<p>Two construction companies getting a contract to work on the Narayangadh-Muglin road widening project have been fined 7.5 million rupees for failing to complete works within the agreed time.</p><p>According to project engineer Shiba Khanal, those companies slapped with a fine for causing delay in the completion of the 32.2-kilometer project remaining as a lifeline of the country are BLA Shrestha JV Construction Company and Supreme Rautaha JV Construction Company.

</p>

The Hello Sarkar, government’s official portal under the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to receive public grievances, has launched a call center. 

According to Hello Sarkar’s officer Ramchandra Koirala, the call center services have been in place since December 14. The objective of the operation of a call center is to operate the Hello Sarkar’s activities through a wire system and instantly report public grievances to authorities concerned. 

Now, public can report their problems to the government by dialing 1111.

<div><span style="line-height: 1.42857;">The National Planning Commission (NPC) has prepared a report to construct the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project with the investment of domestic capital.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the Council of Ministers had formed a committee led by NPC's Vice Chairman Dr Swarnim Wagle to prepare a report on the development of national pride project Budhigandaki Hydropower. Secretaries at the Ministry of Energy, Finance and Law, Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank and Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) were the members of the committee.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday, the team submitted a 50-page long report to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy Kamal Thapa concluding that the 1,200 megawatt project can be developed with domestic capital. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The total cost of the project is estimated around Rs 270 billion. For the construction of the project, the committee said that Nepal can collect Rs 164 billion in a decade from the infrastructure tax charged in the petroleum products.</div><div><br></div>

Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli has committed to delivering justice easily. While inaugurating 27th establishment day of the Judicial Council in the capital he said that he is working out by preparing a plan for the prompt and easy justice delivery.

He further urged the Nepal Bar Association and other concerned bodies to cooperate the judiciary to protect its independent image.
CJ Parajuli further committed to working as per the constitutional provision to make the judicial administration effective. Similarly, speaking in the programme, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Yagya Bahadur Thapa said that the public should get easy and prompt justice from the courts. He shared that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided to appoint judges to district courts through open competition for the first time which was quite good.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Yagya Bahadur Thapa has said Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will not walk out from the government until the election to the National Assembly has been held.

At a programme organized at the Reporters' Club, Minister Thapa made it clear that this is the election government so they will obviously abandon only after holding the National Assembly elections.

On the occasion, CPN-UML vice-president Bhim Rawal said all the disputable issues would be resolved on consensus since internal discussion is being held between the UML and Maoist Centre on unity and government formation.

<p><span style="line-height: 1.42857;">The CPN (Maoist Centre) has concluded that the dispute over the formation of the national assembly is unwarranted, and a political solution should be sought for the same.</span><br></p><p><br></p><p>The party's central office meeting yesterday concluded that the NA should be formed as per the constitution and the law and appealed to the sides concerned to respect the popular mandate that has come through the election to the House of Representatives and the State Assemblies.</p><p><br></p><p>The meeting also concluded that the people had endorsed the left alliance as well as the proposal for party unity. A decision was taken to further accelerate the deliberations for formation of the new government.</p><p><br></p><p>The reason behind the low percentage of votes to the Maoist Centre in the proportional representation (PR) system was because the party did not have a candidate in more than 60 per cent of the constituencies while there was lack of proper publicity about the system as such, the meeting concluded.</p><p><br></p><p>Speaking at the meeting, leaders stressed on the need for clarity in principle and organisation for the unity with the CPN-UML party.</p><div><br></div>

<p><span style="line-height: 1.42857;">CPN (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that the age of political struggle is over now. At a programme organized on the 30th establishment day of Nepal Utpidit Jatiya Mukti Samaj at his residence in Balkot yesterday, Oli said that campaigns against social injustice will be advanced aggressively.</span><br></p><p><br></p><p>Saying that the Dalit should hone themselves for competition not merely limiting in reservation, he said the reservation in the state bodies will be made only for a certain period. Oli argued that Dalit should prepare to go for open competition.</p><p><br></p><p>He further added untouchability is a social blot. There will not be its remnants and campaigns will be waged against social ills.</p><p><br></p><p>Oli was of the opinion that no one will be discriminated and oppressed in this era and the time has begun for respect of all.</p>