The Nepal Communist Party has never been open to criticism, whether from inside or outside the party. While Prime Minister and NCP Co-chair KP Sharma Oli has asked party members to refrain from criticising the government and support its works, Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has called on party members to defend the government and counterattack against “regressive forces”.

All of this incitement seemed to come to a head on Saturday, when Gyanendra Shahi, a self-styled social campaigner, was brutally attacked by an unidentified group in Chitwan. Shahi is the same person who, a few weeks ago, made headlines after he verbally berated Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai for delaying a Kathmandu-bound flight at the Nepalgunj airport.

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As prices soar, Nepal may be looking at a Dashain with far fewer onions

Nepal imports almost all of its onions—99 percent—from India and on Sunday, the Indian government banned the export of all varieties of onion, with immediate effect due to a lack of adequate supply in the Indian market.

“Export policy of onion is amended from free to prohibited till further orders. Hence, the export of all varieties of onions is prohibited with immediate effect,” an Indian government notification said.

Retail prices for onions in Kathmandu ranged between Rs115 and Rs120 per kilogram on Sunday, with suppliers warning that consumers would soon have to pay more. And this at a time when the demand for onions increases sharply, given that it is festival season.

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Provinces are still stuck in slow gear in forming public service commissions

Provincial governments were dissatisfied when the Federal Public Service Commission issued a vacancy notice to hire 9,161 staffers at the local level, as they said it was a breach of provincial jurisdictions.

The move of the Federal Public Service Commission came as per the request from the federal government, which said it would take time to hire staffers as the local level as provinces did not have their provincial public service commissions.

Even months after the brouhaha, provinces are still too slow to form their commissions for hiring staffers for provincial offices as well as local government offices.

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Traffic snarls choke Nagdhunga-Naubise road, but alternative routes are not ready

A seemingly unending traffic jam along the Nagadhunga-Naubise road section on Friday resulted in the death of a man who was travelling to Kathmandu for treatment.

Officials say, the tragedy is yet another poignant reminder of the country’s poor road infrastructure and underscores an urgent need to build new roads as heavy vehicular traffic and potholed roads are hindering people movement and timely delivery of goods and services to and from the Kathmandu Valley and beyond.

The Nagdhunga-Naubise road serves as the main gateway to Kathmandu for vehicles coming from the east, west and southern parts of the country as other alternatives are in equally poor conditions.

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Malaysia departures remain sluggish even after resumption of labour migration

After nearly a 16-month halt to labour migration to Malaysia, the government on September 15 allowed Nepali migrant workers to take up jobs in Malaysia. The ban on new hiring of Nepali workers was finally lifted after Nepal and Malaysia agreed to implement the bilateral labour agreement signed last October.

However, departures for Malaysia, one of the most popular labour destinations among Nepalis, has remained slow.

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