Upper House passes five ordinances

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 7: The National Assembly has endorsed five ordinances ending all speculations regarding their fate. 

The hectic exercises done by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba finally yielded the desired results, although the government had to put an ordinance related to land on hold after Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal refused to endorse it.

The Upper House on Thursday endorsed the five ordinances with a majority by rejecting all opposition proposals. The three JSP-N lawmakers of the NA supported the five ordinances.

 Earlier on Wednesday, the House of Representatives endorsed them. 

The endorsed ordinances included ‘Financial Procedures and Fiscal Responsibility (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Economic and Business Environment Reform and Investment Promotion Amendment Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Privatisation (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Ordinance to Amend some Nepal Acts related to the Promotion of Good Governance and Public Service Delivery, 2081’ and the ‘Ordinance to Amend some Nepal Acts related to Cooperatives, 2081’. However, the ordinance related to land was put on hold at the request of Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal, one of the ruling parties.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung defended the ordinances during the session, countering claims that the government was resorting to autocratic measures. He stressed that the ordinances were essential for addressing the country's challenges, including inefficiency, misrule and irregularities. 

The endorsement of the ordinances has paved the way for the introduction of replacement bills. 

As the NC and UML have only 27 lawmakers in the 59-member NA, the two parties had to hold several rounds of meetings with  JSP-N chairman Upendra Yadav to get the support of its three lawmakers to endorse the ordinances.  

In addition to the ordinances, the lawmakers raised concerns during the meeting on issues such as the delayed construction of bridges on the Sunkoshi and Tamakoshi rivers, which are critical for connecting Dolakha with the federal capital. There were also calls to expedite the completion of a bridge in Mahabai Rural Municipality in Kalikot, which had seen repeated delays.

Other concerns raised included the tragic murder of Rinku Sada in Madhes Province, the operational status of airports in Rukum West, and issues affecting people with disabilities. The MPs also urged the government to address the education bill promptly and the alleged attempts to remove Nepal Electricity Authority Executive Director Kulman Ghising. 

The next session of the National Assembly is scheduled for March 7 at 1 pm. 

Likewise, in the House of Representatives, the lawmakers discussed critical issues regarding the allocation of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget and the progress of ongoing development projects.

The lawmakers called for prioritising unfinished projects in the budget, highlighting the need for sufficient funding to complete strategic infrastructure, including road projects. 

Nepali Congress lawmaker Shyam Kumar Ghimire highlighted the stalled work on strategic roads in his constituency, urging the government to allocate resources for their completion.

CPN- UML lawmaker Leelanath Shrestha acknowledged improvements since the formation of the current government, citing payments made to sugarcane and dairy farmers, as well as development companies. However, he also criticised the increasing social anarchy and called for unity in governance.

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) MP Hit Bahadur Tamang raised concerns over the government's accountability, particularly regarding its treatment of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Executive Director Kulman Ghising. 

He questioned the government's handling of the dispute between ‘dedicated’ and ‘trunkline’ tariff issues and called for faster resolution of pending bills like the Federal Civil Service Act.

Several MPs, including Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Shishir Khanal, voiced concerns over the ongoing legal case of party president Rabi Lamichhane, questioning the fairness of parliamentary discussions impacting his case. Other lawmakers, including Rajendra Prasad Lingden from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, demanded the release of arrested members of the 'No Cable Car Group' and criticised the government's attempt to remove Ghising from his position.

Lawmakers also raised issues of discrimination in development projects, delays in road construction, and criticised the handling of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.