DoR spends just 12.23pc budget

KATHMANDU, DEC 29 -Road projects have failed to raise spending and make physical progress in the first four months of the fiscal year despite a timely budget presentation. The Department of Roads (DoR) has so far spent just 12.23 percent of the total fund allocated, while physical progress stood at 19.68 percent.

New study under way for Nagdhunga tunnel

KATHMANDU, DEC 28 -A fresh feasibility study is being carried out to construct a tunnel on the Nagdhunga-Naubise section of Tribhuvan Highway that links Kathmandu with the outside world. The proposal to bore through the western hills has been prompted by long-standing plans to shorten the serpentine length of this vital road and chronic traffic jams on the home stretch.

NTA amends Otel licence conditions

KATHMANDU, DEC 25--The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has eased the license condition for Otel Private Limited, a pre-paid calling card service provider although the company failed to start  service  as per the old licence condition.

Govt. likely to drop plan on building Kechana-Olanchungola North South link

KATHMANDU, DEC 24 -The government may drop its plan to build a north-south road linking Kechana and Olanchungola which adjoins the Tibet region of China. The 391-km road project in north-eastern Nepal has been thrown into doubt due to environmental and economic concerns.

Tech panel declares PPP model infeasible for Fast Track project

KATHMANDU, DEC 22 -A technical committee formed to study the ways to implement the Kathmandu Tarai Fast Track road project has concluded that it is not possible to construct expressway through public private partnership (PPP), while suggesting ways to build the 76km road through government resources or donors’ assistance instead.

Mobile banking: Reshaping lives through connectivity

KATHMANDU, DEC 20 -It is not necessary for a person to have cash in the wallet to make payments today—the virtual wallet on mobile devices does the job.On the one hand, services like e-banking and mobile banking are offering financial services more conveniently to the customers, and on the other hand they have helped banks cut costs.

Plan to install embossed number plates revived

KATHMANDU, DEC 19 -The government’s plan to replace all motor vehicle licence plates with machine-made embossed plates has stirred back to life with the Department of Transport Management starting preparations to call a global tender to hire a consultant.

Gold import quota comes down to 15 kg a day

KATHMANDU, DEC 17 -The gold import quota has now come down to the original 15kg a day from a temporary hike of 20 kg. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), on September 16, had increased the quota for three months, targeting the wedding season.

35 cars are sold every day in Nepal

KATHMANDU, DEC 14 -Nepali customers are purchasing 35 passenger cars every day on an average. Based on the figures for the first trimester (mid-July to mid-November) of this fiscal year, a total of 4,303 units of passenger cars were registered with the government authority.

DoTM eyes e-driving licences from 2015

KATHMANDU, DEC 14 -The project to convert to electronic driving licences and blue books has moved a step forward with the Indian firm that bagged the contract starting preliminary studies. The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) said that electronic driving licences and blue books would be fully implemented from 2015. It signed an agreement with the Indian firm Madras Security Printers for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) supported project two months ago.

World Bank looks to fund KTM-Tarai Fast Track project

KATHMANDU, DEC 14 -The Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track project is likely to get a new lease of life with the World Bank (WB) expressing interest to lend money to build it. The fate of the Rs 100 billion plan had become uncertain after potential Indian investors walked away due to doubts about its viability.

Growth rate of internet users doubles in Q1

KATHMANDU, DEC 12 -The rate of growth in the number of internet users doubled in the last quarter compared to the same period last year. There were a total of 7.3 million internet users in Nepal as of Q1.

Four trade routes being upgraded to six-lane

KATHMANDU, DEC 10 -The government is upgrading four important trade routes to six-lane to facilitate bilateral trade with India and China. Out the four routes, upgradation work has already started on Butwal-Belhiya and Rani-Itahari routes, while the work on Surya Binayak-Dhulikhel and Birjung-Pathalaiya sections is yet to begin.

Govt plans foreign tour to fix NT’s renewal fee

KATHMANDU, DEC 09 -The government is planning to send a high-level team on a study tour abroad to help it decide how much to charge Nepal Telecom ( NT ) for its GSM service licence. The officials will visit four countries on a mission to see how things are done there.

3 firms caught with fake Canon toner cartridges

KATHMANDU, DEC 09 - The Industry Department raided five local firms suspected of selling counterfeit Canon toner based on complaints from the Japanese multinational, and caught three with fake products.

National priority highway projects still in low gear

KATHMANDU, DEC 07 -Spending on national priority highway projects has been very slow in the first four months of the fiscal year even though the budget was issued on time. Delayed announcement of the government’s annual financial plan has been blamed for the repeated failure to spend budgeted funds leading to development projects being stalled.

Rail project to start off by building 5-km track bed

KATHMANDU, DEC 05 -The government has hired three contractors to build the track bed on a 5-km stretch of the Simara-Bardibas section of the East-West Electrical Railway. The Department of Railways said it had called the three companies to sign a contract. The construction will be done as per the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by South Korean consultants.

Ministry directs DAOs to fix land lease rate for tunnel highway

KATHMANDU, DEC 03 -The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) has directed District Administration Office of Kathmandu and Makawanpur to fix the lease rate of the government -owned land which will be used for the construction of Kathmandu-Hetauda Tunnel Highway.

Failing to execute for long, NTA to conduct fresh study for district optical fibre project

KATHMANDU, DEC 02 -After its failure to implement the project, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) is all set to conduct a fresh study for the execution of the District Optical Fibre Network Programme. The study is focused on seeking suggestions and reviewing tender documents.

NT connecting valley mobile towers with fibre optics

KATHMANDU, DEC 01 -Nepal Telecom (NT) is connecting all of its mobile towers in the Kathmandu valley with fibre optics. The move, as per the company, is focused on readying the network for increasing data service capacity and enhancing service quality.