Almost all newspapers published in Kathmandu on Monday have given priority to reports related to France’s victory over Croatia in the World Cup finals. Similarly, medical reform activist Dr Govinda KC’s ongoing hunger strike and Indo-Nepal talks on waterways have also received the attention of the editors.
Here’s a summary of important, ignored and interesting reports that made it to the front pages on Monday:
Important
Dr KC’s hunger strike enters 17th day
Medical education reform activist Dr Govinda KC’s health is reported to have deteriorated on the 16th day of his hunger strike as doctors prepare to place him under life support. Nagarik quotes doctors involved in his treatment as saying that Dr KC has lost significant weight. Similarly, reports say that Dr KC has contracted throat infection and his pulse has been erratic. Kantipur says that government negotiators have told KC’s supporters that the issue of private medical colleges should be settled by Parliament and lawmakers should not be dictated by “activists on the streets.” According to the report, the Prime Minister has told his aides that the medical education ordinance issued by the Deuba government is unacceptable.
Dr KC has been demanding that the recommendations of the Mathema Committee, which proposed a ban on opening medical colleges in Kathmandu for 10 years, be implemented and Parliament pass the ordinance in its present form.
Each NCP central committee member to oversee two rural municipalities
Annapurna Post reports that after the number of central committee members doubled following the merger of the UML and the Maoist Centre, the party has decided to order each leader to oversee activities in two rural municipalities. The paper quotes NCP leader Narendra Saud as saying that final touches are being given to the party’s statute. The statue will be sent for publication after the two top leaders Prachanda and KP Oli give it their stamp of approval. The paper says that the party is preparing to assign various responsibilities to more than 200,000 registered members at all levels.
Ignored
BP Highway now open for cargo vehicles
Arthik Abhiyan reports that the Supreme Court, ignoring its previous orders, has issued an order allowing cargo-laden trucks to ply on the BP Koirala Highway. The report says that while Justice Sapna Pradhan Malla issued an order banning the movement of trucks on the ‘narrow’ highway, Justice Bamkumar Shrestha ordered the ban lifted. Local truckers and the government moved court againt to seek a verdict on the issue, and a bench of Justices Mira Khadka and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada ordered the ban lifted. Heavy vehicles had been barred from plying on the highway as engineers said it could not bear the weight. However, the government controversially decided to lift the ban recently.
Garbage collection won’t resume until next week
Republica says that Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s shortsightedness on the issue of garbage collection has resulted in disruption of collection of waste in the Valley. According to the report, it will take more than a week for landslide debris on the roads leading to the Sisdole landfill to be cleared. The paper quotes epidemiologists to say that there are fears of an outbreak if the garbage isn’t picked up soon. The report adds that the landfill has exceeded its capacity and the government has failed to identify another landfill to resolve this problem.
Interesting
Nepal-India talk about developing inland waterways
The Kathmandu Post in two-column reports talks about plans to launch an inland waterway on Koshi and Narayani rivers. This comes after PM Oli’s visit to India in April. The issue was also on the agenda of the visit. The report adds that Nepal is planning to use two of India’s infrastructure in Kalughat and Sahibgunj for ferrying cargo. This, according to the paper, will be done in two phases. In the first phase, the Koshi and Narayani rivers will be used and Karnali will be explored in the second phase.
88% doctors fail medical council test
Naya Patrika’s lead story says 88% of the doctors who studied abroad have failed the Nepal Medical Council exams held on December 2, 2017. The report tries to uncover the reasons for this fiasco. It says that students who can’t compete for a place in medical colleges in Nepal and go to places like Bangladesh or even India to study. Another reason is that even though the academic calibre of candidates who go abroad is quite low, the parents are willing to spend thousands of dollars to ensure that their children become doctors. The report says that there are doctors who have failed the NMC exam up to 36 times.
