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WI THOUT F EAR O R F A V O U R Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 140 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 36.0 C 14.2 C Thursday, July 08, 2021 | 24-03-2078 Dipayal Jomsom With Delta variants circulating, experts warn of new second virus wave peak All ICU beds and ventilators allocated for Covid-19 patients at TU Teaching Hospital and 22 of 24 ICU beds meant for such patients at Sukraraj Hospital, Teku are occupied. ARJUN POUDEL after two weeks, as the virus is active KATHMANDU, JULY 7 in communities and people’s mobility has increased.” Kathmandu, the capital city with a The Epidemiology and Disease high population density, is behaving Control Division has said that the as if there is no coronavirus. Delta and Delta Plus variants of After two months of a strict lock- SARS-CoV-2 have been circulating in down, almost everything has reo- the country. Both sub-lineages of the pened. Tuesday onwards, public vehi- virus are reported to be highly conta- cles too have started operating with gious. The World Health Organisation little restriction and marketplaces are in May declared Delta a variant of seeing growing crowds. concern. Public health experts, who have Existing vaccines are said to be long warned that a third wave could effective against the Delta variants, hit the country, say a second wave but only when people are fully vacci- peak of cases cannot be ruled out yet. nated. Two major concerns, according to Research suggests that Delta, offi- doctors, are that the Delta and Delta cially known as B.1.617.2, is the most Plus variants are circulating and contagious of all the known variants POST PHOTO: DIPENDRA ROKKA Nepal’s vaccination coverage is to date, possibly 40 to 60 percent more People wearing face masks are seen walking at Ason, an old shopping district in Kathmandu, on Wednesday. Following the relaxation of most of abysmally low. transmissible than the Alpha variant, the pandemic-related restrictions, a semblance of normalcy is returning to the Capital. “During the first wave of the though studies are ongoing. coronavirus also, infections had The second coronavirus wave that reached the peak only after the hit the country in early April had lockdown was lifted. The ongo- exposed Nepal’s fragile health system ing surge in cases indicates which crumpled as cases multiplied. As its convention date nears, another peak of the second Hospitals were forced to turn patients INSIDE wave,” said Dr Krishna Man away for lack of beds, oxygen and ven- Shakya, vice-president of Nepal tilators. Around 6,000 people died. Public Health Association, a But cases started to decline, giving a Two dead, three missing in Congress keeps a close eye group of public health experts. false sense that the country had “The projection is that new reached a plateau. floods, landslides in Gandaki cases will increase massively >> Continued on page 2 PARBAT: At least two persons died and three others have gone missing in on fresh developments separate incidents of floods and land- slides in Parbat, Baglung and Myagdi districts of Gandaki Province in the The party awaits court verdict on House dissolution just as past 24 hours. In Parbat, two persons have gone missing after the flooded it keeps track of talks in the UML between Oli and Nepal Sundare stream swept away a vehicle at Kusma Municipality-8 on Tuesday factions, as a lot depends on how the situation unfolds. night. Rajaram Acharya, an engineer working at the Parbat section of the Mid-Hill Highway, and driver Indra Tharu have gone missing in the inci- dent, police said. “Rajaram and his driver were having snacks at my shop. When the water from the stream came flooding in, Rajaram told me to run before driving off. I ran towards the highway from where I saw the flooded stream sweep away their vehicle,” said Bishwo Shrestha who operates an eatery in Dobilla. The flooded stream swept away four huts, including that of Shrestha. (Details on Pg 2) Legitimacy of Maoist Centre challenged at poll commission KATHMANDU: A group of former CPN (Maoist Centre) leaders has chal- lenged the legitimacy of the party at the Election Commission. Advocate Saroj Budhathoki, on behalf of POST FILE PHOTO For the party, early elections under Deuba’s leadership will be a godsend, observers say. around two dozen former Maoist leaders who defected to the CPN- ANIL GIRI UML, registered a complaint at the well,” said Minendra Rijal, a Congress KATHMANDU, JULY 7 commission on Wednesday, saying the leader and aspirant for the post of the party, the Maoist Centre, is illegal as party general secretary. “We are eager- it has not abided by the Constitution The Nepali Congress is keeping a ly waiting for the Supreme Court ver- of Nepal and the Political Party Act, watchful eye on the goings on. dict on House dissolution.” 2017. Budhathoki has claimed that It is waiting for the Supreme Court According to Rijal, if the Supreme the Maoist Centre has breached the verdict with bated breath—its Court endorses the House dissolution, mandatory constitutional provision President Sher Bahadur Deuba had the country will head for polls declared of holding the party’s general conven- led a petition against the dissolution for November. tion on time as well as Section 54(c) of the House of Representatives and “In that case, our convention in of the Political Party Act, also man- the Office of the President’s rejection September is unlikely,” Rijal told dating timely conduct of the party’s of his bid for the post of prime minis- the Post. conventions at the central and pro- ter. It is closely following the talks Oli dissolved the House on May 21, vincial committees. “The commis- between the two factions of the CPN- for a second time in less than six sion would take necessary decisions UML. It is also taking note of ques- months, after President Bidya Devi after going through the complaint tions raised against the legitimacy of Bhandari rejected his and Deuba’s and studying the legal provisions,” the Communist Party of Nepal claims for the post of prime minister. Raj Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson (Maoist Centre), as a complaint has Deuba, backed by 145 lawmakers for the Election Commission, told the been filed against the Maoist party at from the dissolved House, has filed a the Election Commission saying it has petition at the court demanding that Post. (Details on Pg 3) failed to abide by the constitution and the Parliament be restored and he be Political Parties Act-2017. appointed prime minister. Nepal cautiously reopens The Congress itself runs a risk of After completing the hearing from becoming an illegitimate party if it the petitioners and defendants and international flights fails to hold its general convention taking briefs from the amici curiae, KATHMANDU: Nepal cautiously reopens within three months. The party has the Constitutional Bench said on international flights while allowing announced to hold its 14th general Monday that it would sit next on July domestic services to operate at full convention from September 1 to 4 in 12. Many, including Congress leaders, throttle, following a drop in Covid-19 Kathmandu, but preparations for the believe a verdict is likely on that day. cases in the country. Tourism Joint same are not adequate. And growing Within the Congress party, the gen- Secretary Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane factional feuds have made things eral understanding is that the court told the Post that a Cabinet meeting worse. would restore the House. But whether on Monday had authorised the minis- Multiple leaders from rival camps the court would go to the extent of try to resume passenger flights on told the Post that there are some inter- ordering Deuba’s appointment as international sectors based on the nal issues, but external factors too are prime minister is anyone’s guess. country’s needs and travel demand. “affecting” the party’s general conven- For the Congress party, early elec- The Cabinet has also permitted regu- tion. They said they are still not sure tions under Deuba’s leadership will be lar domestic flights by following if the convention will take place on a godsend. The grand old party for the health protocols. Lamichhane said the scheduled date. last three years has been licking its domestic flights would be allowed to “Internally we can sort things out wounds after facing an unprecedented operate at full capacity from Sunday. and the party is committed to holding drubbing in the 2017 elections, as it “With regard to international sectors, the general convention on the could win just one fourth of the total we will meet on Thursday to decide announced date, but we need to take seats in the House of Representatives. how to proceed. (Details on Pg 5) into account some external factors as >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K THURSDAY, JULY 08, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Two dead, three missing in floods, landslides in Gandaki Vehicular movement along several road sections has been obstructed due to landslides. AGANDHAR TIWARI banks of Modikhola some 700 metres No. 3 went missing in the flooded Tara PARBAT, JULY 7 downstream from the incident site on stream on Tuesday night. Wednesday afternoon. According to the Area Police Office At least two persons died and three “We recovered the vehicle at around in Tarakhola, the man had gone to others have gone missing in separate 4:30pm but there was no one inside it.

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