Amend IT bill: leaders, analyst

Kathmandu: Leaders of the ruling and opposition political parties have urged the government and parliament to amend the information technology bill.

Adequate discussion must be held on it before presenting it as the bill, they suggested.

At a programme organized by Reporters’ Club here Friday, leader of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Raghuji Pant, expressed concern over the endorsement of the bill by the parliament’s Development and IT Committee without holding sufficient discussion, which has created panic among the people. It must be corrected, he demanded.

Nepali Congress leader and former minister of communications, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, said, “The fine of Rs 1.5 million for minor offense as teasing and misinforming is hefty and it spread terror.

The bill must be scrapped rather than its revision.” Political analyst Prof Dr Surendra KC opined that a separate bill was necessary on the social networking sites.

Advocate and former chairman of Press Council Nepal Borna Bahadur Karki argued that IT bill was brought to hide the weakness of government.

Moreover, former chairman of Nepal Bar Association, Sher Bahadur KC, wondered why the government brought such bill, ignoring the words and spirit of the constitution. It must be corrected, he stressed.

—–