Kathmandu : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for the early drafting of Nepal’s Constitution, saying if the country fails to do so it may get into “difficulties”.
“I request all political stakeholders to draft the Constitution by early next year as committed through consensus which will reflect aspirations of all communities, including Madhesis, Pahadis and Maoists…failing to do so can cause difficulties to Nepal and your difficulty despite our expertise to help you in this field is a matter of sadness,” Modi said after inaugurating the trauma centre built by India at Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital.
He said India will not like to interfere but having expertise and not being able to help Nepal from getting into difficulty will be sad.
Modi’s remarks came after Nepalese PM Sushil Koirala expressed confidence that Nepal will be able to draft its Constitution by early next year. The trauma centre inaugurated by Modi was to start operations in 2009. The 200-bedded centre is a Rs 1.5 billion project of the Indian government.
The centre will have 150 beds in the trauma ward, six operation theatres, 14 ICUs, eight resuscitation rooms and beds for emergency observation, 10 examination cubicles in the outpatient department and a triage area.
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NaMo flags off Kathmandu, Delhi bus service
Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off a Kathmandu-Delhi bus service here. A bus bound for Kathmandu took off from the Indian capital at the same time. Modi, here to attend the Saarc Summit, is on his second visit to Nepal as prime minister. While handing over a 200-bed trauma centre built by India, Modi said the bus service would not only help people but also promote tourism. The bus, run by the Delhi Transport Corp (DTC), would take 30 hours to cover the journey. Each ticket would cost Rs.2,300.
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