Govt mulls blocking porn sites

KATHMANDU, AUG 13 - Internet surfers will soon have to scale the telecom firewall to access porn sites in Nepal. Nepal Telecommunications Authority at the behest of the Home Ministry is preparing to block pornographic materials on websites.

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is working on the same through internet service providers (ISP) and telecom operators providing GPRS facility. NTA has been working in this regard in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology and Cyber Cell of the Nepal Police. It has said that it will implement this new provision after one week.

Sale of vehicles almost double

KATHMANDU, AUG 10 - Breaking all past records, the sale of vehicles increased by a whopping 96.73 percent during the last fiscal year 2009-10. The rise was aided by heavy sale of motorcycles across the country.

According to the Department of Transport Management, a total of 201,787 units of vehicles including 168,707 motorcycles were registered during the last fiscal in 13 zonal transport offices, while the registration in the previous fiscal year was 102,570.

In the fiscal year 2008-09, 83,334 units of motorcycles were traded across the country.

Motorbike sales zoom 42 percent

KATHMANDU, JUL 22 - Sales of two-wheelers in the Kathmandu Valley increased by a whopping 42 percent during the last fiscal year compared to the previous fiscal. The surge has been attributed to aggressive promotional schemes launched by distributors to reverse slumping sales caused by a liquidity crisis in the banking system.

A total of 69,359 units of various types of motorbikes were registered at the Bagmati Zone Transport Office in fiscal 2009/10 against 48,811 units in the previous FY.  “Sales of bikes have gone up significantly in the capital as it is easy and affordable compared to four-wheelers,” said Madan Singh Mahat, office in-charge and under secretary of the Motorcycle Unit. “Moreover, the various promotional schemes launched on different occasions also supported the growth.”

Trolley buses to be back?

                  

KATHMANDU, JUL 09 - The government is planning to bring back trolley buses in the Kathmandu Valley under the Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport (KSUT) project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

According to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, the project would introduce trolley buses most likely on the Ring Road, the Bishnumati Link Road and the Bhaktapur-Kathmandu route under the second phase of the KSUT that is scheduled to start in 2013.

“Even though we had a bad experience of operating trolley buses, the new system will be managed and operated by the private sector with funding from the government,” said Purna Kadariya, secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning. “Loans will be provided to interested firms by the government.”