India refuses to back out from Kalapani Warns Nepal not to politicise the issue

From Yubaraj Ghimire

NEW DELHI, Aug 2 - India has assured Nepal that it has no intention of occupying 'even an inch of its territory' but refused to concede Nepal's demand that Indian army be withdrawn from Kalapani. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's goodwill visit also covered wide range of topics that included Nepal's insistence for a review of the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and India's security concern about the use of Nepalese soil allegedly by Pakistani ISI elements.

The two countries have agreed to leave the issue of revision or possible replacement of the 1950 Treaty to the foreign secretaries for wider and comprehensive stock taking purpose. In the mean time, Nepal is to study alternative model, impact of the replacement of the 50 year old Treaty and the status of exchange of letters and other agreements between the two sides based on that Treaty. The two sides also felt that they should study in details the vision of the state as well as that of people on bilateral relations.

After two days of marathon discussion on various issues, both sides agreed to leave the issue of border disputes to the Joint Technical Boundary Committee with the instruction that it would complete field work latest by 2002. Both sides agreed that final preparation to prepare strip maps in place of riverine border should be completed by the year 2003. India prevailed upon Nepal that Kalapani issue also should be left to the same committee, and requested Nepal to believe India's intention and at the same time 'not to politicise the issue'.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who had extensive meetings with top Indian leaders including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and other ministers, besides President KR Narayanan and Vice President Krishna Kant said, "I will be returning to Nepal a happy and satisfied man". PM Koirala leaves for Hyderabad tomorrow on the second leg of his week-long goodwill mission to India. PM Koirala's scheduled visit to Banglore has been diverted to Hyderbad due to the present security situation in the sillicon valley of India. The Banglore visit had a significant meaning as PM Koirala was expecting to forward important talks on IT development in Nepal.

A late night meeting at the top official level was continuing to finalise the joint communique to be released tomorrow as last minutes differences 'on perception' continued on border issues and modalities to sort them out. In essence, the mantle of giving a final shape to the document has now moved to bureaucracy from political leadership of both sides which gave a thrust and basis of the document.

According to available information, India acknowledged Nepalese apprehension about the likely damage that construction of Laxmanpur barrage on the Indian side of Nepal's western Banke district and promised to undertake damage control exercise. Nepal has insisted that a joint commission headed at the secretary level and technical experts be constituted to measure the damage and suggest precautionary measures.

Both sides have also agreed to set up joint committees to explore potential of hydel power projects in Nepal which is in high demand in India which should be environmentally sustainable. And the most non-controversial rivers, preferably in the joint venture should be selected for the purpose and ideally they should be well within 'mutual financial capacity'. Both the prime ministers were keen that a detailed project report should be completed by 2001. They also hoped that the unresolved projects will be resolved soon which was apparently an indication that no tangible solution was found on the Mahakali and Pancheshwar projects around this time as well.

India, on its part, was most vocal in raising its concern about the alleged growth of anti-Indian activities from Nepal and identified ISI as being the main culprit. Nepal felt that Maoists had got a base in India to carry out 'terrorist activities ' in Nepal. Both sides agreed to intensity the anti-terrorist activities. Both prime ministers instructed the respective home secretaries to join in close cooperation to combat such activities and also involve the law enforcing authorities of both sides for the purpose. In fact, Indian side was assured that such a monitoring activity has already begun. Citizens of two countries found indulging in cross border terrorism will be treated as per the mutual agreement - details are being worked whereas the nationals of the third countries would be treated as per the international convention. Both sides will strengthen the information sharing and security cooperation and build communication network for the purpose. Physical facilities and infrastructure will be set up at three important border customs - Jogbani-Biratnagar, Raxaul-Birgunj and Sunauli-Bhairahawa initially.

India also agreed to take a positive stance regarding Nepal's demand to wave four percent customs duties imposed on its good in the Indian market. In exchange, Nepal agreed to relax the rule for export of Indian vehicles in the Nepalese market. India also agreed to get involved in the field of diary development with National Diary Development Board of India as a key partner. India has also agreed to help Nepal in the field of technology and development.

Bandh passes off peacefully

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 (PR)- The Valley Bandh called today by six sister organizations supporting Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist Leninist) has passed off peacefully except for few minor incidents.

The six organizations namely ANNFSU (All Nepal National Free Students Union),  All Nepal Farmers Association, Democratic National Youth Organization, All Nepal Women Association, ICONT and RAJSAS issuing a press release have claimed that their call of bandh had been a great success despite efforts from the government to foil it.

These organizations called for bandh to protest the recently passed Citizenship Act, and they also demanded dismantle of Laxmanpur Barrage construced by India, which threatens inundation in Nepalese villages.

The release issued by the parties said ANNFSU's former President Rup Narayan Shrestha, CPN-ML's Bhaktapur Committee's Secretary Narayan Bhakta Bati, CPN-ML's member of national council K B Dhoju and hundreds of others were arrested by the police today.

The demonstrators smashed a government vehicle of a secretary passing across Ratna Park where ML cadres were preparing a rally.  The smashing of the vehicle led to a brief tussel between police and the ML cadres.

In Kathmandu, the bandh supporters have reportedly damaged three taxis, one temo one motorbike and one government car.

According to our Patan correspondent, the city remained peaceful throughout the day.  Few shops in the inner areas of the city were open, and a few vehicles were also seen moving. 

Earlier today, the bandh callers performed a rally that went across the major city area and converted into a mass meeting at Jawalakhel.  Police Superintindent Shiva Kumar Khadka has said that the bandh was peaceful.

According to our Bhaktapur correspondent, the ML supporters obstructed operation of Kathmandu-Bhaktapur trolley bus service.  Police arrested 21 people pelting stones on the trolley buses.

In the rallies held in all the three cities of the capital city, the demonstrators chanted slogans agains Citizenship Act and they were against Indian dominance. In Bhaktapur, the demonstrators smashed to trolley buses.  Police has arrested two people in the same connection there.

Spokesman of Home Ministry has claimed that bandh was largely inaffective and valley saw only minor incidents of the bandh. Issuing a press release today, ML's General Secretary Bamdev Gautam has claimed bandh as a great success and has expressed his thanks to all who supported the bandh.

House resumes after agreement with UML

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 - The House of Representatives that had been disrupted on Wednesday resumed today hours behind schedule following agreement with the main opposition CPN-UML who had physically tussled with their colleagues of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) a day earlier.

The meeting that was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. began only at 7:30 p.m. after marathon talks between Speaker Taranath Ranabhat and lawmakers of both CPN-UML and NC.

Once the House convened, Speaker Ranabhat did what he had promised he would do to the CPN-UML members. He simply said Wednesday's incident was an issue of concern and everyone needs to ensure that such episode are not repeated in the future.

The move by the Speaker comes in much softer than the demands made by his party colleagues from NC. NC lawmakers were demanding that the Speaker take action against at least four lawmakers of the CPN-UML who had attacked Mohammad Aftab Alam while speaking from the rostrum. Alam, who had resigned on Monday from the post of Minister of State for Forest and Soil Conservation, had accused CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal of ordering that his house in Rautahat be set ablaze in March. Alam had tendered his resignation after a judicial commission indicated that he was involved in a case where a CPN-UML worker was abducted and later physically abused before he was rescued.

Speaker Ranabhat further said that a copy of the report was available to the members at the parliament library. CPN-UML members had also demanded that the report be made public. This had prompted the members in the ruling party to question on why the demands of the opposition was made and their "unruly behavior" was tolerated by the Speaker.

Senior ministers had reportedly objected to the Speaker agreeing to a simple statement of regret about the incident and that no action against the CPN-UML lawmakers who had charged at Alam. When the House did convene, NC lawmakers repeatedly tried to put their views but Speaker Ranabhat would not allow them time to speak. Instead, he rushed through the scheduled programs of the day and adjourned the House to be resumed on Friday.

In the meantime, the House of Representatives adopted two important Bills that had drawn much debate and controversies. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mahanta Thakur presented the Bill Brought to Amend Some Nepal Acts which was adopted by the House.

Since the Bill was also amending a provision in the Civil Service Act to make the necessary adjustment for the recently announced salary hike for civil servants, it had to be rushed through. The government put the Bill to vote without going through the parliamentary committee where most amendments are made and extensive discussions held.

Complying to the opposition demand, the government sent the Bill to the State Affairs committee and was returned back without any amendments. The other one to be adopted was the Bill Brought to Amend the Nepal Acts Related to Communication with amendments from the Development Committee.During discussion at the committee, the controversial clause that sought renewal of permit for publications every two years from the chief district had been removed.

Rain wrecks havoc nationwide

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 - Flashfloods and landslides triggered by incessant rains have wreaked havoc across the country. While landslides have blocked Prithvi and Araniko highways, thereby disconnecting the capital city with rest of the parts of the country, about 300 people have been entangled on an island formed in the middle of Narayani river in Nawalparasi district, reports reaching here said.

Dhajaha village of Narayani VDC-4 in Nawalparasi district turned into an island following flooding in Narayani river this afternoon, said a statement issued by the Home Ministry Spokesman. Nepal Police and Royal Nepal Army personnel have been deployed to carry out rescue operations. Members of 17 families have been rescued to safer areas so far, it added.

Two helicopters operated by Royal Nepal Army and Nepal Police had been flown to the site to pick up the trapped people this afternoon, but the mission failed due to bad weather, according to the statement.

Home Ministry also said that members of another hundred families were stranded in Narayanpur VDC of Kailali district following flooding of the Karnali river in the far-western region. The affected people are being rescued to safer areas on boats, the ministry statement said.

Meanwhile, vehicular movement along the Prithvi Highway, the only highway linking the capital city with the country's eastern and western regions, has come to a standstill following a landslide in Jogimara VDC's Krishna Bhir last night.

Two bull dozers and dozens of workers have been deployed to clear up the road all day on Wednesday, said Tek Bahadur Tamang, Inspector at Ilaka Police Office Gajuri. The clearance works will continue tomorrow also.

Explosives were also used to remove the huge rocks that barricaded the busy highway as hundreds of buses and trucks stood in queue at Narayanghat, Mugling and Dhading.

Another landslide in Daklang area of Phuplingkatti VDC in Sindhupalchok has brought vehicular movement on Araniko highway that links the capital with Sindhupalchok, Dolakha and Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, to a standstill. The landslide has affected a 200 meters segment of the highway.    

It was not immediately clear when the highways will be opened for vehicles.

In Janakpur, floods in Kamala and its tributaries have damaged several roads and a bridge in Ganguli. The damage has led to obstruction of vehicular movement in all the three roads linking this central Terai district with India. Floods in Kalinadi river has submerged most parts of the Janakpur-Jaleshwor railway, Nepal's only railway service.

Similarly, in Mahottari, flashfloods washed away four houses, affected hundreds of people and damaged property worth Rs 2 million, according to our reporter there. Chief District Officer Laxmi Prasad Bhattarai said Janjaha and Ratu rivers have badly affected the area.

"If a barrage is not constructed on Ratu river of this district immediately, about 110 bighas of forested land will be inundated," said an official at Soil Conservation Office Bardibas.

Civil aviation sector too has been hit by the bad weather. None of the flights to the country's inaccessible mid-western hills has been operated since yesterday.

In Bhadrapur, flashflood in Ratuwa river claimed one life and inundated hundreds of bigahas of cultivated land in and around Damak during the last twenty four hours.

Thousands waiting to be displaced

By Surendra Phuyal & Yagya Bikram Shahi

HOLIA, Banke, Aug 2 - The plight of thousands of people - both Indians and Nepalis - residing in this impoverished rural setting along Nepal-India border, north of the Laxmanpur Barrage, can only be realized by being here physically.

Situated South-East of Nepalgunj in the country's mid-western Terai, Holia village can easily be spotted from a distance because the village now boasts of a manmade clay mountain, albeit small, stretching East to West.

This very structure, which is at a stone's throw in the Indian territory, is the controversial afflux bund constructed by India recently. The bund is hardly 300 meters away from the No Man's Land or "Das Gaja", the line demarcating Nepal-India border.

And the Laxmanpur barrage is eight kilometres away if one is to measure the river's course, and a little more than four kilometres away from the nearest No Man's Land.

The massive bund is not only scary in size, it has been the reason of terror for the poor villagers because it is going to flood - and inundate - thousands of hectares of land, something the villagers had never dreamt of.

In case of heavy rains and flash floods in the area, the news of submersion - and subsequent loss of lives and property - will definitely reach you.

When Kathmandu and New Delhi are busy maximizing and minimizing the consequences of the barrage and its afflux bund, the local people have already foreseen their lives and property being swept away in one of these rainy days.

Some 500 people living in 75 houses of Dandasantalia area have already been displaced after the area saw flashflood during the second week of June. And thousands more - from both Nepal and India - are awaiting to be displaced.

Officials in Nepal and India say, some 22,000 people - 15,000 Nepalis from 5 VDCs' (Village Development Committees') 33 villages, and 7,000 people from India's nine Gram Panchayats - will be affected should Rapti and its smaller tributaries flood. 

Construction work of the 13.5 kilometre-long bund, which has a width of 25 meter at its base, was completed in May this year. The project is still going on, locals and authorities say. The total length of the bund, which will channel the area's all small rivulets and streams into Rapti river, will be 22.5 kilometre when completed.

"The main reason for submersion of our houses is not the Rapti flood," says 65-year-old Sultan Sheikh of Dandasantalia who together with his displaced neighbours now live in Uchuwa area at a slightly higher elevation. "It is Swataiya and Gandhaili nalas (streams) that have been blocked by the afflux bund, earlier water use to swell and calm down rapidly."

The resulting submersion, according to technical reports, will inundate such VDCs as Holia, Fhattepur, Betani, Gangapur, and Banaltia in Nepal, besides inundating if not washing away parts of India's Holia, Gangapur Gularia, Belari, Kodawa, Ganga Bhagedi, Lalbojha Darbes, Kalkalwa, Rampur and Bargadaha Gram Panchayats.

Dozens of Indian workers can be seen, from this side of the border, walking to and fro with their spades near the bund, where they are currently busy digging small canals aimed at draining out all the waters stored near the clay-made bund's foundation.

Despite such a critical situation locals are not in a position to give up the work to solve their hand to mouth problems. A few hapless farmers are even attempting to plough their submerged fields where they plan to sow paddy saplings.

According to Mahendra Kumar Singh, Pradhan (village-chief) of Holia Gram Panchayat, India, the Indian government is "compensating each of the affected villagers with pieces of lands enough to built houses, milled rice, cash, clothes, salt, matches and bread".

Locals here have toiled to construct some rescue roads, and Banke district's administrator has asked the government to provide two helicopters which will be kept standby at Nepalgunj's Ranjha Airport so as to carry out rescue operations on time.

Nepali parliamentarians have blamed India of violating international laws while constructing the structure without Nepal's concurrence. But India has denied having violated any international laws or causing any inundation problem in Nepal.

The close proximity of the barrage has not only irritated the locals, but it is rumoured that even Maoist insurgents who have been active in the mid-western Nepal have threatened to blow-up the barrage.

"Paramilitary personnel have been stationed by India so as to protect the barrage from Nepali Maoists," according to a Nepalgunj-based journalist who visited the barrage area last week.

"The move came after some Indian newspapers carried reports based on rumours that said `Nepali Maoists have threatened to demolish the Laxmanpur barrage'." 

Encephalitis claims three

BIRATNAGAR, Aug 2 (PR)- Three person have died while many others have been affected by encephalitis triggered by the monsoon in Koshi Zone.  

According to the Koshi Zonal Hospital, Biratnagar, out of 54 patients, mostly children, admitted at the hospital after the outbreak of monsoon, three children have died while 38 have been discharged after recovery. Thirteen are still undergoing treatments. Over 100 patients had come to the hospital for treatment of encephalitis from Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Siraha, Saptari and Udayapur districts of the zone, last monsoon. Most of the patients this year, however, are from Morang, a hospital source said.

Appeals against Indian citizens

BIRATNAGAR, Aug 2 (PR)- The Election Commission Office (ECO) has registered hundreds of appeals filed against the allegedly ineligible citizens from various electoral constituencies of Morang.

Locals have, till date, filed a total of 494 appeals against allegedly non-Nepali citizens who have already enlisted themselves in the voter's list and taken photos for the voter's identity cards from constituencies 5, 6 and 7 of the district, according to the ECO.

Appeals against the ineligible voters could be filed in line with the Act regarding Voter's List - 2052. The Act stipulates that appeal against any non-Nepali citizen could be formally filed at the concerned ECO within December 31 of the concerned year.

According to an official at the ECO Prem Prasad Sanjel, appeals have been filed against 703 persons from ward 16 followed by appeals against 166 persons from ward 17. Likewise, appeals against 40 persons each from wards 10 and 13 have also been filed. According to Pawan Regmi, Assistant Name Registration Officer at ward 16, out  of the total 4,748 persons enlisted in the voter's list from the ward, 3,262 have already taken their photos for the voter's ID.

He also said that the ECO has already directed the 703 alleged persons from the ward to furnish evidences to establish their Nepalese citizenship. "If they fail their names would be omitted from the voter's list," he added.

Sanjel said that all the appeals against 949 persons might not be true but if all or most of the appeals are genuine, then the entire voter's list must be re-evaluated.

According to the ECO, out of the total 244 thousand persons from all the three constituencies listed in the voter's list, photos of only 60 percent of them have been taken for the ID.

Likewise, some 4,773 appeals had been filed at ECO of the neighbouring Jhapa district early this week.

Bhrikuti Mandap to get face-lift

By Pramod Poudel

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 - The prime land of Bhrikuti Mandap located at the heart of the capital city will have a different look, as it is soon having Amusement Parks, Industrial Fair Complex and Commercial Centres.

Bhrikuti Mandap and its surrounding land of about 190 ropanis is owned by Social Welfare Council (SWC) under the Ministry for Women and Social Welfare.

"The construction of Amusement Parks, Industrial Fair Complex and the Commercial Centres will commence within six-months," says Dr Tika Pokharel, member secretary at SWC. 

According to Pokharel, the Amusement Park will have various modern equipments for the recreation of people of all ages.

The exhibition hall planned as a new amenity will be a most modern one with sophisticated halls and facilities.  It will be much more developed than the present exhibition hall that was built with Indian assistance.  The project also consists of the construction of Commercial Centres by the road side of the Bhrikuti-Mandap premises. The centre with underground parking will have complexes, the compartments of which will be rented out to various business people. A technical team has been formed for the detail work-out of the project. "We plan to provide the land on lease for the project for which we are going for international bidding," says Pokharel.

However, he is not sure whether a local entrepreneur would come forward to do the project, or international companies would be needed for the 550 million rupees project.

He said the bidding process would come within two-months.

Presently, in the premises of the Bhrikuti-Mandap area, consist of small kiosks of various foreign and local goods run by hundreds of families (small scale business people). Managing these people is one challenge SWC has to face before heading off with the project.

"We also plan to construct small business houses for the small scale business people by the side of the commercial centre," says Pokharel.

Environment group threatens to close down Himal Cement

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 2 - Environment Protection Committee Kirtipur today announced its second phase of anti-pollution drive, warning it would forcibly close down the Himal Cement Factory if authorities failed to bring the quality of air to World Health Organization (WHO)'s permissible level.

It has fixed a deadline of August 27, while the campaign will start from Friday August 4, said a press release issued by the committee.

"The government has not heeded our demand to clean up the air in and around the factory," said the release. "Now we have been forced to come up with the second phase of agitation. We will be forced to close down the factory by locking up the factory door if the laxity continues."

Himal Cement Factory is situated south-west of the capital city and is regarded as one of the major contributors to the bowl-shaped Valley's deteriorating air quality.

Several air quality reports have showed the level of air pollution in the Valley several times below WHO recommended level. Other contributors to the pollution include, vehicles and brick kilns.

Maoists loot money

POKHARA, Aug 2 (PR)- Maoist insurgents looted thousands of rupees belonging to Pokhara Branch of Rural Development Bank from the bank staff who were on their way back after collecting the sum from the debtors from a village in Kaski early today.

On learning that the bank staff-Bhola Prasad Tiwari and Mukunda Prasad Bastola- were carrying with them a good amount of money, a group of seven masked and armed insurgents -five male cadres in the Maoist uniform and a female cadre- ambushed them at a jungle in Puschaur Village development Committee-4 of the district.

The insurgents then absconded with Rs 40 thousands, all the amount the staff had collected from the debtors from the VDC. "The police was not duly informed.  It was informed only after two hours of the incident," told a police source to The Kathmandu Post, adding that the insurgents are still at large.