MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has expressed grave dissatisfaction over the ‘VIP culture’ of bringing the city’s traffic to a standstill for politicians, ministers, dignitaries, and their security entourage. PM Koirala called on Chief Secretary Leela Mani Poudel after security forces stopped all vehicles while he was on his way to the airport on Sunday. “People always come first and their day-to-day-life should not be interrupted just because I am passing by that road,” Koirala told Poudel. The Chief Secretary informed him that it was the decision of the cabinet to control traffic in such a manner.

The prime minister was flying to Myanmar as the leader of the Nepali delegation to the third BIMSTEC Summit (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

BIMSTEC is an international organisation comprising of seven countries from South Asia and South East Asia that includes Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal. Sushil Koirala is also scheduled to meet with his counterparts from member countries and the opposition leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi.

The meeting will deliberate on various issues relating to 14 priority areas identified under BIMSTEC cooperation, including trade and investment, energy, poverty alleviation, transport and infrastructure, agriculture etc and will take some key decisions to improve regional cooperation and make collaboration more effective and productive. Nepal will assume the Chairmanship of BIMSTEC following the summit.