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The Saarc Programming Committee, meeting in Kathmandu yesterday for its 49th session ahead of the 18th Saarc Summit, decided to close down three regional centres and merge four others, bringing down the total number of such centres from 11 to five. |
The move aims to end the duplication of work carried out by these regional centres and to reduce the expenditure, a statement from Nepal’s ministry of foreign affairs said.
The committee decided to do away with the Saarc Information Centre in Kathmandu, Saarc Human Resource Development Centre in Islamabad and the New Delhi-based Saarc Documentation Centre,
according to the statement.
It also decided to merge the Saarc Forestry Centre in Bhutan, Saarc Disaster Management Centre in New Delhi, Saarc Coastal Zone Management Centre in Maldives and Saarc Meteorological Research Centre in Dhaka into one. It will be set up as the Saarc Environment and Disaster
Management Centre.
The Saarc Information Centre in Kathmandu and the Saarc Documentation Centre in Delhi will be merged with the Saarc Secretariat. It was decided to permanently shut down the Saarc Human Resource Development
Centre in Pakistan.
The Saarc Agriculture Centre in Dhaka (established in 1988), the Saarc Tuberculosis Centre in Kathmandu (1982), the Saarc Energy Centre in Pakistan (2006) and the Saarc Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka (2009) will remain open.
Joint secretaries or equivalent officers from the foreign ministries of member countries participated in yesterday’s meeting, which was inaugurated by Aishatah Liusha Zahir, chair of the programming committee and the leader of the delegation from the Maldives.
Yagya Bahadur Hamal, leader of the Nepalese delegation, was later elected as the new
chairman of the committee.
The implementation of the closure and merger of the centres will be completed by December 2016.
Among the issues that came up for discussion before the committee included a proposed calendar of Saarc activities for 2015 and the status of implementation of the committee’s earlier recommendations.
The committee will submit its report to the Saarc Standing Committee, which includes foreign secretaries from member countries, slated to meet in Kathmandu on November 23-24.
Meanwhile, preparations for the 18th Saarc Summit has reached its final stages with Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala yesterday instructing officials to ensure fool-proof security to visiting dignitaries.
Koirala visited Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu, where Saarc heads of the state and government will stay during the summit which will be held from November 26 to 27.
He is personally involved in inspecting the main venue of the summit and accommodation facilities being arranged for the dignitaries.
Koirala visited the rooms where Saarc dignitaries are being accommodated including the suite where India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will stay.
Eight special suits are being prepped up for the Saarc dignitaries in the posh hotel.
Modi will stay at the Executive Suit of the hotel while other seven dignitaries will stay at Regal Suits.
Koirala has instructed officials to ensure maximum comfort and convenience to the dignitaries; fool-proof security and all necessary arrangements are in place, according to the PM aides.
Bilateral meetings are also scheduled to take place in the hotel on the outskirts of
Kathmandu.
The Nepalese capital has a new look ahead of the summit. The roads have been renovated and black topped.
Solar lights have been put up on several streets, flags of the eight Saarc member countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - have been installed at various places and main government buildings have been white-washed.
City Hall, the main venue of the summit, has been all decked up for the conclave.
Security has been tightened at the venues, government buildings and other sensitive areas. A four-tier security will be put in place under the command of Nepal army during the conclave.
Nepal police, armed police force and national investigation department have also been involved with the security arrangements, besides the army.
The government has announced November 26 and 27 public holidays.