Remember those Airbus jets that Nepal Airline Corporation wanted to buy, and deposited a non-refundable sum of US $750,000 towards them in November? The Public Account Committee of the parliament is saying the deal breached the law and wants the corporation to scrap it. The Kathmandu Post reports:

PAC has termed the NAC’s decision to send US $750,000 (Rs. 57.3 million) to Airbus SAS as commitment money without managing the required source “abuse of authority”. It has asked the government to take legal action against officials involved. Even after eight months of initiating the purchase, the NAC is yet to cough up the required fund for aircraft purchase.

This is the second time the corporation has lost deposits on aircraft.  It has yet to recover Rs 40 million paid to a Chinese company during King Gyanendra’s direct rule.

The total amount of money wasted would have paid the annual salary of 1347 entry-level government officers. Tell that to one of the 100,000 people who applied for 506 vacant positions at Nepal Electricity Authority on Monday, you will probably find them on the streets calling for a nationwide strike.

Talking of money, The Himalayan Times reports that Maoist cadres are demanding donations from members of opposing political parties. From Dhangadi:

According to district secretary of the CPN-UML Dirgha Sodari, the cadres of UCPN-Maoist assaulted Uttam Sapkota, chairman, Chaumala Village Committee, CPN-UML, as he did not donate Rs 10,000 to the Maoists. Sodari said UCPN-M Chaumala area in-charge Budamani Adhikari had demanded donation from Sapkota.

In another case, Maoists allegedly threatened UML’s Gopal Karki of Masuriya to join their party after he said he could not give them Rs 50,000 in donation. Sodari said, “Karki joined their party so they spared him.”

Meanwhile, the Armed Police Force is under scrutiny after three members of the same family were killed in Chitwan on Monday when a stray bomb exploded. Republica reports:

Locals suspect that the bomb was used by the Armed Police Force (APF) for training along the border between Bhandara and Piple VDCs.

Venting their ire on the APF, locals obstructed traffic in Bhandara after the explosion.

Ah the bandas again! We have additions to Monday’s strike story:

All higher secondary school, which were shut by their agitating owners and teachers for almost one week, reopened on Monday after the government formed a taskforce to address their demands within a couple of months.

The doctors withdrew their strike after giving the government an ultimatum to fulfil their demands within a week.

Chief Justice Anup Raj Sharma asked the Home Ministry to ensure Kailali district court opened for business on Monday after a three-day long banda paralysed Kailali. The district has been facing sporadic bandas since the Dudhejhari killings. Government offices have been shut for more than a week.