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Kathmandu : Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradip Kumar Gyawali has said some European nations are willing to invest in Nepal’s energy and infrastructure development. Talking to media persons upon his arrival after his weeklong visit to Portugal, Luxembourg and Belgium, Minister Gyawali said the European nations were more interested in Nepal’s energy, infrastructure and agriculture sectors.

Gyawali said that he had urged European leaders to allow Nepali goods into European markets as Europe was a vital trade and development partner of Nepal. The foreign minister shared that the European leaders put forth their concerns about Nepal government’s economic poli­cy, investment environment and inclusion in constitution.

“Nepal is willing to benefit from the economies of India and Chi­na. I found them concerned about Nepal’s ability to move ahead by maintaining geopolitical balance,” Gyawali stated. On the occasion, Gyawali said that he urged European leaders to immediately resolve the issues that have hindered Nepal’s air services to Europe. RSS

Ratna Mandir, the Lake­side palace where mem­bers of the royal family used to stay when they vis­ited Pokhara, is yet to open for public. Two years ago, Nepal Trust had decided to transform Ratna Mandir into a museum and started prelim­inary works such as painting, cleaning up the locality and printing entry tickets. But the palace is still not ready. Nepal Trust had planned to open Ratna Mandir as a museum by June 2016. Sur­rounded by tall walls on three sides, the palace is in the middle of the Fewa Lake, which makes it a place of great curiosity for locals and for­eigners alike.

The engineer of Nepal Trust Srikant Bhattarai revealed that Ratna Mandir could not be developed as a museum as the Ministry of Finance had failed to pony up the needed amount. He said that although an estimated Rs 50 million would be required, the minis­try has not set aside any bud­get for it.

The office head of Ratna Mandir Krishna Guvaju said that the palace needs to be repaired as the stones that make up the roof of the main building has started coming off. Entrance tickets had been printed two years ago—costing Rs 1,000 for foreigners, Rs 100 for locals and Rs 50 for students.

Travel agents in Pokhara say Ratna Mandir will be a big tourist draw. Barahi Mandir, which is in the middle of Fewa Lake, attracts over a 1,000 visitors every day.

On April 20, 2016 the com­mittee meeting of the Nepal Trust had decided to develop a ‘garden of dreams’ along with the museum. Mainte­nance works started right after that. Yet they have been pain­fully slow. Before turning the palace into a museum, a ticket house, a garden, and a resting area have to be built. Along with that, drinking water and toilets are also needed.

King Mahendra had built the palace for Queen Ratna in 1956. Late King Mahendra, and then King Birendra and King Gyanendra used to stay there whenever they visited Pokhara. The palace is spread over 56,468 square meters and the 11-room main bungalow is its centerpiece. Along with that, there is a boat house, an ACD office and a garden.

Civil society coordinator of Pokhara Ram Bahadur Pau­del said that Ratna Mandir should be open to public as a museum at the earliest. But he cautioned that the museum should be built in a way that does not in any way take away from the natural beauty of Fewa Lake.

Nepal Trust has 89,026 square meters of land in Pokhara, which includes Ratna Mandir, Hima Griha, a football ground, and a piece of land at Ratna Chowk.

The decision to allow Chinese NGOs to operate in Nepal, at a time the government has otherwise adopted a hard line against INGOs, is yet another indication that the ruling left coalition wants to minimize the role of the West and maximize the role of two big neighbors. It increasingly appears that Prime Minister KP Oli has decided that both his interest and that of his country lies in enhancing neighborly ties and developing Nepal as a ‘vibrant economic bridge’ between India and China. Since PM Oli has taken both India and China into confidence, the ‘scheming Westerners’ are needed no more. Neither India nor China wants to see the Americans and Europeans meddle in their backyard. It is no secret that over the years the two neighbors have repeatedly asked the government of Nepal to tighten the noose around Western countries and agencies. It was under their pressure that the government first bid farewell to the UNMIN in 2011 (which was set up in 2007 to supervise Maoist arms and army) and then to its successor, the Department of Political Affairs, this year.

Then came the National Integrity Policy, whose main aim was to circumscribe the role of INGOs and make things difficult for undocumented foreigners (read: Westerners) in Nepal. This was not just to keep India and China happy. Successive Nepali governments have been uncomfortable with the role of many INGOs they suspected of being active in proselytization and of thereby trying to fundamentally change the Nepali society. Repeated news stories that spoke of up to 90 percent funds of these INGOs being repatriated to the countries of their origin only added to public skepticism.

PM Oli has clearly tried to cash in on the recent thaw between India and China, and perhaps really does believe that they can now together contribute to Nepal’s growth and development. And if western NGOs can work in Nepal, why can’t Chinese or Indian NGOs? But whatever his broader goal, the strategy of admitting Chinese NGOs into ‘soft areas’ like livelihood and community development while also simultaneously pushing out their western counter­parts from these areas is not without its risks. The Chinese NGOs are virtual appendages of the Chinese government, much more so than the Western NGOs work for the interests of their countries of origin.

Thus, in a way, the government is making the country ripe for active Chinese interference that Nepal has been lucky to escape thus far. Should India-China relations sour again, or should there be another blockade, Nepal will also have fewer friends abroad speaking on its behalf.

KATHMANDU: The Tribhuvan Inter­national Airport’s only runway has been barely functional over the past four years. The Civil Engineer­ing Department under the airport authority has been spending around Rs 20 million a year patching it up. “With such a shoddy runway, there can be an accident anytime,” says Murari Bhandari, department direc­tor. “We are taking a big risk.” There is a risk of aircraft skidding during both takeoffs and landings. “Patch­ing it up on the surface is no solution since there is structural damage,” Bhandari says, adding that if there is a crash because of the runway, it would send out a troubling message to the rest of the world. UTTAM KAPRI