Telecom servies to be expanded to all local levels before federal elections

Kathmandu, Sept. 25: The government is expanding the telecommunication services to all local levels and crucial government agencies across the country before the upcoming federal elections.

Minister for Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet Monday updated the lawmakers at the Legislature-Parliament’s Development Committee that the telephone services would reach every corner of the country by November 1 this year so as to facilitate the government during the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections and the newly elected local bodies.

The election to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the bicameral Federal Parliament, will be held on two phases – November 26 and December 7.

“Update the existing equipment and buy new one if you haven’t it. Every local body should have the telephone services within five weeks,” Minister Basnet directed the Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) and Nepal Telecommunication Company (NTC).

The Development Committee directed the government to develop information technology infrastructure at the tourist centres such as Rara, Annapurna Base Camp, Everest Base Camp, Lukla, Janakpur and Lumbini as well as other important trekking routes.

“Especially the mountainous and hilly regions have poor access to telephone and internet services. Therefore, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC), NTA and telecommunication service providers must expedite works to expand quality services to those areas,” said committee chairman Rabindra Adhikari.

He directed them to expand quality telecommunication services to all schools, health posts, post offices, hospitals and other public offices by November 1. He also asked to provide quality internet services to those institutions within a year.

The house panel has expressed serious concerns about the declining international traffic income of the NTC.

The state-owned telecommunication service provider’s international traffic revenue dropped by Rs. 4.5 billion last year.

It had earned Rs. 11.5 billion revenue from international traffic in 2015 which dropped to Rs. 9 billion in 2016 although the company had estimated to earn Rs. 13.5 billion last year.

“The statistics demand serious concerns of the government and the company. So, this committee directs the government, MoIC and NTC to conduct international call monitoring and report the reasons behind the decreasing revenue to the committee within a week,” read the decision of the committee.

The committee also criticised the government, ministry and the service provider companies for the poor quality of telephone and data services and asked them to enhance the quality, maintain transparency in charges and apply modern technology within a month.

NTA chairman Digambar Jha said that the telecom sector regulator was implementing various plans related to laying fibre optics cable, upgrading technology and infrastructure sharing among the service providers.

He suggested the government announce grant for the telecom companies that go to remote areas in order to motivate the private companies to go there.

Choose mediation to resolve disputes, says Acting CJ

Kathmandu, Sept. 24: Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Dipak Raj Joshi Sunday said that the business community should go for mediation rather than filing case in the court in order to resolve business disputes and breach of contract. 

“Resolving the business disputes and misunderstandings through mediation saves time, labour and resources. You can resolve the dispute with the help from the professionals you choose,” he said while speaking at an interaction on ‘Importance and challenges of business arbitration’ organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) here today. 

Mediation or arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism where disputes are solved outside the courts with the help from the artibtrators. 

He said that the Mediation Act 2011 had ensured the representation of the private sector in the Nepal Council of Arbitration (NCA). 

“If any dispute enters the court, it may take a long time. As the time is counted as money in the business sector, it is necessary that the disputes related to business should be addressed at the earliest. In that case the NCA helps in mediation,” he said. 

According to him, mediation reduces cost and ensures confidentiality, control and compliance, and finds a long-term resolution to the disputes. 

It was accepted as an innovative concept for the alternative dispute resolution after 1970.

FNCCI President Bhawani Rana said that if the disputes were resolved through mediation or arbitration outside the court, it would save time and cost that were inherent with the process and time of the court. 

She urged one and all to take the commercial mediation as a campaign and said that the FNCCI was ready to lead the process. 

“Although arbitration is being practiced as a mechanism for dispute resolution, it cannot be as effective as expected. It’s costly and time-consuming,” she stated. 

Presenting a paper on ‘Mediation in industrial and commercial dispute: importance and challenges’, senior advocate Matrika Niraula said that the mediation could boost peace and prosperity both in the developed or developing countries. 

“No other mechanism is as good as the mediation or arbitration for relation restoration and finding permanent solution to any commercial dispute,” he said.

'Govt agencies turn deaf ears to the House directions'

Kathmandu, Sept. 24: Lawmakers have complained that the development works have been affected as the respective government agencies did not comply with the direction of the various house panels of the Legislature-Parliament. 

They said that the ministers and secretaries did not want to attend the meetings of the committees under the Parliament, and update the lawmakers about the development projects. 

Speaking at an interaction organised by the Communication Centre Nepal in the capital, Pashupati Chaulagain, member  of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said, “The government has flagged the Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa as the national priority project, but the minister and secretary did not appear at the PAC meeting.”

Another member of the PAC Ram Hari Khatiwada said that the airport could be constructed in time only if the government extended its due cooperation. 

Chairman of the Development Committee Rabindra Adhikari stated that it seems that the government did not want to build the projects.

Deuba urges int'l community to elect Nepal to UNHRC

Kathmandu, Sept. 24: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had urged the international community to recognize Nepal’s long commitment and contribution to human rights by electing it to the UN Human Rights Council.

“Nepal's first-ever election to the Council would be the recognition of our long commitment and contributions in the field of human rights and an encouragement to do more at national as well as global levels,” he said while addressing the 72^nd Session of the United Nation’s General Assembly in New York on Saturday evening.

Nepal is a party to 24 international human rights instruments and has been fulfilling its international obligations with all sincerity.

According to the PM, Nepal views the right to life as the most important of all human rights. Nepal’s constitution bans death penalty in all circumstances. As a party to 24 international human rights instruments, including 7 out of 9 core instruments, Nepal has been fulfilling its international obligations with all sincerity, and to the best of its ability.

PM Deuba sought the support of all member states to Nepal’s candidature.

He updated the international community that the constitution of Nepal accommodated aspirations of all of its citizens, and it guaranteed a comprehensive set of internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“We are fully committed to the promotion and protection of those rights and their full enjoyment by our people,” he said.

He stressed on the need for protection of minorities and their rights and called for the safety, security, dignity and well-being of all migrant workers. 

“Although not a party to the Refugee Convention and its Protocol, Nepal has earnestly upheld humanitarian principles by hosting thousands of refugees. We call upon the international community to respond responsibly and act decisively for refugees’ right to return to their homeland in safety and dignity and rapid rehabilitation under all circumstances,” he said.

PM Deuba said that the money used in buying armaments should be utilized in supporting the poor countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Path to peace and decent life for all will remain elusive without resources and commitment for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. A very small fraction of trillions of dollars spent in armament can help the countries in need to attain these goals,” he said.

According to him, delivery on commitments, inclusive process, coordinated efforts and shared responsibilities backed by adequate resources are essential to secure sustainable future and ensure that no one is left behind. 

He also highlighted Nepal’s development priorities in the Assembly.

He said that after years of political transition, Nepal had embarked on the path to prosperity.

Aligned with economic, social and environmental pillars of the SDGs, Nepal's development priorities will be framed around the imperative of generating, sharing and sustaining broad-based prosperity, he said.

The PM demanded the fair opportunities to all troop and police contributing countries to serve in the leadership positions both in the field and at the headquarters of the international peace-keeping mission.

He informed the UN member countries that Nepal had been a host to a world class peace-keeping training centre, the oldest in the region.

“The UN can make the best use of this facility and help develop it as a regional centre of excellence for peacekeeping training,” said Deuba.

Nepal has contributed over 130,000 peace keepers in some of the most challenging locations around the world.

He also shared that the successful conclusion of decade long armed conflict in Nepal had firmly established the culture of dialogue and accommodation which could serve as a model for similar situation elsewhere.

He sought reliable and sustainable financing, partnerships, and technology transfer to overcome the structural impediments in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked LDCs.