Niroj Ghimire

Ncell Pvt. Ltd. Holds Short Film Competition ‘Buwa’ In View of Kushe Aunsi

2020-01-23T02:32:00.002-08:00

The Nepal telecom firm, Ncell Pvt. Ltd. organized a short film competition titled Buwa – a series of short films on its social media platform in view of Kushe Aunsi – Father’s Day in Nepal, during August first week.

As per the telecom company’s statement, Buwa (meaning Father) by Kamal Subedi and team bagged the first prize – a cash prize of NPR 100,000 and free 10 GB data per month for three of the team members for up to one year.

Following is the list of Buwas – short film series prize winners:

First Runner-up – The End of Culture by Bishal Neupane and team
Cash Prize of NPR 75,000 and 10 GB free data per month for three team members up to one year

Second Runner-up – Old Age Home by The Next Level Production
Cash Prize of NPR 50,000 and 10 GB free data per month for three team members up to one year

Consolation Prizes – Buwa by Raja Maharjan and Dad, Son and Laptop by Rising Star Nepal
Cash Prize of NPR 25,000 each and 10 GB free data per month for three team members in both teams, up to one year

“The main aim of this competition was to promote the budding young talents in film making. With over 70 entries from all over Nepal, it was no easy task for the panel of judges to select the 10 best films and winners. There were founder of QFX Cinema and producer Nakim Uddin, film maker Asif Shah and journalist Bidhya Chapagain in the panel of judges,” said Ncell in its statement released on August 29, 2019.

The Top 10 short films were screened amid a premier at QFX Cinemas in Labim Mall, Pulchowk on August 28, 2019. Several celebrities, veteran figures, press personnel and artists from Nepal watched the screenings.

“The entries and selected films highlighted the creativity and unique skills in storytelling by displaying the relationship with one’s father. Ncell will release the top 10 films throughout the day on Father’s Day on social media platforms,” read Ncell’s press statement.

Ncell Chief Technology Officer Muhammad Adeel Israr presented the rewards to the prize winners.

Nepali Sansar congratulates all the winners on their achievement.

Earlier this week, Ncell Pvt. Ltd. had also organized the Second International Conference on Quality Education 2019, drawing important education stakeholders attention to improve education quality in government schools.

This 72-year-old rides his bike nine hours a day ‘because he loves working’

2020-01-23T02:29:00.003-08:00

Call Mangal Man Maharjan and he will ask ‘where are you?’ before you tell him who you are and why you are calling.

Like hundreds of motorcyclists working for ride-sharing apps Tootle and Pathao in Nepal, Maharjan is accustomed to asking your location every time you call. But, he is strikingly different from most of the riders.

Seventy-two is past the retirement age for most Nepalis, but septuagenarian Maharjan works nine hours every day.

However, he does not have any compulsion to earn living for his family; his children are all grown up and they have been supporting him.

So why does this man ride to ferry people from here to there every day?

The youthful old man

Maharjan looks too old to be a ‘professional’ biker–his hairs are grey and he has already lost many of his teeth. Yet, he tries to show himself ‘young’ to suit the profession: he regularly colours his hair. More importantly, perhaps, an inner zeal makes his face glow.

It was not his hair colour or wrinkled face that posed challenges to his decision to join the job. But, his unfamiliarity with smartphones certainly became an issue. Initially, he feared that he could not do it.

Mangal Man Maharjan learned to use a smartphone from his grandson.

“I even did not know how to answer a call on such phones,” Maharjan says opening Pathao app on his cell, “But my grandson helped me.”

Chronic traffic jams are another challenge for him, but Maharjan has already learned not to lose patience. Whenever he is caught in congestion, he explores if there are alternative routes.

The alley that leads to Maharjan’s house in Ghattekulo of Kathmandu is quite narrow, so he is used to passing through confined paths.

The alley that leads to Maharjan’s house in Ghattekulo of Kathmandu is quite narrow.

Further, it is his experience that has helped him get ready for the job. He worked as a driver for the entire youth of his life. In the first 17 years, he drove trucks. Then, he worked as a night bus driver on different routes.

While driving the bus, Maharjan once got an opportunity to work as a chauffeur for a chief justice of the Supreme Court. That was not a permanent job but Maharjan was content with it because he thought being the chief justice’s chauffeur was more respectful than being a truck driver. “But, the wife of my boss began nagging me as if she was paying for me. That made me quit,” he remembers.

Following that, Maharjan bought a taxi and began driving it. For whatever reason, he gave up that also after three years. He joined a paint shop as a driver again.

One day, he was caught by a traffic police staffer for a minor road discipline issue. He was fined Rs 500. When he asked the employer to give him the money, the employer said, “I won’t pay the next time.”

Maharjan felt that the employer’s statement hurt his dignity and instantly replied, “Okay sir, I will not drive your vehicle the next day.”

He briefly worked for a doctor but left again after realising that his employer was not happy with him.

So why riding again?

“When I left my last job, I slept at home for three days–because I had nothing to do. But, I was restless on the fourth day; I felt my body ached. The longer you sleep, the more your body hurts,” Maharjan says he was tired of passivity.

From the next day, he began spending the entire afternoon with his pet bird, a nightingale. He was happy with it, but he was not satisfied.

Mangal Man Maharjan with his pet bird, a nightingale.

Around the same time, he learned about Pathao.

A few days later, he shared with his family, “I want to register myself as a Pathao rider.” There are four other members in his family: a son, two daughters-in-law and a grandson. His wife died 12 years ago whereas the elder son is in Dubai for work.

“I thought the rider’s job would give me some money whereas I can kill my time easily. Then, you would get a sound sleep. No tension!” It has been around five months since he joined the job.

Maharjan’s daily routine changed since then. He wakes up at 4, takes his favourite breakfast of suji haluwa (a semolina dish), eggs and tea. Then he feeds the pet bird before leaving for the job at around 7. Maharjan does not have anyone to order him how long he should work every day, but he usually takes the last passenger before 4 in the afternoon.

“How old are you?” is the most frequently asked question for Maharjan these days. Some of the ride-sharers tell stories about elderly members of their families. “My dad is also of your age, but he is hospitalised now… my dad cannot walk well, but you drive perfectly… Some of them take selfies with me. They love me, respect me,” he smiles.

“My family also doesn’t like me working,” he says, “They tell me, ‘no more work, stay at home’. But, I love working. I will continue working as long as I can.”

Kokroma: Blending the uniqueness of Nepali bhoto with European business tricks

2020-01-23T02:28:00.003-08:00

Rewati Gurung was well-exposed to the western world during her formative years. She studied English literature in her master’s first and moved to development studies–both courses were dominated by theories and examples from America and Europe. Consequently, her brain was programmed to think that foreigners, whites in particular, were better than Nepalis.

In 2015, Gurung attended a summer school in Finland, during which she learned about the impacts of ‘Finnish Baby Box‘, a cradle along with a package of clothes uniquely designed for newly born infants and their moms after World War II. Three years later, she ordered one such box to be delivered to her in Kathmandu, all the way from Helsinki. Having seen some women-led enterprises in Nepal, Gurung was thinking if any Nepali woman could replicate the Finnish model. It was a part of her personal research.

Gurung’s ‘colonised’ brain was expecting some ‘scientifically-designed’ and ‘real European’ items in the box. “But, I was shocked…,” when the filmmaker-cum-enterprises narrates it after nearly two years, the ‘shock’ is reflected on her face again, “… because that box had something exactly like our bhoto.” [Bhoto is a typically-designed homemade vest for children in Nepal.]

That ‘Finnish bhoto’ brought a paradigm shift in her mind. At first, it compelled her to research why Nepali and Finnish societies have the same kinds of apparel for babies. After completing the research, she decided that she would follow, not replicate, the business model and design a ‘Nepali’ baby box instead. Once the white-is-better thinker, Gurung today owns a startup named Kokroma that manufactures and sells Nepali-design baby clothes.

The science of Nepali baby garments

The findings of Gurung’s informal research were interesting. She got answers to the questions like why a bhoto usually has an inner layer (bhitri), why it has laces (tunas) instead of buttons, and why they fill pillows with mustard seeds.

“From old grannies in my extended family and neighbourhood, I learned that the inner layer of your bhoto has two functions: it absorbs sweat, and it protects the baby’s soft skin from the less soft outer,” she elaborates, “Likewise, the laces were scientific because the kids could swallow buttons.”

She also learned that the Nepali society preferred pure cotton for baby clothing “because it is a natural fibre; it does not cause any harm even if the baby chews and swallows it.” Similarly, mustard seeds are filled in the pillows because they help the baby put the head in a right posture. “You cannot use millet seeds or anything similar because millet easily breaks into dust and it has a certain smell that makes the infant sneezing.”

Having learned the rationale of the old science and seen Europeans following the same, Gurung then decided to produce a ‘Nepali baby box’. She initially thought she would also use cardboards to make the bed/box as it is handier than a kokro, a traditional Nepali bamboo crib. “But, as I began exploring, I found several advantages of the kokro,” she explains, “The flooring in Nepali houses is not as fine as it is in other countries. Cardboards are not much sustainable on such floors.”

Therefore, Gurung not only included a kokro in her production list, but she also made it her brand name. [‘Kokroma’ means inside a kokro.]

Empowering women

Gurung says there is another story behind the establishment of Kokroma, besides her summer school experience.

Kokroma employs six tailors, all women, and Gurung claims she pays them a ‘fair wage’.

After attending an all-women filmmaking workshop in 2017, Gurung independently produced a documentary featuring Drichu, a local clothing brand of Bauddha. Building on this experience, Gurung and Finnish filmmaker Gary Wornell applied for a World Bank-assisted project run by the Poverty Alleviation Fund. They were selected and assigned to make documentaries featuring women entrepreneurs from across the country.

“Between December 2017 and February 2018, we travelled from Taplejung to Dailekh and collected stories about Dhaka weaving, Mithila art, hemp clothes and bamboo baskets,” Gurung recalls, “Overall, what these women were doing was impressive, but I was not happy for them because they did not have access to the market. The sustainability of their business was questionable.”

Gurung compared the businesses with Drichu, also led by a woman, and found “it was far successful because it had a market. It was established as a brand.” She then thought about what other enterprises could be appropriate for starting-up women in Nepal. That was the time she remembered the Finnish Baby Box and ordered it.

“Yet, it was clear that I was not going to be an entrepreneur. That was not my cup of tea; I hated maths throughout the school. There was no one in my family from this background,” she says, “I was thinking it for Nepali women in general.” But the ‘shock’ [discussed above] brought her here.

Because the initial idea was empowering women, Gurung says she has been keeping it at the centre. “During my research, I found that many prisoners, including many women, are involved in weaving cotton, but they did not have sufficient market. Hence, I approached the Central Jail in Kathmandu for cooperation and we have become a market for them till today.”

Kokroma employs six tailors, all women, and Gurung claims she pays them a ‘fair wage’.

‘Not a bed of roses’

While Gurung believes in a fair pay policy, it seems her products sold well from day one. “Nope, they didn’t,” Gurung laughs before immediately wearing a sad mask on her face, “The first days were as frustrating as hell. By December 2018, we made 20 sets but no one purchased it. Then I approached my relatives.”

“One afternoon in February this year, I went to a relative with my set. She didn’t like it. I got disappointed.” Gurung went to a coffee shop in Bauddha “just to cool down.” She had the rejected apparel set in her hand.

“At the cafe, beside me appeared a foreign lady who asked me what I was carrying. I explained it to her. She listened to me carefully and gave me her email address, suggesting I could write to her if I would ever need any financial support for the project,” the woman recalls, “I didn’t believe. A five-minute meeting cannot lead you to any fund. Nevertheless, I wrote to her.”

The Kokroma team frequently has fun during work, claims Gurung.

After a few days, she got the response, a commitment to provide USD 15,000 as a grant in different instalments. Cristina Henriquez from the US has provided her USD 6,000 so far. Gurung hired her first staff and purchased seven secondhand sewing machines with Henriquez’ support. So far, in total, Gurung has spent around two million (USD 20,000 approximately) in the business.

In the meantime, Wornell, the Finnish filmmaker, helped her promote the products in the international market. He also designed the brand’s website and other publicity materials. Today, Gurung considers Wornell her mentor and an integral part of the team. The sexagenarian is living in Nepal for the next two years to study Nepali language, and she hopes to ‘exploit’ his expertise during this period for Kokroma’s promotion.

After passing through depressing days, Kokroma has just been a self-sustaining business, Gurung claims, adding her monthly revenue is Rs 200,000 whereas monthly expense amounts to around Rs 100,000 these days.

“But, there are still many challenges for startups,” Gurung says adding Nepali customers think that made-in-Nepal products should be cheaper than the imported ones irrespective of the quality. “The customers do not recognise and respect local brands and we want to change it.”

Nepalis Tear for Onions, ‘Record’ Prices at NPR 230/Kilo

2020-01-23T02:27:00.001-08:00

We tear when we cut onions. But Nepalis are now shedding tears ‘for’ onions!

This is no sarcasm, considering the skyrocketing prices of onions across the country, currently at NPR 230/kilo.

After being priced NPR 200/kilo on November 25, 2019, the prices went up NPR 30/kilo in a single day, touching the record high of NPR 230/kilo.

The reason is lack of supply after India stopped exporting the vegetable to the Himalayan nation. Nepal has 98% of its onion demand met by Indian imports.

The price of onion has been on a rising trend since two months as India imposed ban on export of its onions citing low harvest.

Retail Prices of Onions in 2019

July 15 – NPR 50/kg
Aug 23 – NPR 70/kg
Sept 17 – NPR 100/kg
Sept 30 – NPR 140/kg
Oct 31 – NPR 100/kg
Nov 16 – NPR 180/kg
Nov 19 – NPR 190/kg
Nov 21 – NPR 200/kg
Nov 25 – NPR 200/kg
Nov 26 – NPR 230/kg

Responding to the situation, government authorities are literally suggesting consumers to stop consuming onions.

“The import of onion has almost stopped. Smuggled onion is not enough to meet the soaring demand in the domestic market. Our domestic production is paltry. Against this context, we can do nothing except to ask consumers to stop or lessen onion consumption,” says Binaya Shrestha, deputy director of Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board.

Shrestha explains that there are only 35 tons of onions available in the country now against the usual demand of 270 tons in Kathmandu alone.

He says increasing domestic production is the only short and long-term strategy to curtail the shortage or sudden price hikes of onion.

“Imports are always costlier. Now, we need to learn a lesson from this situation to focus on production of onion in our own country and be self-reliant,” Shrestha adds.

While Chinese onions are an option, Nepali traders won’t prefer them. “Chinese onions are larger in size and have a lot of water portion in them. The taste of Chinese onions is not preferred by Nepali people,” says a vegetable supplier.

Looking at the scenario, one of the households admits that she has completely stopped using onions and looking for alternatives, as they don’t see any scope of price control.

Nepal Signs Loan Agreement Worth $358m with ADB

2020-01-23T02:26:00.000-08:00

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Nepal have signed a loan agreement of USD 358 million for four new projects, on December 10, 2019.

The agreement was signed by Rajan Khanal, Secretary at Ministry of Finance, Nepal and Mukhtor Khamudkhanov, Country Director, ADB.

Loan allotment at a glance:

USD 195 million to upgrade Pokhara-Mugling highway.
USD 63 million to purify Bagmati river basin and enhance flood management.
USD 50 million to aid small farmers by enhancing their livelihoods and income levels.
USD 50 million to support government in deploying necessary reforms in agriculture and food safety.

After the agreement, Kanal thanked ADB for its long-standing support to the government’s plan for the betterment of the country.

Meanwhile, Mukhtor said that Nepal can further leverage the opportunities of increased loan lending limit as it has good portfolio performance.

Let’s hope that this loan agreement will help the Nepali Government to move ahead in their journey towards sustainable development!!

No Military Component in Millennium Challenge Compact: Gyawali

2020-01-23T02:24:00.003-08:00

Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has clarified that there is no military component in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, the US – proposed development initiative.

He said this to the NCP (Nepal Communist Party) lawmakers during a meeting in the National Assembly on January 20, 2020.

Gyawali ruled out the suspicions of the NCP lawmakers and leaders, who exclaimed that MCC is a part of Indo-Pacific Strategy or linked to a military alliance.

He told that MCC agreement is aimed at increasing investments and accelerating infrastructure development in the country.

Earlier, in view of the suspicions raised by the Nepali leaders and citizens about MCC, the US Embassy in Nepal has published 10 key facts about MCC compact.

The Embassy said that MCC focuses mainly on the economic development of Nepal through transparency and true partnership.

Here’s the key facts on MCC:

The Embassy has published the Key facts about MCC in its official website, https://np.usembassy.gov on January 17, 2020.

Nepal Government has proposed and decided Electricity Transmission Project and Transportation Project for MCC program. The US Government has committed to invest USD 500 million under MCC compact to fortify Nepal’s economic growth and stability.

Nepal to Mark 1st Int’l Curriculum Seminar on ‘Hapkido’

2020-01-23T02:21:00.001-08:00

Nepal is all set to organize the 1st edition of the International Curriculum Seminar on ‘Hapkido’ in Pokhara from January 25 – 26, 2020.

The event will witness:

More than 600 players from 20 countries including Mexico, Switzerland, the USA, Spain, Russia and South Asian countries
Nepali players from 41 districts
Coaches, grandmasters and other officials

Nepal Martial Arts Hapkido Association, headed by Kali Bahadur Gharti Magar, is the main organizer of the two-day seminar.

Nepali Hapkido master Gharti Magar and eighth SAFF gold medalist boxer Prakash Thapa Magar, along with grandmasters from various countries will participate in the event as instructors.

[ALSO READ: 13th South Asian Games: Sports Events and Highlights]

Hapkido, a Korean martial art, is a form of self-defense that features mixed strategies including grappling, joint locks, kicks and punches, among others.

The seminar is being organized in Nepal with an aim to introduce the Korean martial arts in the country and to encourage the Nepali Hapkido players to compete in international matches.

The Hapkido seminar is expected to boost the tourism influx in Nepal during the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign.

Voting underway to elect 18 National Assembly members

2020-01-23T02:17:00.003-08:00

Voting is underway at seven polling centres in seven provinces of the country to elect 18 members of the National Assembly. The Election Commission is conducting the elections today as the 19 positions are turning vacant in early March. The last member will be appointed by the president later.

Provincial Assembly members and chiefs and deputies of all local governments will cast ballots to elect their representatives. The two groups (provincial lawmakers and local level representatives) have been given different weights for their votes.

The commission says the voting will continue till 4 pm today. These are the voting centres:

Province 1: Birendra Sabhagriha, Biratnagar
Province 2: Mahendra Narayan Memorial Building, Janakpur
Bagmati: Ward Committee Building, Lalitpur Metropolitan City-4
Gandaki: Election Office, Pokhara
Province 5: Karmachari Milan Kendra Building, Ghorahi
Karnali: District Election Office, Surkhet
Sudurpaschim: Padya Public Mukti Narayan Higher Secondary School, Dipayal

Whereas a National Assembly member is elected for six years, each one-third of them get elected at different times, with a gap of two years. It means the new members to be elected today will remain lawmakers till 2026, but the elections will be held other two groups of one-third members in 2022 and 2024 also.

Because the Upper House elected in 2017 was the first since the constitution, the commission had made the lawmakers draw lots to divide them into three groups who would complete their terms in two, four and six years respectively.

Energy consumption should not be discouraged now: Ghising

2020-01-12T08:40:00.003-08:00

Nepal Electricity Authority’s Managing Director Kul Man Ghising is retiring in a few months. When he was promoted to the position in 2016, the country was in a severe power crisis. Nepalis had to endure up to 18 hours of load-shedding every day. However, the regular power outage is a once-upon-a-time story now. Rather, Ghising’s team in the authority is currently advocating for increased energy consumption in Nepal, claiming the country will see more hydropower projects in the next few years.

Onlinekhabar’s Rabindra Ghimire recently talked to Ghising about why he is promoting energy consumption though the country still imports electricity from India.

Excerpts:

Media reports claim that the NEA is in a comfortable position regarding the balance between energy demand and supply. Are you really confident about the company’s capacity to meet the demand?

Let me clarify the confusion first. Some media reports have said that demand is on a steady decline, but it is not true. Every year, the demand falls in October and November, mainly due to two reasons. The first: this period is one of transition–there is not much heat in the southern plains, neither there’s too much cold in the mountains. That’s why consumers don’t operate appliances such as heaters and fans that require heavy load. Besides, there are many festivals such as Dashain, Tihar, Chhath and Bishwakarma Puja. Factories close their operations for such festivals and demand significantly dips.

This is the usual trend. But definitely demand has slightly increased this time, so has the availability of power. The peak demand has not increased above 1,300 megawatt, which is good. Likewise, to maintain balance, many projects are underway to enhance energy efficiency whereas we have run a successful programme to control pilferage.

Daily load management is difficult because the demand amount differs every hour. Currently, our power generation capacity is around 1,200 megawatts, at least during the five months of the monsoon. This year, we also exported around 200-megawatt energy to Bihar because the generation exceeded the demand.

In the monsoon season, we do not need to import energy. Now, the monsoon is over most of our run-of-the-river projects are generating power below par. Hence, we are importing energy for peak hours. However, it is very nominal in comparison to the past. Till April-May next year, the import amount will increase as our production capacity continues decreasing–this has been the trend for every dry season. Despite that, we estimate that the amount of imported power will be less than that of last year.

On the other hand, we are completing some new transmission lines so that we can import power whenever we wish. They will also enable us to enter the Indian energy market for trading. We hope to produce an additional 1,000-megawatt energy by June-July the next year. It means we have to export at least 500 to 600-megawatt power in the monsoon. We are discussing how we can become more efficient in the Indian market next monsoon.

In the winter season, however, we do not have that flexibility. Nonetheless, we have to increase consumption in the domestic market. It means we have to increase the capacity of our distribution systems, substations, transmission lines. We also need to expand the scope of power consumption, for example to cooking. We are studying all these issues.

We believe that a certain volume of energy, at least 15 to 20 per cent of the demand, should remain on reserve. We are planning to convert the Indian grid as the reserve margin for us when Nepal is self-reliant to meet the demand. Likewise, our export to India can be a reserve margin for them.

NEA Managing Director Kul Man Ghising

Do you think replacing cooking gas is possible immediately?

Yes, it is possible. Of course, we are still importing energy during the dry season. But, we are also selling it during the monsoon, at a competitive price. If importing helps us improve our economy, we should not consider it negatively.

The government should introduce a demand stimulation plan. It will address the need for increasing domestic demand and adjusting the tariff structure. The current tariff structure discourages high consumption, but it should not be discouraged now.

However, we are clear that we should not change the tariff for the families which use the least amount of electricity every month–power is a lifeline for them. There are more than 1.2 million customers who pay Rs 3 for one unit of electricity. But at the next level, for the middle-class and upper-class people, the amount of consumption and the tariff rate should be inversely proportional–the more they consume, the lower the rate they are charged.

Likewise, we are thinking of using smart metres, which calculate different rates for different times of a day, for example, power goes quite expensive during peak hours. Such technology also helps us maintain balance. We can also calculate the tariff differently for different seasons, for example, it should be cheap in the monsoon.

You are thinking of imposing a higher rate for the customers who use less energy. But recently, a report has claimed Nepal’s electricity is the most expensive in South Asia already.

I don’t accept that our energy is the most expensive in South Asia. You cannot compare us with Bhutan because it has so much surplus amount and has earned a lot by exporting energy to India. Consequently, people get power at subsidised rates. I don’t think you can compare Nepal with Bangladesh also because it also has so many subsidised schemes. India has different rates for different districts; but, overall, the rate is higher.

Our energy is not expensive. The current tariff is not benefitting us; it is just enough to maintain a breakeven. The amount that we earned in profit recently comes from other sources like interests paid by the projects of our investments. The tariff does not contribute to our profit.

Apparently, we should sell it at a higher rate than our purchase. Our average cost price is Rs 7.5 per unit, but we are selling it for Rs 3 to 5, not only for the lower-class domestic consumers. Industrial enterprises are using power for Rs 4.15 per unit during nighttime. On average, a factory in Birgunj pays Rs 7.64 per unit; we buy it from Bihar at the rate of Rs 10 whereas domestic hydropower projects have different rates, as much as Rs 15.

Do you think the authority is ready for some subsidy schemes like in other countries if the government wants?

Rather than subsidies, we are working for a scientific tariff that will increase our demand, meet our revenue target and make the energy cheaper in the long run. We have a plan for that.

You said the current tariff is already enough to maintain a breakeven for the company. So why are you looking for increasing the revenue target? As a government authority, you are not supposed to earn any profit.

We have assets worth Rs 400 billion, but we are in debt of Rs 200 billion. We have to pay for its interest regularly. Also, look at our long-term liability. We have around 12,000 staff; of them, around 6,000 are entitled to the pension for the entire life.

If the authority is stronger, it can invest in other projects. It can build new hydro projects. There are costs involved in the maintenance of substations and other infrastructures. I agree that we should not look for any big profit like a private company, but we need profit at a certain level so that we can also catch any reinvestment opportunities.

We are not distributing our profit to the staff; we are investing it for people. If we had earned a profit of Rs 20 billion, the authority could have built the Budhi Gandaki project on its own. That would have been another benefit for the country and its people.

When the authority grows self-sustained, the government can channelise its money that it earlier used to give to the authority to other sectors like education, health, and roads.

Ride Through Sindhuligadhi: Three child cyclists steal the show

2020-01-12T08:39:00.001-08:00

Shubham (left), Suyog (Right) and Aditya (2nd from Right) preparing to ride to Janakpur

As over 170 cyclists rode to Janakpur from Kathmandu during the 4th edition of the annual Ride Through Sindhuligadhi event last weekend, three kids caught everyone’s eye.

Shubham Shrestha, Suyog Man Basnyat and Aditya Shrestha are just eight, 10 and 13 respectively; but they were all prepared to cycle the 250-kilometre journey to Janakpur via Sindhuligadi. All three of them seemed to push each other one peddle at a time along with dozens of adults on the way. While Aditya and Shubham skipped a part of the climb to Sindhugadhi from Mulkot, Suyog along with his father Yogendra Man Singh Basnyat completed the entire route on his bicycle.

Many were surprised seeing their stamina. “What these kids are doing is remarkable. Riding with adults along the dangerous tarmac road is quite inspiring. Not only have they pushed each other, but they have also inspired other riders who had self-doubt,” shares Sudip Poudel, the ride leader of the event.

The boys were not only inspirations but were also the stars of the show. From local villagers to fellow riders, everyone wanted a selfie with the trio whenever they stopped for water breaks. They were celebrities for three days.

Suyog and Shubham giving an interview.

All three boys picked up cycling from a young age. The fathers of all three, who are also cyclists, over the course of a few years groomed these kids’ passion for cycling.

“Suyog started when he was three, but he began participating in these rallies when he was six. He’s always showed a desire towards cycling. As I ride, he wanted to do the same and I don’t see any harm in him doing this. He enjoys cycling and its challenges and I like to see him overcome these challenges,” shares Yogendra, his father.

The same was the case with Aditya, whose father Deepak Shrestha facilitated his son’s passion for cycling.

“I like him riding his bike and being a part of these events. I feel it gives many people the urge to do the same. He is passionate about it and also enjoys doing this. I hope his love and enthusiasm for cycling never dies,” says Deepak, adding he brought his son Aditya after watching Suyog cycling nearly the entire length of the ride last year.

“I enjoy riding. It makes me feel good. I don’t do enough of these long tours but when I get the chance, I enjoy it quite a bit. Sometimes my father does not let me ride the entire length of these tours, but it’s still fun cycling up to whatever point I can,” adds Aditya.

Shubham rides with fellow riders

Shubham too has the same enthusiasm on his face. He rides a bicycle which is clearly for the kids older than him but still, he rides with ease. While peddling, he has to stand up and after he gathers some momentum, he sits down. From a small town of Udayapur, he had come to Kathmandu with his father and his uncle to ride to Janakpur. But due to some problems, his father had to return leaving the eight-year-old with his uncle

His father Chiran shares that Shubham, like Aditya and Suyog, started riding from six.

“We take him on rides regularly in Udayapur. He enjoys it. He loves his bicycle. His technique is quite different but he seems to be comfortable with it. We take him out every Saturday and whenever events like this happen. He’s been the start of the show this year. I hope he can make it here again the next year.”

When asked if he was afraid while riding on the road from Kathmandu to Janakpur, young Shubham says he rather enjoyed it. He shares that he liked the attention he received from others. But he did get a bit angry when asked to take the bus from Khurkot to Sindhuligadhi. Sitting on the bus, he kept on posing the same question, “Why did they put me here? I want to be out there.”

“We took the decision because he’s too young and the uphill is too long. Maybe in a few years’ time, he can do the complete ride,” explains Poudel.

Aditya checking if the breaks of his bikes are working properly

But them being on the trip is enough to motivate cyclists. Rabit Maharjan, an adult participant of the event, shares that watching Suyog climb up the uphill to Sindhuligadhi gave him the motivation to ride on. The same was the case for McDara O’Shea from Ireland. O’Shea, who is embarking on a cycling journey from London to Singapore, shares that all three kids gave him added motivation.

“They are brilliant. You see people watching these kids and admiring their guts and determination. I feel quite privileged to have ridden with these young boys. I hope they carry on cycling,” he adds.

When asked if they will do the ride again, the boys say that they would love to, however, their parents say that only time will tell what happens next.

The orgasiners also feel that the participation of these young boys is important in the longer run. “Last year, we only had Suyog. This year, we had Aditya and Shubham. People have promised us that they too will bring their kids along this ride, which means that these kids are doing something really great,” explains Poudel.

Four destinations to start out mountain biking in Kathmandu

2020-01-12T08:37:00.002-08:00

Hey guys, I expect my previous three-story series on mountain biking (mtb in short) has helped you get the hang of the basic bike skills and handling; and you must have pulled off quite some off-road short rides to the backcountry.

Maybe you would now like to try some challenging rides. Let me help you with a lowdown on some locations for you to venture out, which can really turn out as fascinating daylong destinations.

For a start, the destination I am going to chart out for you is a one-day long ride with a moderate to rugged terrains, both paved and dirt including some isolated forested areas. So my advice to you is: Take along a partner with you–so much the better and more fun if you can muster a group of say three to four riders. That will also help you to learn group rapport and group dynamics.

Not to be missed

Hopefully, you will not miss out on the basic essentials for the trip such as a pump, spare tube, patch kit, a toolkit . . . and of course, a rain jacket. Don’t! Also, make sure that you are well-hydrated way before you kick off. What I always do before long rides is to drink a litre of oral electrolyte-blended water at least 5 hours before the start (mostly coinciding with a night before) and supplement it with water during the ride. If you are carrying a hydration bladder tucked into your backpack, all the better.

As you sweat a lot and lose a lot of fluid, you need to replenish yourselves to keep yourself hydrated and avoid getting the most dreaded issue like muscle cramps, which can really ruin your entire ride. Caveat: do not start on a completely empty stomach. A light breakfast before the ride is a good idea.

“Electrolytes are analogous to the motor oil in your car—they don’t make the engine run, but they’re absolutely necessary to keep everything running smoothly. Proper functioning of the digestive, nervous, cardiac, and muscular systems depends on adequate electrolyte levels” writes Steve Born, a sports nutrition specialist.

It will be a good idea to stash in some energy bars or chocolates into your backpack to refuel yourself as you will be burning off a lot of calories doing quite some gruelling up-hills. Also, they can work wonders for your sapping energy and stamina. Bananas, too, can substitute for the energy bars if you forget to carry them. Needless to write, carry water bottles. And if you wish to have a less sore bum, apply Vaseline under your crotch. And do not forget to put on your padded underwear.

1.

Nagarkot

Everybody knows about this scenic hill town, and most of you might have visited Nagarkot one time or other in a vehicle of some kind. Of the many cycling destinations, Nagarkot (2,195 metres) comes first in my priority list for beginners as it combines both a tough climb and a thrilling adrenaline-pumping downhill experience. Apart from that, it offers several off-road back routes, some quite challenging.

Nagarkot

Nagarkot is like 32-33 km from Kathmandu with Bhaktapur en route. The road is paved all the way. After crossing the Bhaktapur Bazaar, you have to hit the road to Kharipati. After that, the paved road starts climbing and continues all the way up to Nagarkot. Owing to the recent widening work underway, do not expect it to be a smooth paved ride. The uneven road, gravelly at places, can almost pass for an off-road–so much the better for an mtb rider!

Given the relentless uphill, as a first-timer, it might take you a little over four hours from Kathmandu to Nagarkot including brief respites for a breather and some refreshments; plenty of tea houses line the road. Start early, around seven or eight in the morning, if you want to have lunch at Nagarkot and get back home before dark. Lots of eateries there serve dal-bhat and being a touristy place, also other dishes like pasta, noodles, pizza, whatever you fancy.

From Nagarkot Bazaar, you can ride to the View Tower situated 3.5 km up on a slight hill. You can take a 360-degree panoramic image of the sprawling Himalayas including the Everest if the weather permits and you are armed with a telephoto zoom lens.

The return ride from Nagarkot the same way back will be a half hour to one hour faster since you will be free-wheeling down all the way from Nagarkot to Bhaktapur. Round trip back to Ktm: 64-65 km.

2.

Nagarkot-Changu-Bhaktapur

Changunarayan

For the return ride, there are several other options to choose from. First, you can take the Nagarkot- Telkot-Changu Narayan-Bhaktapur (10 km approx.) route which also offers an off-road motor track. After some 3.5 km backtracking from Nagarkot to Telkot junction, you come to a cross-section.

Take the road that goes to Changu. Better ask around, if you get confused about the correct direction. As you ride the Telkot gravelled road towards Changu (6.5km), you come to a fork, the track down goes to Bhaktapur while the one that goes straight heads towards the Changu Narayan shrine.

Said to be more than 3,000 years old and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Changu Narayan shrine is well worth a visit. There are two options going back to Bhaktapur: either you take the paved road or backtrack to the fork you passed earlier and hit the Telkot-Duwakot-Jhaukhel off-road track. The track crosses the forested Telkot hill down to Bhaktapur past small settlements on the way. Either way, the round trip to Kathmandu will be something like 66-67 km.

3.

Nagarkot-Kattike Bhanjhyang-Shali Nadi-Sankhu- Ktm

Sali Nadi during Swasthani Brata

Beginners, you will be thrilled to your bones if you hit this trail–a most rewarding experience if you love downhilling. Rugged and challenging this trail will really put your skill to the test. Downhill all the way from Nagarkot, the jeep track is lined by a thick forest until you reach Kattike Bhanjhyang (9 km).

The ride from Kattike, a small settlement, to Shali Nadi, Sankhu (8km) is again all the way down with a section of stone-laden path with steep descents. You have to be extra careful on this bumpy downhill section. The trail crosses isolated forested hills and then gradually opens up to a beautiful countryside as you reach Shali Nadi, another famous Hindu shrine which hosts an annual festival in the month of Magh (January-February).

After Shali Nadi you enter the town of Sankhu also called Shankharapur, said to have been named so for its conch-shell shape. From Sankhu it’s 23 km to Kathmandu or two and a half hours ride. The round trip back home is like 72-73 km.

4.

Nagarkot-Kattike-Jarshing Pauwa-Sankhu-Ktm

This is a little longer route than the rest. From Nagarkot, you descend down to Kattike like you do for Shali Nadi. You will meet a fork at Kattike. The road to your left goes to Shali Nadi. To head towards Jarshing Pauwa, you have to go straight (4 km) up. After Kattike, the dirt road starts climbing cutting across small village settlements, forested area, and terraced fields that slope down in a steep drop. If you are lucky, you can see a sweeping view of the snow-capped mountains to your north.

The ride from Kattike to Jarshing Pauwa is like one and a half hours with mostly ascents, some really steep ones. The elevation of Jarshing Pauwa is 1803 metres. The small village perched on an open hill boasts some good tea houses and a few resorts.

From Jarshinga Pauwa, you are met with a wide paved road that snakes all the way down through a beautiful forest to Lapsephedi and the Sankhu Bazaar (7.5 km). Round trip to Ktm: 76-77km.

All things considered, the Nagarkot ride promises the beginners a truly thrill-packed getaway, whichever route they chose to ride back–the rides are tough, scenic, educative, challenging–all rolled into one! Caveat: For beginners, this ride can be really tough and gruelling and you might be nursing sore muscles the next day. But it is worth its weight in gold–a most rewarding experience indeed.

Take frequent breaks, soak in the beauty and the ambience of your surroundings, chat with the local people, capture the memorable moments into your camera . . . and do not forget to have that special sweet tea made from buffalo milk at a village tea shop–always my favourite when riding through the country!

Next, I will bring you more such ride info on short, day-long and some longer with night halts. Until then, ride safe and keep the rubber side down!

President Bhandari: PN Shah’s perspectives still relevant to Nepal

2020-01-12T08:36:00.001-08:00

President Bidya Devi Bhandari says the ideology and perspectives of King Prithivi Narayan Shah, who laid the foundation stone for modern Nepal, is still relevant to federal democratic Nepal.

Bhandari, in a message on the occasion of Prithvi Jayanti, said that the bravery, courage and valour our ancestors helped maintain Nepal as an independent and sovereign country since ancient times. The unification campaign started by Shah after he realised the need to build a strong Nepal by unifying the many states, Bhandari noted.

Hence, on this historic day, we need to strengthen our national unity and build a prosperous, self-reliant and self-dependent economy, said the president.

Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion obstructed

2020-01-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

The expansion of Narayangadh-Butwal road section of East-West Highway has been obstructed after locals claimed ownership of the trees being chopped down.

The road expansion project office says the locals demanded that they be allowed to take or sell the timber currently kept on the roadside.

The project has planned to cut down 46,294 trees. After obtaining an approval from the Nawalpur District Forests Office on December 24, the project had begun cutting down the trees.

However, local consumer committees obstructed the drive claiming the timber belonged to them, not the government, according to the project’s information officer Shiva Khanal.

The government has told the contractor to complete the project by August 2023.

Finally, Provincial Assembly renames Province 3 as Bagmati, picks Hetaunda as capital

2020-01-12T08:34:00.001-08:00

After nearly two years after the formation of the provincial government, the Provincial Assembly in Province 3 has been successful in naming the province. A meeting of the legislative body held on Sunday morning decided to name the province as Bagmati and establish its capital in Hetaunda city of Makawanpur district.

Hetaunda has been functioning as the provisional provincial capital for the past few years. Hence, the Provincial Assembly’s meeting was also held there.

Owing to different views inside and among major parties, the assembly had been unable to decide the name and the capital. In its bid to end the stalemate, the ruling Nepal Communist Party’s central secretariat had recently directed its provincial lawmakers to propose Bagmati and Hetaunda as the name and capital respectively.

Despite protests of a few lawmakers, the NCP provincial parliamentary party had endorsed the secretariat’s directive last week.

Whereas the assembly received only one proposal regarding the name, the Bibeksheel Nepali Party, which has three lawmakers, had proposed Dhulikhel as the capital. However, the meeting on Sunday endorsed the ruling party’s proposal and reject the Bibeksheel’s. The main opposition Nepali Congress had supported the NCP in the proposal.

Consequently, Chief Minister Dor Mani Paudel’s proposal for Hetaunda received 105 votes.

There are 110 members in the assembly. Two-thirds of the members can change the name and capital.

Among seven provinces of the country, three–provinces 1, 2 and 5–are yet to get their names and permanent capitals.

Iran vows revenge for Soleimani’s killing, but here’s why it won’t seek direct confrontation with the US

2020-01-12T08:32:00.001-08:00

US President Donald Trump has not held back on threatening Iran after the targeted killing of General Qassem Soleimani, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and a key player in expanding Iran’s links with armed groups across Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

In addition to extreme sanctions, Trump’s latest threat includes hitting 52 military and cultural targets in Iran. As might be expected, the Iranian leadership has doubled down on its anti-US rhetoric and promises of retribution. Soleimani was too important to the regime to let this slide.

As the commander of the Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Soleimani was in direct contact with Hezbollah in Lebanon. He mobilised the militant group to defend Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad against US-backed rebels and armed Islamist groups. Soleimani also visited Moscow in 2016 to make a case for, and coordinate, Russia’s military involvement in Syria.

Soleimani made frequent trips to Iraq to bolster the Kurdish and later the Shia militia push-backs against the Islamic State. The recapture of Mosul from the Islamic State in 2016 by the US-backed Iraqi army and the Shia Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) was greeted in Iran with joy.

Soleimani was celebrated as a national hero. The Iranian regime praised him for serving the national security doctrine of offensive defence: defeating ISIS beyond Iran’s borders.

Direct Military Confrontation Is Unlikely

It makes sense, then, that the Iranian regime feels compelled to respond to Soleimani’s assassination. Iran cannot afford to let its national hero be slain without retribution. When Soleimani’s daughter asked President Hassan Rouhani, “Who will avenge my father’s blood?”, his response was swift: “We will all take revenge”.

But what can Iran do? The Iranian leadership has been woefully aware of its limitations in case of any direct confrontation with the United States. Iran’s armed forces, including the zealot IRGC, are no match for US firepower. Direct military confrontation will amount to suicide, and the Iranian leadership is in no hurry to act crazy, no matter how deeply hurt it may feel.

This fits the pattern of the cat-and-mouse game the IRGC has been playing with the US navy in the Persian Gulf to disrupt oil shipments without raising the stakes too high. Iran threatened on many occasions to block the Strait of Hormuz and seriously hurt the global economy, but never carried through as it could have prompted a military retaliation from the US.

Iran, likewise, had a calibrated response to the re-imposition of crippling US sanctions following Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal: a combination of harsh rhetoric and mild action. Tehran sought to look tough but not too threatening to invite a US reprisal.

But the targeted killing of a celebrated Iranian commander is a game-changer, meaning the Iranian response will likely be stronger.

Given the perils of direct confrontation for the Iranian regime, the most likely recourse may be a mobilisation of Iran’s proxy affiliations to exact revenge on the United States, most likely in Iraq.

In fact, Iran does not really need to instruct Shia militia in Iraq to hurt the United States. The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) also lost its second-in-command (Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis) in the same drone attack that killed Soleimani.

Rocket attacks in recent days on the Green Zone in Baghdad are likely to be just the prelude to a major PMU action against US assets in Iraq.

The turning tide against the US military presence, evident in the Iraqi parliament’s resolution to expel foreign forces, could embolden PMU to step up its operations even further. This would be disastrous for the war-ravaged country, and there is no guarantee that Iran would not be embroiled in the conflict.

Pro-Iranian demonstrators targeted the US embassy in Iraq after American airstrikes against an Iran-backed militia late last month. Murtaja Lateef/EPA

Diplomatic Responses Also Have Limited Appeal

Beyond the military options, Iran also has two immediate diplomatic options. The first is to completely revoke the nuclear deal and resume its nuclear program.

With the US withdrawal from the deal in 2018 – and the Trump administration’s subsequent imposition of a “maximum pressure” strategy on Tehran – Iran already has no incentive to observe its commitments.

And Iran was edging away from the deal even before the latest escalation of tensions. After Soleimani’s assassination, Rouhani said Iran will recommence uranium enrichment and stockpiles, measures that the nuclear deal was designed to seriously limit and monitor.

The Iranian leadership claims it is still in compliance with the general rules set by the International Atomic Energy Agency to govern nuclear activity for civilian use. This move is designed to drive a wedge between the United States and its European allies. By addressing European leaders directly, Rouhani reiterated that Iran would be prepared to return to the deal, but only if Europe, Russia and China could offer a way around US sanctions. This scenario looks extremely unlikely.

Second, Iran could take its case to the United Nations and seek justice through international law.

In the wake of the Soleimani killing, the Iranian ambassador to the UN lambasted the United States for “an illegitimate action” and “an act of aggression”.

This move could resonate with the majority opinion in the United Nations, as well as many US lawmakers and international law experts, who have questioned Trump’s justification for assassinating Soleimani to prevent an imminent threat against the United States.

But going through the UN would be a lengthy and ineffective process as the United States has made a habit of dismissing or ignoring UN resolutions it does not like.

In addition, it is difficult to imagine that any non-military option would be enough to satisfy Iran’s impulse for revenge.

Shahram Akbarzadeh, Professor of Middle East & Central Asian Politics, Deputy Director (International), Alfred Deakin Research Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University

Deputy Speaker Tumbahaphe rejects NCP’s call to step down, again

2020-01-12T05:32:00.003-08:00

Deputy Speaker of the lower house of parliament Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe has yet again dismissed calls by NCP chairs Prachanda and KP Oli to step down to pave the way for the party to name the new speaker.

According to the constitution, the speaker and the deputy speaker can’t come from the same party, and for the NCP to name the new speaker, Tumbahaphe, who is also a member of the NCP, needs to step down. The former Maoist leader, who dismissed a request by the party’s secretariat to step down, was invited to the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Sunday.

According to a source, Tumbahamphe, who met Prime Minister Oli and NCP chair Prachanda in Baluwatar, reiterated that she was not going to resign unless she was named the party’s candidate for speaker. The source added, both the leaders urged her to step down, saying that the party had not decided who will take charge as the speaker.

NCP leaders believe that Tumbahamphe mustered the confidence to defy ‘orders’ from the party leadership after she received the backing of President Bidya Devi Bhandari. The party leadership now has three options to remove her from the post: assure her that she will be the party’s candidate for speaker and make her resign, write to the Election Commission to strike her name off the PR election list or file an impeachment motion against her.

NCP chair Dahal, Congress chief Deuba meet to discuss fate of transitional justice bodies

2020-01-12T05:30:00.003-08:00

Nepal Communist Party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur have met to discuss the fate of two transitional justice bodies that have been in limbo for over a decade.

According to NCP sources, the meeting took place at Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha. Dahal, who was accompanied by party general secretary Bishnu Paudel, told Deuba that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission to Investigate Enforced Disappearances should be formed at the earliest. The duo is learnt to have discussed impediments to appointing the officials of the two commissions and the way forward.

After the discussion on transitional bodies concluded, Deuba urged Dahal to withdraw the controversial bill such as the Media Council bill. The meeting took place for around half-an-hour, an aide to Deuba said.

Lawmakers say taking action against Mahato murderer not enough

2020-01-12T05:28:00.003-08:00

Members of the National Assembly have said taking action against murderers of Dilip Kumar Mahato, who was allegedly killed on Friday morning for obstructing illegal sand mining in his neighborhood in Dhanusha district, will not be enough.

They say the government should take steps to ensure that such incidents never repeat in the future.

Speaking at the Upper House meeting in Kathmandu on Sunday, lawmaker Bimala Rai Paudyal said, “Expressing our condolences and taking action against the culprits will not be enough for this incident. Such incidents should not have taken place. Now, the government should make sure that they never repeat.”

Likewise, Brishesh Chandra Lal suspected that police were not willing to take action against the culprits as they removed the victim’s body from the incident site without proper investigation.

NCP Province 3 parliamentary party endorses centre’s decision on name, capital

2020-01-12T05:18:00.000-08:00

Despite voices of dissent within the party, the Province 3 parliamentary party of ruling Nepal Communist Party has decided to vote for naming the province as Bagmati and retaining Hetaunda of Makawanpur district as the provincial capital.

A meeting of the party held on Friday made the decision, according to the party’s chief whip Rameshwar Phuyal. Earlier, the party’s central secretariat had directed the provincial committee to go for naming the province Bagmati and keeping its capital in Htaunda.

Some lawmakers and leaders of the party, however, have opposed the decision. Different voices have been heard about both the name and the capital. Phuyal says the dissatisfied lawmakers also registered their differences during the meeting today.

The Provincial Assembly will decide the name and the capital. Two-thirds lawmakers can make the decision and the NCP commands that majority.

UAE to provide assistance worth Rs 1 billion for Nepal energy development

2020-01-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

The United Arab Emirates government says it will provide a support worth Rs 1.13 billion to Nepal for the energy sector’s development in the Himalayan country.

The agreement to provide the one billion dollar assistance was made during a recent meeting of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi.

Nepal has sent a delegation led by Energy Minister Barsha Man Pun to the annual meeting.

“We will work to promote renewable energy and biogas with this support,” minister Pun tells Onlinekhabar after the agreement the government would launch a biogas project in 69 municipalities of the country.

Nepali Ambassador to the UAE Krishna Prasad Dhakal says the support is a part of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. This is the first time that Nepal has received a support from the fund.

Everest climb in autumn sounds tough, but can be done: Garrett Madison

2020-01-11T23:50:00.003-08:00

Garrett Madison is one of the most sought-after foreign climbers and mountain guides. Since he first summited Everest in 2006, he has led over 60 climbers to the summit of Everest and started his own company, Madison Mountaineering.

Madison holds multiple high-altitude mountaineering world records. He is the only person to have climbed Mount Everest and Lhotse in a day, that too three times. He is also the only American to have climbed K2 twice. Madison spoke to Onlinekhabar about his current expedition where he plans to take a team to the top of Everest in autumn for the first time since 2010 and about mountaineering in Nepal. Excerpts:

How did you go from being a mountain guide to starting your own company?

I started working as a mountain guide in 1999 when I was 20. It was a summer job to guide people up Mount Rainer. That is how I started. As I loved mountaineering, I joined Alpine Accents International and worked for them until 2014 when I thought why not start my own company. That’s how Madison Mountaineering started. My maiden project was to lead the climb on Everest in 2014 and it’s been a fun but a challenging adventure ever since.

How different was running your own company from working for an expedition company?

It’s basically the same stuff that I do now. It is just a bit more responsibility on the logistic side. But I have a good team that handles it. So I’d say I’m lucky in that regard.

You recently climbed Everest in the spring season, what made you come back in the autumn?

I’ve never climbed Everest in autumn. However, I have attempted other 8,000 metre peaks such as Manaslu, Makalu and Cho Oyu in autumn. But I wanted to do Everest too. The main reason is that we’re doing Everest this year because Mountain Hardware, which makes clothing equipment for high altitude climbing wanted to test its new product line. We felt that the best place and time to test it was on Everest in the autumn. We’ll be testing everything from down suits to sleeping bags to tents.

Apart from that, we at Madison Mountaineering wanted to do something unique. As the spring season is overcrowded, we wanted to see if we can market Everest for the autumn. That would help minimise the crowd during the spring. Everest hasn’t been summited in autumn since 2010 and we want to see if we can change that. We have some good climbers on the mountain like Kilian Jornet and Andrzej Bargiel so hopefully, we can work together to reach the top. Our Nepali climbers are just as good and are currently fixing ropes and arranging the base camp so we’re positive about this expedition.

But I am concerned that it’s been raining so much. Rain here means a lot of snow in the mountains and that means there’s a risk of avalanches.

How different do you expect that mountain to be in autumn as compared to spring?

Well, post-monsoon is different for a variety of reason. Firstly, there’s is a lot of snow up there. Secondly, there are a lot fewer people on the mountain. In spring, there are around a 400-500 people on the mountain, but now there’s going to be around 10-15 max. Autumn is also more winter-like. With winter around the corner days will be shorter and will be windier. The summit weather window will also be shorter. Will be a lot challenging. I’ve done Everest 10 times all in the spring so if we can prove that Everest can be done in the autumn that would be great.

How’s rope fixing going on amidst the rain?

It’s going on at a slow pace. The weather isn’t good and the Nepali climbers have told me that it’s very cloudy up there. They are one-quarter of the way up the Khumbu icefall. They’re hoping they’ll reach Camp 1 in a week’s time. Our plan is to reach base camp by mid-September and hope by then they’ll be able to reach Camp 2.

Your success rate is quite high. What, according to you, makes a good mountain guide?

I’d say lots of experience and willingness to learn from mistakes and surrounding yourself with good people. You’ll also need some natural ability and some physical fitness to function well in the death zones. Apart from that we also need proper mountain training and techniques. It’s a combination of knowledge and skill I would say.

Madison on the summit of Everest.

People often say that climbing in Europe and the Americas is different from climbing in the Himalayas. How true is that?

It’s very true. In America and the Alps, it’s more like one-day climbs. You start from a mountain hut and climb for one day and your back. You’re just out for a day or maybe half a day. But here you’re up for two weeks. It’s a real expedition here. Have to carry a lot of stuff to be self-sufficient like medical kits, food and a lot more. There is also no quick evacuation. In the Alps, you get a helicopter rescue at any point, but you don’t get that luxury here in the Himalayas.

What do you feel is the toughest part of being a mountaineer?

I guess it’s the sacrifices you have to make. Spending all this time away from family and loved ones isn’t easy. It’s not like a normal job where you leave home and come back in the evening every day. I’m out for two-three months at a time, and spend around 10 months on the road in a year. So I’d that that is the toughest part.

Do clients appreciate your effort when you take them to the top?

They do. I feel happy when they do. But there are times when I cannot fulfil their expectations and they’re not happy. But I try to tell them that their life is much important that the summit. I don’t like risking people’s lives. My first priority is to make sure everyone comes back safe, this includes the Nepali climbers we have on our team.

Do you enjoy climbing mountains? Here the people from Khumbu climb because they don’t have a choice. They say it’s not fun. Do you have fun?

Yes, I love climbing. This is my passion. When I was a young man and climbed my first mountain I didn’t want to look back. In the US it’s not a lucrative profession, but I didn’t care about it. Because when you do something you love, you don’t feel like its work. I love the challenge too. Made a lot of memories climbing and will continue to do so.

How satisfied do you get when to take clients up to the summit?

It’s very satisfying as you’ve helped them reach their goal and also helped changed them in a positive way. What I like is how people get new experiences in a foreign land. They tell me they learn a lot about the country as they spend from a few weeks to a few months depending on where they are. They also make friends and take back more than just a climbing certificate.

What do you love the most about the mountains?

Just being out there in nature with similar-minded people. We share the same passion and enthusiasm. It’s just the best thing.

When we talk about Everest, we have to talk about the traffic jam picture. For someone who was there, how bad was it?

Well, it wasn’t as bad as the photograph. It was a busy day but it wasn’t the busiest day I’ve seen on Everest. The reason why it looked so crowded was that there were 200 people queuing up to reach the summit. If you have 100 people going up and another 100 people coming down there is sure to be a traffic jam. That’s when the photo was taken. But the media thinks that it is like that all the time which it’s not. It was maybe one hour, one day, in one year. Feel it was blown out of proportion.

Would you blame the traffic jam for all the deaths?

I don’t think I would. The lives lost in Everest this year could have been saved with good planning and good managing. There are two types of expeditions on Everest. There is a guided expedition like mine where they hire someone like me and my company to manage logistics and in the long run take them to the summit and also make decisions for them.

And then there is the other type of expedition is when a company just manages the climber’s logistics like permits, oxygen, porters and food. But in these expeditions, the climber makes his own decisions. The company doesn’t tell them to turn around if they can’t climb. That is when people die. Because when you’re up there you can’t think straight. And if you’re not experienced that can cause a lot more problem.

Those that died this year didn’t have experience climbing such a tough mountain.

Will the government’s plan to make it mandatory to climb a mountain in Nepal before attempting Everest prevent these deaths?

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try to ensure that Everest climbers are more qualified. However, with this rule, if a climber has climbed K2, he/she would still be ineligible to climb Everest which is wrong in my opinion. It doesn’t make sense to me.

How has mountaineering changed in Nepal since you first came here in 2006?

For starters, there are a lot more people in the sport. I feel the sport has grown for several reason. People want to go to these iconic places like the top of Everest. And now that’s it’s possible for more people, the mountain has seen a lot of people since I first climbed in 2006.

Is the rapid growth in Nepali expedition companies the reason why the number of people climbing Everest as risen significantly?

These new Nepali companies are simply offering a product that has a demand in the market. The climbers want this product. They want to be able to come and climb Everest at a cheaper price. Some people feel they don’t want a guy like me making decisions on their behalf. They want to make their own decisions. The clients are demanding this service and the companies we see now are just fulfilling their demands.

But is that the reason the mountains are getting inexperienced climbers which causes deaths on these 8000 m peaks?

The business model for Nepali companies is different from mine. I make sure that I have experienced climbers on my team and try to keep my team small up to 12 members. The team has high-level support as we have both high-level mountain guides and experienced Nepali high altitude climbers. Along with that we also have top equipment and ample supply of oxygen. I try to offer and run a good program on the mountain.

But the Nepali companies’ model is different. They believe in volume. They offer a similar programme for a much lower cost. Per person, there is a much smaller profit margin, but if you’re able to bring in numbers, you’re definitely going to make money. So their product is volume-based and it’s not a guided trip. The climber makes his/her own decision. The companies provide just logistics and service to climb the mountain, but there’s no one telling them if it’s safe to go up. Well, they have Nepali high altitude climbers but they can’t tell their clients not to go up and it’s dangerous.

The fatalities are that of climbers who don’t have experience and really want to go to the top of a mountain. The people compare prices and always choose a Nepali company as its half cheaper than companies like mine charge. These people don’t have anyone to ask if it’s worth the risk. Most push themselves which makes it tough on their body and collapse.

What makes you different from these other companies?

My risk tolerance is lower than theirs. They tend to think they can do anything, whereas I feel that I can’t. It’s because I am liable for the safety of my clients which is of paramount importance. I need to take that into consideration before making a risky decision. It a fundamental difference of approach. Some of my clients get really irked when people from other expedition agencies summit and we don’t. It happened this year in K2 when we came back because it was not worth the risk. But one client was not happy that we didn’t summit and other teams did. It is hard to explain to people like him that it’s not worth it. But hey, they pay a lot of money so they are right to think that way I guess.

NCP Province 3 parliamentary party endorses centre’s decision on name, capital

2020-01-11T23:47:00.003-08:00

The Provincial Assembly will decide the name and the capital. Two-thirds lawmakers can make the decision and the NCP commands that majority.

The ancient trail to Kalinchok: Memoir I

2020-01-11T23:00:00.001-08:00

I journeyed to Kalinchok several times but none compared with the one I did the first time, which, today, has become little short of a memoir.
Consecrated to Goddess Bhagwati Kali, Kalinchok, the Hindu shrine nestles on a soaring bluff 12, 605ft (3,842m) above the sea level. Regarded a holy pilgrimage, the deity hugs a narrow ridge that sharply falls to deep ravines. Lush rolling hills punctuate the southern horizon in an unbroken chain as far as the eyes can travel.
If the north skyline parades an array of snow-capped peaks, the east on the other, towers with the sacred twin-peaked the Gaurishankar (7,134m) and the Melungtse Himal (7,181m).

The early days

Some half a century ago, Kalinchok seemed off-limits to the rest of Nepal. Just the locals of Dolakha, Charikot, and people from nearby villages visited the highland destination to pay their homage. The reason was not far to seek—lack of communication—roads. Dolakha and Charikot were not accessible by road and still fell short of electricity then.

Lush fields, Dolakha. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Further, during those days, the foot-trail from Charikot to Kalinchok was no picnic. The narrow trail cut through rugged terrain and climbed steeply for hours on end. The paths were narrow, slippery, and without footholds at no end of places. The switchbacks that cut through the thick forest often vanished into overgrown shrubs. More often than not, people lost their way.
Only clusters of tiny villages lay in the first half of the journey, the rest of the route remained virtually deserted, harsh, cold and unrelenting—nay near frightening. The highlands bore only a handful of shacks belonging to the Sherpa community.
The weather, too, in those heights took a nasty shift at times, and even months like February and March caught hailstones the size of golf balls. At such times, the pilgrims had to face grave danger, as an adequate shelter was difficult to find. What’s more, local gossips ran high that wayfarers were often looted in the dense forest that intercepted the trail.

Arrival of roads

With the arrival of the Swiss-engineered Lamosanghu-Jiri Road (Pasang Lhamu Rajmarg) in 1985, connecting Charikot and later the dirt road from Charikot to Kuri in 2005, the destination gradually drew more visitors from far and wide including Kathmandu. Most comprised of pilgrims. Others included adventure lovers and odd foreign tourists.
Charikot, 133km northeast of Kathmandu can be reached today by bus. To access the burgeoning town of Charikot, the first leg of the journey takes a four-hour bus ride on the Arniko Highway to Khadi Chaur, Lamo Sanghu. The highway there meets a fork that, after crossing a steel bridge over the Bhote Koshi, follows a narrower feeder road on the right (road to Jiri or Pasang Lhamu Rajmarg), which goes to Charikot. From Khadi Chaur, it takes another two hours to Charikot.
From Charikot, it’s like 18km to Kuri. You can either hire or share with others a Bolero jeep. After Kuri, it’s a one and a half-hour walk up a steep hill with stone steps to climb. A year ago, a cable-car service opened to shuttle the pilgrims to Kalinchok from Kuri.

Shrouded in mystery
For ages, village folklore and myths abounded the Kalinchok shrine. A mere mention of the deity evoked emotions of awe, dread, and reverence among the native inhabitants of the hill-town Dolakha and nearby villages.

Old Dolakha. Source: Wikimedia Commons

I still recall the words of my mother, a nonagenarian, aged 94 today, when I visited Kalinchok the first time. That was almost 48 years ago. “You better keep those things on your mind. First, do not attempt the shrine the wrong way. There are two approaches—one to gain admittance and the other to exit. The exit comes first but skip that and go a little further to follow the path that climbs to a steel footbridge.”
“Do not,” she continued, “hang around long after the puja. The shrine is visited by all kinds of spirits, some good others evil. Last but not least, do not at any cost return to the shrine after you exit the flight of steps down. You will meet with dire consequences if you do that,” she finished with an admonishing wave of her hand.
She went on to relate the incident when a local villager, disregarding the local belief, went back to collect something he’d left at the deity site. The fellow threw up blood and died after he was back home. That tale gave me the goosebumps.

Over 100-year old house in Dolakha (the 2015 earthquake brought it down). Source: Wikimedia Commons

The old days
I was a strapping youngster, just through with his SLC exams and a freshman at college, when I did my first hike to Kalinchok. I must have been 18 years old then (I’m 67 now). I was visiting my ancestral home in Dolakha for the first time with an uncle. The present Pasang Lhamu Highway was not built at the time. First, I travelled by bus on the Arniko Highway to a roadside town called Barhabishe, located at the banks of the Bhote Koshi River.
From Barhabise, the onwards journey to Dolakha began on foot, a gruelling hike that took a day and a half. The trail traversed across several villages but mostly forested areas crossed our path. We barely ran into wayfarers as the trail seemed deserted with no sign of habitation. We met people only when we neared small settlements.
There were no lodges and teahouses all along the route at the time. So, we had to spend the night in a village. For accommodation, we approached the nearest house and asked the owner. Amusingly, meals for the night depended largely on the owner’s hospitality.
After a day and one night on the trail, we finally arrived at Charikot at around 10 in the morning. “We’re almost home, it’s just four and a half kilometers from here,” announced my uncle. I could not wait to see my hometown.
Dolakha
Unlike Charikot, which happened to be just a cluster of thatched hamlets scattered around the hillside, Dolakha looked flourishing. The village, though small, boasted several shops and a school. As cobbled paths crisscrossed the town, stone spigots seemed to be located on every street. What struck me the most was the presence of Hindu temples and monuments in quite a number. I even saw a Buddhist stupa into the bargain.

I further learned that Dolakha served once as a flourishing Kingdom ruled by the Malla Kings. Little wonder, the modest little village seemed steeped in rich culture and history. The jewel in the crown, the Bhimeswor Shrine, the most revered deity of the Dolakhes, was regarded as the pride and glory of Dolakha. Its fame traveled far and wide and drew devotees by the thousands.
The local people of Dolakha claim that the stone deity at the Bhimeswor shrine perspires preceding any grave national catastrophe befalling the country. Despite repeated wiping, beads of sweat kept trickling down the stone effigy of Bhimeswor prior to the following: the devastating earthquake of 1934 (2007 B.S.), the demise of Panchayat government in 1990, the Royal carnage of June 1, 2001, at the Naryanhity Palace, to cite a few.

Bhimeswor Temple, Dolakha. Source:Wikimedia

The ancient trail
After a few days stay at my ancestral home in Dolakha, we were all set to begin the trek, the trail trodden by my ancestors. My anxious grandma hastened to shove into my bag pods of raw garlic and sattu (finely-ground dry-roasted corn), urging me to munch on them when reaching the uplands. “That works against ‘lekh-lagné,” she said.
Lekh lagné translates to altitude sickness. Eating raw garlic and sattu when going to the highlands was a common practice in Dolakha. We hit the trail with my uncle, a cousin from Dolakha, and one village bloke. The first leg of the journey was to Charikot, four and a half kilometers west of Dolakha.
Farming and rearing goats and chickens seemed the distinguishing feature of the village. As we left the settlements behind, the trail led uphill through patches of terraced fields with rice, millet, and mustard. The rice fields were green with tender stalks, waist-high. Other patches had flowering mustard. The hillside seemed to stand out amidst the contrasting colours.

Charikot after the arrival of the road in the early days. Mt. Gaurishankar in the backdrop. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Groves of bamboo along the trails were a common sight. Over our shoulders to the south, we could see the receding Charikot drop steeply into unbroken terraces of lush rice fields cascading down to the Tama Koshi River that wound its way across a deep gorge.

Tama Koshi. Source: Wikimedia Commons

After we passed by a cluster of thatched huts at a village called Chhotang, the landscape took a shift. The trail wound up with occasional settlements that crossed our path, but gradually dropped in number as it led across uninhabited terrain and lush woods.
As I laboured on the trail on the inclines, my city mind strayed to the thought that our far-off country locales could be so quiet and remote. The dense cover we intercepted held, temperate to sub-alpine mixed coniferous and deciduous forest, largely blue pine, hemlock, oak, and the ubiquitous rhododendron( Laligurans) and Chimal (white rhododendron).

The inimitable Sherpas
After a few hours on the remote uphill, we were relieved to see some sign of life. It was a small Sherpa hamlet called Gairi Gaon (2,450m). It consisted of just three shacks. If the north commanded a panoply of peaks in the distance, the mighty-looking Gauri Shankar stood right before our eyes in the east. There was a considerable chill in the weather.

Mt. Gaurishankar. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The smiling Sherpas were very generous and offered us something to eat. The food included dried yak meat, boiled potatoes (their staple), and the local delicacy, chhurpi (hard cheese made from yak-cow or Chauri milk). Freshly made and soft, the cheese was very appetizing.
The Sherpa ladies were reluctant to accept the money my uncle offered for their hospitality but accepted coyly as we insisted. After Gairi, the higher we climbed, the outback seemed further isolated and wilder.

“After Gairi, the trail will be isolated all the way, no habitation, nothing to eat. So, expect nothing,” my uncle said with a smile. Very young as I was, and had never traveled out of the Valley, every moment, since I started for my ancestral home, was a one of its kind. When we stopped for brief respites, I munched on the dry-roasted soybean and maize my grandma had wrapped in a piece of rag and stowed into my bag. It surely worked when I felt the pangs of hunger.
The more we climbed, the harder the trail got as dense shrubs seemed to come in the way. Some even stung as they had sharp spikes. Many a time, I could not help feeling that we were lost. As we climbed further, the pristine backwoods teemed with tall pines in thick rows, which seemed to reach for the skies. No mortals around. Total serenity, complete solitude! Sheer bliss!
In one of my later hikes more than two decades later, the same stretch of the jungle was, to my horror, strewn with logs, many freshly felled, and the old left to decay. It looked the unscrupulous loggers had gone on a rampage. Some of the stumps measured close to three feet in girth. Later, I learned that they were more than 100 years old. All I could do was shake my head helplessly.
Kuri
As we slogged up a small clearing, it seemed the excruciating climb had finally ended. The spot was called the Ganesh Twapper. The trail descended into a small valley. “That,” announced my beaming cousin, “is Kuri, our stop-over for the night.” Darkness fell when we stopped at Kuri.
The meadows were bare of trees. In total darkness, we took shelter for the night in a cave called the teen-tallé-odar (literally a three-tiered cavern). As my uncle and others set about to prepare the evening meal, I lay down spent and starving.
We had to bear everything from home–rice, dal (pulse), vegetables, tea, and needless to say, the pots and pans for cooking. For cooking, we foraged for firewood. At night-time, we found dead logs to burn to fight off the cold. The village bloke had to go quite a distance to fetch them.
Even in early November, the temperature seemed to drop down to below zero at Kuri. For four months, the trail remained closed due to heavy snowfall. “The Sherpas from Gairi, Chothang, and Kuri relocate their dwellings and Yak goths (sheds) to lower climes before the onset of snow each winter,” my uncle explained. He had walked that trail to Kalinchok several times.

Sarauto movie review: Story speaks louder than action

2020-01-11T22:56:00.003-08:00

What is a ‘sarauto’ anyway? Arguably, many Nepali cinemagoers of the young generation are not familiar with the term. Making a movie with such a difficult word in the title and featuring a non-star cast is really a risky affair. However, the producers dared to do it and the movie is already on the screen now.

This week’s Kollywood release might exceed your expectations you may have set considering its strange title. Even with the non-star team, debutant director Hari Humagain has done an impressive job.

Raghav Krishna Gautam’s intriguing story and dialogues compensate for the so-so acting and overall presentation of the movie. Despite several flaws, the movie keeps most members of the audience hooked, and it deserves applause as the majority of contemporary Nepali ‘action’ films are boring and unsubstantial.

Action with love story and family drama

First, be clear that Sarauto is not only an action movie; it is also an emotional love story and a family drama. This is the first reason why this movie can offer you something more than what you have expected.

Nepali action movies have not received good reviews in the past. They are found to be imitating Bollywood action patterns, but failing to meet the standard. Sarauto might not be any exception.

However, the action is not the only thing that you can look forward to in this movie. It also has a beautiful, though tragic, love story, and heightened family conflict. These elements enable the movie to appeal to different groups of the audience, for different reasons.

Sarauto’s love story is unique. The way that the heroine (Sumi Moktan) and the hero (Sunny Singh) meet is quite common, but the way they develop their intimacy is arguably peculiar. (Further description of this ‘way’ could be a spoiler!) Like other love story movies, this film also includes a couple of songs. However, the songs essentially do not contribute anything to the overall impact of the movie.

The movie also offers you an emotionally-charged family drama. This is not as beautiful as the love story, because it has a bias. The movie reinforces a prejudiced idea about adopted children of the family (again, a further description of this argument should not be revealed here). But, notwithstanding the bias, the drama is worth watching.

This film obviously includes other regular components of an action movie: revenge, betrayal, fight, and bloodsheds. If you love foreign action movies and want to see how Nepali filmmakers are also learning tricks of the genre, go watch it and judge on your own.

Cinematic presentation

Because the movie’s director is an experienced cinematographer, the movie’s visual language clearly communicates its message. As the plot moves between the past and the present, several flashback scenes are included in the movie. The chronological (present) and flashback (past) scenes have been effectively connected into a sequence hence there is not much confusion.

Nevertheless, a few incidents from the past–for example, the heroine’s conversation with her dad about ‘the greatest thing in life’–are repeated many times, and it might force the audience to lose their interest. Likewise, some flashback scenes, for example Jeetjung (Leo Tank) narrating his past and his transformation into a villain, are too quick.

Moreover, the first half of the movie baffles you. You see three parallel storylines. All of them merge into the one some minutes before the intermission. Because you can easily understand the development of events since then, the plot can become more interesting.

The writer and the director have tried to make some scenes symbolic, but they do not work much effectively. In the movie’s trailer, you can see the hero expressing a metaphor of rivers and bridges about human separations and connections. This does not appeal much as it is already used too much.

The biggest symbols used in the movie are the ‘sarauto’ an ‘Om’-sign locket. The sarauto symbolism is quite clear, neither is it problematic for the tool is associated with the antagonist forces. But there is a big problem with the Om locket. Because the sign is a common symbol of Hinduism, the movie using it to refer to the villain is offensive and insensitive to the biggest religious group of the country.

Acting

As the lead, Sumi Moktan has done a nice job. Her acting is not perfect, but she has left an impression and shown the potential of further development in the field. Her male counterpart, Sunny Singh is also commendable. He is cool, gentle and handsome as demanded by his role. He has been seen natural all the time, even when he acts drinking, and it is his biggest strength. Parakram PJB Rana as the hero’s confidant has also proved his capacity in acting. In his debuting project, Leo Tank (Tanka Dhamala) has also made since efforts to act alive though at times his acting looks immature and artificial. He, of course, has space for improvement, but he must have caught other directors’ eye for a villain’s role in the future. Sampada Dahal cannot shine much.

Ncell pays Rs 4.5 billion in capital gains tax

2020-01-11T22:52:00.002-08:00

Nepal’s leading mobile phone carrier Ncell, which has been embroiled in a tax evasion controversy following its take-over by Malaysia-based Axiata, has deposited Rs 4.5 billion at the Large Tax Payers’ Office in Kathmandu.

This comes a month after the Supreme Court released the full text of its decision on the Ncell tax issue, in response to a writ filed by the telecom company earlier in April this year. The order stated that the company needs to pay only Rs 21.10 billion in capital gains tax against the Rs39.06 billion previously determined by the tax officials.

The Large Taxpayers’ Office on April 16 said that the combined tax liability of Ncell and its parent company, Axiata, was Rs62.63 billion, including interest and fees based on the Income Tax Act. As Ncell had already paid Rs 23.57 billion in capital gains tax, the office ordered it to deposit the remaining Rs39.06 billion within a week. But the company went to court on April 22challenging the order. The company claimed that its capital gains tax liability from the three-year-old Ncell buyout deal stood at Rs 14.36 billion, and not Rs 39.06 billion, as it had already deposited R s23.57 billion. Following the petition, the Supreme Court in August annulled the tax liability determined by Large Taxpayers’ Office, stating that additional fees, imposed as per the Income Tax Act, should not be added to Ncell’s total tax liability.

Following the Supreme Court’s release of the full text of the judgement, the LTO had asked Ncell to submit Rs 21.10 billion within 15 days. According to sources, Ncell paid only Rs 4.5 billion as ‘first installment’. Authorities are yet to decide whether to accept the installment or not.