The Kathmandu Post

WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 116 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 35.0 C 12.5 C Monday, June 14, 2021 | 31-02-2078 Dipayal Jomsom Authorities appear clueless about how to ease or lift lockdown Prohibitory orders currently in place in the Valley have been extended by a week and the rest of country follows the model. Little else is being done to check virus spread. ARJUN POUDEL place. We have also held discussions KATHMANDU, JUNE 13 with various stakeholders from health, tourism and industry minis- For Nepali authorities, maintaining tries,” Janak Raj Dahal, spokesman the status quo is the name of the for the Home Ministry, told the Post. game. “All the districts will follow the modal- Even after 50 days of lockdown, ity of the three districts of Kathmandu which they have been calling “prohib- Valley with minor changes according itory orders”, imposed to curb the to their needs.” spread of the coronavirus, they are Experts, however, are sceptical. yet to devise any modality on how to According to them, ad-hoc decisions loosen or lift it. Nor is there any plan- are not going to work and a studied ning yet. decision is a must. On Sunday, Kathmandu Valley “Lockdown is being used by the authorities announced that the ongo- government as the one and only meas- ing lockdown would continue for one ure to control the spread of coronavi- more week. By that time, the Valley rus infections,” Dr Krishna Man will have been under lockdown for Shakya, vice-president of Nepal almost two months. Public Health Association, told the Some minor changes, however, have Post. “It has become an easy means for been made to the existing modality. authorities, even if it is a nightmare Chief district officers of for the public.” Kathmandu Valley said on Sunday Studies have shown lockdown is a that shops selling essential supplies, measure that provides an opportunity as well as bookshops and stationery for the authorities to prepare against shops, would be allowed to open until the pandemic by expanding testing, POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA 11am. Agricultural work also will providing training for health workers, Children play football in the drizzle at Teku in the Capital on Sunday. According to the weather office, monsoon has started in the country with several places receiving rainfall. be allowed besides movements of increasing hospital beds and arrang- people on foot. Authorities have also ing other necessary equipment like decided to allow printing presses to ventilators. A lockdown is meant to operate till 11am, shops selling break the chain of infections so that construction materials from 4pm authorities can set up more isolation onwards and online and takeaway ser- and quarantine facilities and launch INSIDE Political uncertainty puts Nepal’s vices for home delivery of essential awareness drives, among others. goods until 7pm. After ramping up tests following “We have taken the decision after the sudden rise in coronavirus cases, Oxygen manufacturers seek to holding a series of meetings with all the number of tests of late has come resume supply to factories federal process on a bumpy road chief district officers of all the dis- down. tricts where prohibitory orders are in >> Continued on page 2 KATHMANDU: Sagarmatha Oxygen Private Limited on Friday distributed around 70 cylinders of oxygen to a Confusion created by KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu few glass factories even though the government is yet to formally lift the has percolated into the provinces and it endangers restriction on the distribution of oxygen for non-medical purposes. In late implementation of federalism, experts say. April, amid surging Covid-19 cases, the government had instructed oxygen manufacturers to supply bottled oxygen only to hospitals while indi- viduals could get oxygen based on the recommendation of hospitals. But since late May, the number of daily Covid-19 cases started coming down, leading to a drop in demand for oxygen from hospitals. Increased oxygen plants and concentrators supplied to hospitals also reduced the demand for oxygen to be supplied by private sec- tor suppliers. (Details on Pg 3) Traders selling non-essential goods getting wiped out KATHMANDU: With the lockdown getting longer and longer, owners of small businesses selling “non-essential” goods are having the worst time, as they are totally shut down and RSS their scanty savings are gone. Petty Prithvi Subba Gurung’s assessment appears to be right, but it came a bit too late. traders say that the second lockdown has been harder for them than the BINOD GHIMIRE except in Province 2, have resigned first one. The government issued pro- KATHMANDU, JUNE 13 themselves before their masters in hibitory orders for the first time on Kathmandu. April 29 after the second wave of A day after losing the chief minister’s Province 2 is the only government Covid-19 started spreading disas- chair in Gandaki, Prithvi Subba to challenge the federal government trously, and it has been extending Gurung, a CPN-UML politician and against the latter’s move to centralise them a little at a time since then. On close aide to party chair and Prime power. It moved the Supreme Court Sunday, the chief district officers of Minister KP Sharma Oli, said on countering the centre on some occa- Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur Sunday that federalism was under sions. decided to stretch the lockdown, attack from all around. However, when it comes to its own which would have ended on June 15, Talking to media persons, Gurung performance, Province 2 also has by another week by loosening some also said it was unfortunate that polit- failed on different fronts. It is the only of the restrictions. (Details on Pg 5) ical shenanigans from the centre province which has yet to decide its [Kathmandu] have percolated into provincial headquarters and the provinces. name. Province 1 too is yet to have a Sterling ignites England’s Gurung’s assessment appears to be name, but it has finalised its head- Euro campaign right, but it came a bit too late—after quarters. he lost his office to Nepali Congress’ Analysts say though Nepal adopted LONDON: Raheem Sterling ignited Krishna Chandra Nepali after a high- a new constitution and federal set-up, England’s Euro 2020 campaign as the ly charged political drama in Gandaki politicians who played a crucial role Manchester City forward’s clinical on Saturday. in achieving those failed to institu- finish sealed a 1-0 win against Croatia Gurung, however, admitted that tionalise them. At present, both the in their Group D opener on Sunday. some politicians’ self-centric attitude constitution and federalism are facing Gareth Southgate’s side were strug- led to the fall of his government. a grave danger, according to them. gling to break down Croatia until Saturday’s government change in Som Lal Subedi, a former chief Sterling struck in the second half at Gandaki, installing a Congress leader secretary who holds a PhD in fiscal sun-baked Wembley. The 26-year-old’s as chief minister, may come as a decentralisation, says provincial first goal at a major tournament was delight for some, as it also marks a governments failed to demonstrate the perfect riposte to critics who setback for Oli. But observers say it their efficiency, just as the federal gov- questioned Southgate’s decision to carries a deep meaning when it comes ernment continued to put a tight leash select him instead of Jack Grealish. to Nepal’s federal system. on them. England were hampered by a lack of It has been six years since the coun- “I see problems on both sides,” cutting edge until Sterling came to try adopted a new constitution that Subedi told the Post. the rescue. (Details on Pg 7) guaranteed Nepal as a federal, demo- The constitution has explicitly cratic republic. The 2017 elec- defined the relations between the var- tions installed three tiers of gov- ious levels of government. ernment—one federal govern- Articles 232 (1) states that the rela- ment, seven provincial govern- tions between the federation, provinc- ments and 753 local govern- es and local governments shall be ments. based on the principles of coopera- But more than three years tion, co-existence and coordination. since, politicians in Kathmandu, But most of the provinces ever especially those in power, still since they came into existence appear seem to be considering federal- to have functioned in such a way that ism as a top-down approach, they were as though the administra- ignoring what is clearly laid out tive units of Kathmandu, just like in the constitution. And those what Oli once said. leading provincial governments, >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Daily earners hit hardest by Authorities appear clueless about prohibitory orders in Lumbini how to ease or lift lockdown >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 India and the COVAX facility led by district officers and businesspeople The workers have no source of income and have received no relief from the authorities the World Health Organization. make decisions on lockdown without Many believe testing has decreased “No visible work has been done by taking suggestions from experts in the and social organisations during the ongoing second coronavirus wave. overall because the number of new the authorities to contain the spread related fields?” infections has declined lately in the of the infections,” said Shakya. “The Officials concede that infections Valley. focus of all three tiers of government could rise if restrictions are lifted.

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