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Nepali Congress cancels its Kojagrat Purnima tea party, a tradition since 1977, in grief over floods
The party said festivities were suspended in solidarity with families hit by floods and landslides. On the Indian border, armed police have set up a sniffer dog unit to curb cross-border crime.
Key points
- The reception, started by BP Koirala in 1977, has been called off this year.
- About 4.96 lakh passengers left the Kathmandu Valley by public transport for Dashain up to Saturday.
- A new K-9 unit at the Gaddachauki crossing will watch the Nepal-India border.
The Nepali Congress has called off its annual Kojagrat Purnima tea reception, one of the fixtures of Kathmandu’s political calendar, saying the country is in no mood to celebrate after deadly floods and landslides.
The party said festivities were suspended in solidarity with families who lost relatives and homes, and with those whose loved ones are still missing, along the Bhote Koshi and Budhigandaki river corridors. Leaders urged members to mark the full-moon festival quietly at home.
The reception has been held since 1977, when the party’s founding leader BP Koirala started it.
The decision comes as Nepal empties out for Dashain, the country’s biggest festival. About 4.96 lakh passengers left the Kathmandu Valley by public transport between Ghatasthapana and Saturday, though the outflow slowed from the previous two days. The health authorities have moved the first phase of the national vitamin A and deworming campaign for young children to 3 and 4 November, instead of 19 and 20 October, so that it does not clash with the festival.
On the Indian frontier, the Armed Police Force has opened a canine unit at the Gaddachauki border point in Kanchanpur district, the first in Sudurpashchim Province and the fifth in the country. Its two dogs, Delta, a German Shepherd trained to find firearms and explosives, and Alpha, a Labrador that sniffs out narcotics, are meant to help curb cross-border crime on the open Nepal-India border.