order situation at the earliest, hold the Constituent Assembly polls on schedule, raise the salaries of the civil staff and democratise the Nepal Army.

However, it was senior cabinet minister Ram Chandra Paudel who read the Policies and Programmes on behalf of Koirala.

According to Paudel, the government plans to deal sternly with the violent and criminal elements. It aims to consolidate the civil and police administration to ensure free, fair and impartial Constituent Assembly polls. He added that the government would fully cooperate with the Election Commission and allow observers from the United Nations and other international organisations during the polls. A State Restructuring Commission would be formed for restructuring of the state along federal lines. A task force will be formed to do the “necessary groundwork” for proportional and inclusive participation of Madhesis, Dalits, indigenous communities, women, workers and peasants, the disabled and backward communities in all the organs of the state structure.

A relief programme will be worked out for the conflict victims.

Poor to get Melamchi water for a price!

Kathmandu, July 4, 2007

Once the ambitious Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) sees the light of the day, private water vendors will literally sell water, especially to the poor living in the slums of the valley.

A Low Income Consumer Support Unit (LICSU), a side project of the MWSP, is going to handle the supply to the poor through local interested bodies who will collect money from the poor for letting them use the community taps, to be installed for the the slums dwellers and the squatters.

The LICSU will be a part of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, the authority to generate water sources and manage and distribute the water supply in the valley. After consulting the LICSU, the management contractor will prepare a plan — Community Tap Improvement Plan (CTIP) — to improve the service from the standposts.

It will detail the LICSU’s role in managing the drinking water in slums by transferring management responsibility for existing standposts to either Water User Groups, municipalities or private water vendors, according to the draft contract paper of MWSP.

It is not clear who will be the water vendors, and how they will be authorised to collect money from the slum dwellers for using taps.