Stories you might have missed from today's The Kathmandu Post.

Government to freeze financial transactions of sugar mills for failing to pay farmers

A day after the deadline for sugar mills to pay farmers their dues, the government on Wednesday said that it is going to freeze financial transactions of at least three sugar mills.

Four sugar mills have made partial payments while two have gone out of contact, according to the Ministry for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, which reached a deal with sugarcane farmers earlier this month to clear all their dues by January 21.

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Civil society vows to protest until Sapkota’s nomination for Speaker is dismissed

Now that Agni Sapkota has filed his candidacy for Speaker of the House of Representatives, civil society, human rights activists and conflict victims came out in force on Wednesday to protest the Nepal Communist Party fielding someone accused of murder for such a sensitive and high-level position in the state apparatus.

Sapkota is all but certain to be elected Speaker as he is running unopposed, with the primary opposition Nepali Congress refusing to field a candidate of its own. Sapkota, who is accused of murder of teacher Arjun Lama during the 10-year insurgency, will be announced the next Speaker on Sunday. The post of Speaker had been vacant ever since Krishna Bahadur Mahara resigned in October after allegations of attempted rape.

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New names for old places reflect the changing times, but not everyone is happy

When you ask Ranjit Shrestha where he is from, the 82-year-old will tell you he’s from Wongha. The word Wongha might not sound familiar to many, but for elderly Newars in Kathmandu, it is where they were born and raised.

“Indra Chowk is Wongha to us,” said Shrestha. “We still call it Wongha but the younger generations don’t.”

With the passage of time and changing social milieus, traditional names like Wongha have changed. Yen became Kathmandu, Yala became Lalitpur and Khwopa became Bhaktapur. Even Boudha Stupa had a different name—Khasti Mahachaitya—before the Panchayat era, according to historical records.

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Nepal Cycle Society awaits approval and implementation of new cycle law in Lalitpur

Nepal Cycle Society and cycle enthusiasts have expressed concern over the non-implementation of the draft of Lalitpur Cycle Act 2076. If passed, it would be the first time the country would have a law for cyclists.

The society, which worked as a consultant in the law drafting process, had submitted the draft of the Act to the Lalitpur Metropolitan City over two weeks ago. But the city’s law division has not taken any step to endorse the Act, said Ratna Shrestha, founder and president of the society.

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Eight years on, Guthi has been barred from leasing land over court case

Guthi Sansthan failed to lease out its land for commercial use in 15 locations over the last eight years which would have helped it earn billions of rupees in revenue. The failure to lease out the land was due to a case filed in the Supreme Court.

On May 5, 2012, the Sansthan had invited a bid for leasing out its land in 15 locations for 20-36 years. The bidding notice also incorporated a plan to lease out one ropani and nine aanas of land belonging to Jangam Math in the Taumadi area of Bhaktapur.

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