High level panel formed to probe Balkumari incident

By Kathmandu, Jan. 2: The government has formed a High-level Probe Commission headed by former judge Shekhar Paudel to investigate into the Balkumari incident that occurred last Friday. 

The Commission was formed by a Cabinet meeting held at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar on Monday morning. 

The meeting designated former AIG of Nepal Police Arun B.C. as member and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Spokesperson of the Ministry Narayan Prasad Bhattarai as member-secretary of the commission. 

The commission has been given one month’s time to submit the report. The commission will start working from Monday, said Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma after the Cabinet meeting. 

Minister Sharma, who is also the Spokesperson of the Ministry, said the Commission would study and analyse the details of the human, physical and other damages caused in the incident, study the cause of the incident and the security plan made at the location and identify the deficiencies in it. 

Similarly, the Commission is given authority to investigate the role of the persons, officials and agencies related to the Balkumari incident and recommend action for their mistakes.  

Minister Sharma said that the Commission would carry out the study of the incident and recommend action to anyone found guilty. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously constituted a 3-member investigation committee under the leadership of Deputy Inspector General of Police Lalmani Acharya on December 29 to investigate the incident. 

In the Balkumari incident, Birendra Shah of Achham and Sujan Rawat of Dailekh were killed and the vehicle of Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala was set on fire.

PM Prachanda implements austerity measures

Meanwhile, the government, which has announced reforms in the entire structure of the state, has begun the process by deciding to scrap lunch expenses of the Cabinet meeting to be provided to all the ministers to come into effect from Monday onwards. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' briefed about the decision that the lunch expenses of the meeting have been cut from today, saying that reforms should be started from small things in the Cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar on Monday morning. 

According to the Prime Minister's Office, about Rs. 60,000 is spent on lunch for each Cabinet meeting. There are more than 100 Cabinet meetings in a year. Prime Minister Dahal's press advisor Govinda Acharya said that with the scrapping of lunch in the Cabinet, about Rs. 6 million will be saved annually. 

Acharya said that Prime Minister Prachanda initiated reforms from his own office because even small things are considered important in good governance and reforms. 

He said Prime Minister Prachanda, who has announced to change the working style of the government, reaches the Prime Minister's Office at Singh Durbar daily at 10 a.m. except on public holidays.

The Prime Minister has been taking daily 'briefings' of various ministries from Singha Durbar and taking initiatives to solve the problems encountered in projects such as of national pride.