Thursday, November 28, 2024

Himalaya Airlines to operate Pokhara-Lhasa flights

Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) is going to see first regular international flight, almost two years after coming into operations. A Nepal-China joint airline company Himalaya Airlines is starting its regular international flights between Pokhara and Lhasa of China. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) confirmed the flights. "The Pokara-Lhasa flight is expected to start from the first week of January, 2025," the aviation sector regulator confirmed.

Himalaya Airlines has already submitted its schedule for the Pokhara-Lhasa route, informed CAAN joint spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul. "After almost two years, Pokhara Regional International Airport is expected to witness international flights," he said, adding that regular flights on the route could significantly boost the inflow of Chinese tourists to Pokhara.

Himalaya Airlines is planning to start flights on Pokhara-Lhasa route using a 144-seat Airbus A-319. "The flights will begin as soon as the Civil Aviation Administration of China grants permission,” Bhul said, adding that Nepal side has completed all necessary preparations.

According to the schedule, the airline will operate a Kathmandu-Lhasa-Pokhara flight on Mondays, spending the night in Pokhara before flying Pokhara-Lhasa-Kathmandu on Tuesdays. 

Himalaya Airlines is currently flying on Kathmandu-Lhasa route. But due to lack of passengers the flights -- earlier three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) -- have been reduced and irregular. But the airlines has prepared a new schedule and hopefully continue the regular flights.

Himalaya Airlines has also received approval for Kathmandu-Lhasa-Kathmandu flights on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Government and World Bank launch $128 million project to improve provincial and local road network

The Government of Nepal and the World Bank jointly launched the $128 million (equivalent to Rs 17.15 billion) Provincial and Local Roads Improvement Programme-Phase 1, today. 

The project aims to enhance the connectivity, efficiency, resilience, and safety of Nepal’s provincial and local road network while also strengthening the government's ability to manage the road network, according to a press note issued by the World Bank. "The programme will be implemented by the Ministry of Urban Development in coordination with the provincial and local levels." 

The project was launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh in the presence of provincial ministers of physical infrastructure and development from Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Madhesh provinces.

“This project promotes the spirit of federalism embodied in the constitution bringing together the three tiers of government to work for the benefit of Nepalis," Shrestha said, adding that the focus of the project on environment-friendly and climate-resilient construction techniques and five-year maintenance component is key to supporting sustainable infrastructure development. 

The first phase of the project will upgrade and improve 180km of selected provincial roads and bridges, undertake maintenance of 400km and 700km of existing provincial roads and bridges respectively, and construct 100km of all-weather roads and bridges to provide connectivity to prioritized municipalities and local levels.

"This project will help improve Nepal's road infrastructure with a focus on resilience, and safety," said  World Bank Regional Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka David Sislen. “By working closely with the Government of Nepal, we are committed to ensuring better access to essential services and economic opportunities for millions of Nepalis.”

The first of the three-phase project will be implemented in Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Madhesh provinces and 13 municipalities which will be scaled up in future phases. About one million people are expected to benefit from improved access to all-weather, resilient, and safe provincial and local roads and bridges.

At the launch event, a tri-partite memorandum of understanding was signed between the federal, provincial, and local governments of Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Madhesh provinces for the implementation of the project.

The project will incorporate several best practices, such as five-year performance-based maintenance combined with construction contracts, routine maintenance conducted by self-help groups, complementary community-led infrastructure projects, pilot testing alternative connectivity methods and rural transport services, development of approach roads, and implementation of an online programme monitoring and management system.

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Provinces press prime minister over unmet demands for key powers

The chief ministers of seven provinces jointly called on the federal government to implement the 17-point charter of demands they presented last year.

Expressing their concerns at the meeting of the National Development Problem Solving Committee led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today, they asked to fulfill the demands which are a must for the provinces’ effective functioning.

Last July, a delegation of seven chief ministers had presented their 17-point demands including deployment of civil servants, promulgation of laws, and revenue sharing.

“We jointly called for implementing the 17-point demand, most of which remain unimplemented,” Madhesh Province chief minister Satish Kumar Singh said, adding that their key and longstanding demands include adjustment of Nepal Police in provincial police force and promulgation of the Federal Civil Service Act as in the absence of the necessary law the smooth functioning of the provinces have been regularly under question. "Although maintaining law and order falls under the exclusive authority of the provinces, successive federal governments have delayed the adjustment of the police, and promulgation of subsequent laws.

The provinces also demanded transferring ownership of land and buildings being used by provincial entities to the respective provinces, and deployment and transfer of the officials in coordination with the provinces. Provinces have been complaining that frequent unconsented transfers of principal secretaries, secretaries and other staff adversely affect their performance.

The chief ministers have been demanding an arrangement to send secretaries by the federal government to the provincial ministries and by chief administrative officers to the local units, with the provinces retaining the ultimate authority to assign them duties. 

Currently, the federal government deploys them directly, which has created problems in the he provincial level.

Since the provinces have been facing unprecedented burdens from natural disasters, the chief ministers demanded urgent support and response from the federal government.

Likewise, delay in promulgation of the remaining federal laws to delegate the exclusive and concurrent authorities to the provinces, as well as amendments to existing laws to ease land acquisition for development projects and establish industrial areas have also hindered the progress of provincial governments.

The chief ministers also asked to amend the Local Government Operations Act to ease revenue sharing from river-based resources between local and provincial governments, and revise the Forest Act to allow them to use national forests. 

The Madhesh government has even filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding authority over forest management, but the case has been pending since long.

The chief ministers have also demanded to repeal of the Urban Area Public Transport (Management) Authority Act-2022 to enable provinces to collect revenues from traffic rules violation.

The chief ministers, during today's meeting, also expressed frustration over delays in obtaining clearance from the forest ministry, which according to them is hindering development efforts of the provincial governments. In response, PM Oli said he too was concerned about the delays in development works due to lack of permit in the use of forest covered areas.

Oli was of the view that concerned agencies with forest should facilitate development efforts while also working to protect forests and environment. Instead they are creating barriers in development efforts, he added.

Oli, on the occasion, also called for running an effective, competent and transparent administration, which can priorities addressing the public grievances.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

WePOWER launches National Chapter in Nepal to strengthen women’s roles in energy sector

The South Asia Women in Power Sector Professional Network (WePOWER) Nepal National Chapter (NNC) has been today officially launched at the World Bank Country Office in Kathmandu.

WePOWER is a coalition of almost 50 energy sector stakeholders—including utilities, universities and professional associations—and has national chapters in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The launch of the Nepal chapter is a crucial step in promoting new national and regional partnerships to foster skills for advanced jobs and leadership roles for women in Nepal’s energy sector, claims the World Bank.

“The World Bank is proud to serve as the interim secretariat for WePOWER and we are committed to creating more jobs for women in Nepal,"  World Bank Regional Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka David Sislen said, adding that they want to see more women in the workforce and more women engaged in the critical policy dialogues that are shaping Nepal’s future.

The WePOWER NNC has five Nepali partners: Alternative Energy Promotion Center, Institute of Engineering-Tribhuvan University, National Association of Community Electricity Users-Nepal, Nepal Electricity Authority, and Nepal Engineers’ Association Women’s Committee.

"WePOWER is not just a network, it is also a commitment to empower women in energy," said chair of the NNC Dr Sangeeta Singh. "Through WePOWER, we are helping to promote equal representation and create a brighter, more sustainable, and resilient future for all."

Since 2019, when the first WePOWER Regional Conference was held in Kathmandu, WePOWER partners in Nepal have been instrumental in launching a range of gender-related activities benefitting 3,215 female professionals and students. These include hiring 214 women professionals, providing internships for 225 female students, organizing professional workshops/training for 1,584 women professionals, and supporting 32 women-friendly policies that benefitted 1,124 women professionals. Moving forward, the NNC will continue to support the participation of more women professionals in Nepal’s energy sector through its work plan.

“This milestone brings vital opportunities for women in the energy sector to build networks, develop leadership skills, and advance their careers," Country Director of the Asian Development Bank Nepal Arnaud Cauchois said, adding that the ADB is proud to support efforts that close gender gaps and promote women’s participation in key sectors.

Representatives from key energy sector utilities, development partners, private sector organizations, and academia attended the launch event. The event also included a roundtable discussion on how the NNC can foster skills for advanced jobs and leadership roles for women in Nepal’s energy sector. The speakers highlighted that the NNC has the potential to be a collective voice to advocate for change and push for more affirmative policies on caregiving, behaviour change, and other aspects that affect women’s abilities to take up leadership roles.