Nepal

Kathmandu, August 31

Lack of space policy has forced the ground station of the countryfirst satellite, NepaliSat-1, to be registered and licensed under The Radio Communication (License) Regulation, 1992, which provides licences to radio services such as, FM, cordless phones and radio equipment.

After launching the countryfirst satellite, NepaliSat-1, into space on April 18, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had said the country had entered the space era. Contrary to the PMclaim, the country still does not have clear rules and regulations on satellite or space.

The Department of Information and Broadcasting has provided NepaliSat-1 ground station with licence number: ‘Satellite Earthstation 220-2075-76&. The ground station, which will receive information and is required to send commands to the satellite, is yet to come into operation.

Officials of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology said they faced difficulties acquiring licence as there were no clear law regarding space in the country. The licence was provided under schedule 4(d), which grants licence for ‘manufacturing radio machine.&

Following pressure from space scientists, physicists, and stakeholders, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology recently drafted a Nepal Satellite policy-2019. The policy, however, received criticisms from the science fraternity saying the government should have developed a broader scope of National Space Policy.

NepaliSat-1 ground station programme head at NAST Roshan Pandey said, &We have suggested that the ministry change the policy into National Space Policy so thatit could incorporate a wider scope.& He added the ministry was positive about the proposal.

Suresh Bhattarai, executive chairman of Nepal Astronomical Society, said it was necessary to establish a separate space agency in the country. He said the government now needs to draft separate regulations, policies or acts for setting up a space agency.

&For now, scientists and stakeholders are not clear who will work on space related issues. There should be a separate space agency or space department to deal with this issue.&

Bhattarai said there was confusion as towhich ministry would assume authority of NepaliSat-1, either Ministry of Education, Science and Technology or MoCIT. &Had there been a separate body to deal with space related issues, it would have been much easier and we would have progressed a lot in the field,& Bhattarai added.

Officials of NAST have once again claimed that the ground station could come into operation within a few days. NepaliSat-1 ground station programme head Roshan Pandey said, &We have completed construction and assembly of high tech devices and are calibrating various devices. If everything goes well, we willbe able tobring the ground station into operation within a few days.&

NAST had claimed it would operate the ground station months before launching the countryfirst satellite, but the station is yet to come into operation. After the satellite was launched on April 18, NAST had again claimed the ground station would be set up within a couple of weeks.

However, more than four months have passed since NepaliSat-1 was launched, and data from the satellite is being received with the help of our neighbouring country Bhutan.

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Kathmandu, August 31

The Department of Transport Management has warned against parking vehicles in no-parking zone of the 27-km Ring Road saying violators would face maximum punishment.

Issuing a public notice, the DoTM said motorists were notified for the second time, regarding the ban imposed on parking vehicles in the greenbelt areas along the Ring Road in 2017. The second public notice comes in the wake of rampant violation of traffic rules. The DoTM said the initiative was aimed at managing and regulating traffic inside Kathmandu valley.

The regulating body is responsible for overall management of road transport service in the country.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, the law enforcement agency of the DoTM, reminded that greenbelt areas had been declared no-parking zones.

Any vehicle parked on the greenbelt area of the Ring Road will be detained before initiating action against the driver. The greenbelt, where infrastructure construction is not allowed, has been maintained for promoting greenery.

According to Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act-1993, traffic police may slap a driver with a fine of up to Rs 1,500 if one parks his/her vehicle in a restricted place.

MTPD has directed all its units in the valley to strictly enforce the ban. The rule envisions smooth traffic system and reduction of road accidents.

The ban was also part of the drive to clear the greenbelt, 25 metres on either side of the road.

Vehicle parking in greenbelt, mainly the Kalanki-Chabahil stretch, is a common sight and is causing inconvenience to pedestrians.

An official at MTPD said traffic and civil cops would be mobilised to monitor Ring Road area and take action against the rule violators.

Transport entrepreneurs have been using greenbelt areas to park vehicles due to lack of adequate parking space in bus parks. Earlier, traffic police had decided to fix arrival and departure points for long-route vehicles in Gongabubus park.

As per the decision, no long-route vehicle was allowed to leave Kathmandu from places other than Gongabubus park.

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Kathmandu, August 31

Prime Minister and the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chair KP Sharma Oli handed over his responsibilities to the other Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal before he left for Singapore on August 18 for a health-check up. However, Co-chair Dahal does not have a free hand to run the party as his activities are closely monitored and checked by aides close to PM Oli.

This is the first time that Dahal has got the chance to lead the party as mandated by the partystatute following merger of the two former parties—CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre — in May 2018.

During Prime Minister Olifirst medical check-up trip to Singapore from August 3 to 12, NCP Co-chair Dahal was not delegated the authority to hold party meetings.

This time, Oli allowed Dahal to run the party in his absence. NCP also held a meeting under Dahalchairmanship on 26 August. Moreover, Dahal has also become active meeting high profile persons, including President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

However, Dahal does not enjoy freedom to run the party on his own. PM Oli has formed a group comprising his close aides to oversee and ensure check and balance of Dahalwork.

According to NCP sources, Oli has deployed his aides Acting Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel in the government, deputy-leader of parliamentary party Subash Nembang in the Parliament and General Secretary Bishnu Poudel in the party to oversee activities of Co-chair Dahal.

&If Dahal wants to do something in these areas, he first should talk and convince them. Without their approval, Dahal cannot do anything although he is one of the co-chairs of the powerful party,& an NCP source told THT, adding that Dahal also needs to convince the partysenior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is not happy with the recent decisions of the party.

Political analyst Hari Roka said that although the two parties merged to form the NCP, there has always remained trust deficit between leaders of the two erstwhile parties. &There are factions in the party. So, there is no environment of trust among the leaders. This has created problems in the party,& he said, adding that trust deficit had prompted PM Oli to deploy his aides to check Dahalactivities.

PM Oli had appointed his close aide General Secretary Bishnu Poudel as acting chair of the party while he left for Singapore for his first medical check-up on August 3.

On that day, Oli left for Singapore in the afternoon while Co-chair Dahal was supposed to arrive from his UAE trip at mid-night.

&That showed, how much PM Oli trusted Poudel,& an NCP leader told THT, adding, this time too in the absence of Oli, Poudel will look after all works of the party.

However, Surya Thapa, central committee member and newly appointed vice-chair of Media and Publicity Department ruled out the problem of trust deficit in the party. &There was no such problem in the party because the party yesterday issued an internal directive under the chairmanship of Dahal. However, it is true thatDahal and General Secretary BishnuPoudel have been working together and they also consult with other members of the party when required,& he said.

Another central committee member and vice-chair of International Department said, &The partystatute has clearlymentioned that in the absence of one co-chair another co-chair will run the party. Consultation among leaders before taking a decision is normal practice,& he added.

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Kathmandu, August 30

Health ministers of member countries of World Health Organisation South-East Asia Region are meeting in New Delhi next week to discuss ways of addressing health impact of climate change, burden of tuberculosis and emergency risk management.

In a press release issued by WHO, elimination of measles, cervical cancer and other non-communicable diseases; and strengthening health services and workforce for universal health coverage are other key issues that will be taken up at the 72nd Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia, which will take place from September 2 to 6.

Health Minister, Upendra Yadav, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, and IndiaMinister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan will address the inaugural session of the Regional Committee, the governing body of WHO in the region. Health ministers and senior officials from all 11 member countries and senior WHO officials will be attending the week-long deliberations.

The region has eight flagship priority programmes & measles elimination and rubella control; preventing non-communicable diseases; reducing maternal and under-five and neonatal mortality; universal health coverage with a focus on human resources for health and essential medicines; combating antimicrobial resistance; scaling up capacities for emergency risk management, among others.

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