Eighteenth House session concludes
PM defends govt as others flay the session as unproductive

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - The eighteenth session of the Parliament, which had been going on since three months ended today hastily with the opposition calling the session unfruitful and the Prime Minister defending it as being "productive" while naming some of the approved Bills and the decision to liberate Kamaiyas.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala giving his concluding speech today said that the budget session had been productive as it had started one month ahead than the earlier years also because the Kamaiyas (Bonded Labours) were liberated and freed from debts and the much-awaited Human Rights Commission was formed during the session.

"The government made the landmark decision to liberate Kamaiyas from the bonds and it is at the moment engaged in settling the recently freed Kamaiyas," said Koirala.

Koirala called the approval of the controversial Bill brought to make sixth amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Act-1963 as "another major achievement" of the session. The Bill first one to be adopted by the current session of the Parliament was sent back by the Upper House without suggestions and had to be again passed by the Lower House.

Though the Prime Minister insisted that the Bill would make the law to issue citizenship more stringent, legal experts claim that the law is more prone to extensive manipulations that is more likely to open floodgates for the foreign citizens to be legal citizens of Nepal.

Leader of the main opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal called the session ineffective and said that the Prime Minister’s assertion about the achievements of the session were unjustified. "There is no way we can be satisfied with the achievements that the prime minister has proclaimed," said Nepal. "The government just announced that the Kamaiyas were liberated without making the preparations for their rehabilitation and how their lives could be shaped."

Nepal said that the Parliament and the people had suffered from the intra-party conflict within the ruling Nepali Congress. "Nepali Congress, which repeatedly asked for votes telling the people that it would give stability has become the party that gives way to all the instabilities," said Nepal. "We have seen two governments within not even a year, and soon might see a third government."

He held NC responsible for the delays caused in passing of Bills like the Kamaiya Emancipation Bill and the Bill that grants Equal Rights to Parental Property to Women.

Nepal castigated the government for failing to take action against the person behind the death of musician Praveen Gurung. He, however, refrained from taking Prince Paras Shah’s name as the person was driving the speeding Pajero with the number plate Ba.3.Cha 692, that hit Gurung’s motorcycle near the eastern gate of the Royal Palace.

Gurung was hit by a Pajero that Prince Paras Shah was driving last Sunday who later died in the hospital. According to our sources, an army junior officer Khadag Bahadur Bhujel, 30, has been framed as the driver of the vehicle that hit musician Gurung.

Leelamani Pokharel of United People’s Front also flayed the government and the ruling NC for its intra-party strife, "which has caused the delay of six months to pass even the most important Bills."

Chitra Bahadur KC of National People’s Front chided the government for being unable to intitiate dialogue with the Maoist insurgents.

Surya Bahadur Thapa, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party chairman and MP said that the NC has not been able to live upto the purpose the people had entrusted them with.

A letter received from the Royal Palace to formally end the session was read out by Speaker Taranath Ranabhat at the House of Representatives today. Ranabhat said that the House of Representatives met 74 times during the 64 days the house convened.

3 days for Prithvi highway to re-open

DHADING, Aug 18 (PR)- Workers toiling to clear up the Krishnabhir landslide along the Prithvi Highway have finally gained success in removing the debris, but it might take another three days to re-open the highway for vehicles, Department of Roads officials at the site said.

According to them, a huge chunk of landslide which caved in on the highway has been removed by Friday evening, paving way for at least stranded passengers to directly walk across the landslide-affected area.

The key highway linking the capital city with most parts of the country has remained blocked since last Friday after a huge landslide swept away some 200-meter stretch of the highway into the Trishuli river which flows parallel with the road.

Till yesterday, passengers coming and going out of the capital were trudging up the treacherous slope of the Krishnabhir, 85 kilometres west of Kathmandu, to cross the blockade. Buses queued up on both sides of the landslide are ferrying passengers, according to reports.

More than 150 workers and three chain bulldozers have been mobilized. They are said to be working even during the night. DOR engineers at the site said a brand new road needs to be constructed through the debris.

This is the second major landslide to block the highway this monsoon season. A similar landslide at the same point disrupted vehicular movement for four days early this month.

Meanwhile RSS adds from Hetauda, taking into consideration the increasing pressure of vehicular traffic along the Tribhuvan highway a one-way traffic on a rotation basis has been initiated in the highway from this evening.

Passengers had complained of congested traffic movement in the turning of the old and narrow road of the highway.

One-way traffic will be initiated on the basis of a time table for all kind of vehicles plying on the highway, according to Superintendent of Police Narendra Kumar Khaling.

'30 pc Maoist cadres are children'

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - Almost 30 percent of the guerrillas involved in the underground Maoists’ "People’s War" are children, District Development Committee (DDC) President of Rukum said here today, expressing deep concern on what he described as the gross violation of human rights.

Rukum is one of the Maoist hit districts in the mid-western hills.

"They (Maoists) have been using children both as commandos and human shield to fight with police," Rukum DDC President, Khem Man Khadka said. He was giving accounts of what he described as "pathetic condition" of the impoverished mid-western hill district due to the nearly-five-year-old Maoist insurgency in a seminar - Human Rights: Burning Problems and Ways to Resolve.

The program was organised by Human Rights and Environment Forum (HUREF), with support from the government of Federal Republic of Germany.

Khadka also claimed that out of the 200 people killed by police in the district "not more than 50" are Maoist cadres. "People are being falsely charged by police just because of their moral support towards Maoists," he said.

Police are interfering in people’s personal lives and are abusing locals in protecting themselves from Maoists while Maoists are abusing children as human shield, Khadka added.

The DDC head’s claim came a week after Amnesty International (AI) condemned the underground communist party for abductions, killings and the recruitment of child fighters.

Issuing a letter to Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) General Secretary Prachanda, or Puspa Kamal Dahal, last week the international human rights organization asked Maoists to respect the international law and human rights.

DDC President of Dailekh, another Maoist hit district, Tek Bahadur Khand, blamed police of involving in torturing and terrorising innocent people. "Whereas the Maoists are also active in creative works and are helping needy people," he added.

Chief District Officer (CDO) of Jajarkot, another Maoist hotbed, Rishi Kesh Niraula, expressed concern on the districts situation, saying that development activities in the region have come to a standstill.

He also said that "none of the complaints including that of public crimes are registered at the District Administration Office (DEO) or in court".

Human rights activist and former minister, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, urged the government to create the "minimum environment" as demanded by the underground leadership.

"Table-talks are the best way to resolve the problem," he said and added that activating National Security Council (NSC) as demanded recently by Chief of Army Staff is not the answer to the grave national problem.

He also blamed the government of involving in state-sponsored terrorism. "Government media only highlight the killings by Maoists but do not show the murder of innocent people and Maoists by police," he said.

"Why not to punish Home Minister, Inspector General of Police and Home Secretary for killing of humans?" questioned Vishwa Kant Mainali, an advocate at Supreme Court. "Both parties are involved in the killings."

Over 1300 people including Maoist insurgents, policemen and general public have fallen prey to the "War" which started from the mid-western hills in February 1996.

Highlighting the Olympic spirit through postage stamps

By Suman Malla

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - With the Olympic Games less than a month away, the effects of the epic event have been felt far beyond the confines of the host nation. The spectacle is watched by thousands in packed stadiums and by billions around the world on television.

The spirit of the Olympics has found its most apt expression through postage stamps, and almost all countries release commemorative stamps depicting many interesting facets of the Games.

Though very few people pay attention to the intricate details depicted on the face of such a utilitarian product, it is an eagerly anticipated event for millions of stamp collectors around the world. To them stamps serve much more than simply paying for their mail, who examine every mark on the stamp exploring the lore of the subject and delight in the romance of its creation.

The stamps nowadays carry many major sporting events. But it was first the Olympic that ensured sports into stamps. The stamp issuing doesn’t only serve the commemorative purpose, if marketed properly, it can provide economic benefits to the issuing country.

In 1895, the decision to issue Olympic stamps made it possible for the Organising Committee to balance their budget and construct the last four venues for 1896 Athens Olympics. Thus, in some way, Olympic stamps were the first "sponsors" of the Olympic Games.

Since then, Olympic stamps have contributed to the budget of Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees and Olympic events. The Athens 1896 Olympics set spawned more than 75,000 stamps alone, of which 10,000 were Olympic stamps.

"As in other major global events, Nepal will be releasing a commemorative stamp on Olympics," announces Mukunda Sharma Poudel, Director-General of the Postal Services Department (PSD). The Postal Services Department has a plan to issue a stamp of Rs 25 denomination to mark the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney.

Nepal released its first Olympic stamp of 10 paisa denomination in 1964, commemorating its maiden participation at Tokyo Games. Four more Olympic stamps were released since, in 1976, 1984, 1992 and 1996. But none of these stamps really attracted huge response from the collectors.

There is an apprehension that philately, the business of collecting and dealing in stamps, has been constrained by the inefficiency of the concerned authorities, losing out several lucrative opportunities, and sometimes delaying it to an extent when it hardly yields anything.

"Many countries release stamps honouring these epic events several months beforehand and realise a significant chunk of earnings through their export," said the President of Nepal Philatelic Society (NPS), Deepak Manandhar. "But Nepal is languishing behind in this race owing to indifferent approach while releasing stamps."

Poudel accepts the shortcomings on the part of PSD but is disinclined to take the entire blame.

"Being a government organisation, there are so many channels to go through before stamps are eventually printed," he lamented. "The stamps have to be printed abroad as we don’t have our own security printing press."

"Taking into account the rapidly changing postal environment, how much commercial freedom should government give to postal administration to develop and market products and services?," he asked, while calling for efforts to raise public awareness about philately.

According to the International Federation of Philately (FIP), thousands of Olympic-sport collectors are organised worldwide in 31 chapters of the Federation of International Philately in Olympics (FIPO) and 50 sport groups in FIP.

Olympic philately as a hobby has a particular bond with the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. In fact, the Olympic history suggests that the philatelic trading had been a formidable avenue.

"The story behind every stamp, every cancellation, every Olympic post card or Olympic stationery is part of Olympic history," says a philatelist. "No other group of Olympic memorabilia tells almost every aspect of Olympic history so prolifically be it ancient or modern."

The Nepal Philatelic Society (NPS), which has remained ineffective for years, too looks committed to give it a shot, at least that is how Manandhar sounds.

"We are very much aware of the responsibility," he says. "NPS is staging a SAARC level Stamp Exhibition in Kathmandu in February 2001, which we think would promote the philately to a great extent."

Displaced former Kamaiyas to get land

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - A meeting of Central Monitoring and Coordination Committee formed to look into the problems of Kamaiyas has decided to direct concerned District Development Committees (DDCs) to, among others, provide a kattha of land to every family of the displaced bonded labours.

The government on July 2 decided to outlaw the practice of bonded labour which was prevalent in five districts--Banke, Bardia, Dang, Kailali and Kanchanpur--of the mid- and far-western regions, warning that those keeping bonded labours would be punished.

According to a press release received here today, the meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel decided to take immediate steps towards rehabilitating the freed bonded labours with the help of various non-governmental organizations.

"Besides reviewing the progress made towards identifying the Kamaiyas, the meeting decided to direct concerned DDCs to provide a kattha of government-land to every landless Kamaiya family, and to provide tents to the families with the help of NGOs," the press release states.

According to the press release, the meeting also decided to direct the DDCs to make the landless Kamaiyas work towards creating land along various river banks by taming the rivers with nets and boulders under the Food for Work program.

The meeting also decided to appoint National Planning Commission (NPC) Member Hari Shankar Tripathi as the convenor to coordinate with various NGOs and INGOs willing to work towards rehabilitating the homeless former bonded labours.

Though the non-governmental organizations estimate put the Kamaiya population at 200,000, government data show there are less than 100,000 Kamaiyas who, for generations, have been working for their landlords trying to pay off debts drawn by the fathers or grandfathers.

According to Kamaiya Movement Mobilization Committee, which played a lead role in liberating the bonded labours, more and more former Kamaiyas are fleeing the homes of their landlords in the aftermath of the historic ban, ending in temporary sheds and tents set up by various (NGOs) in unsafe forest areas and along the river banks.

At a press conference held here last week, activists of the Committee put the number of homeless Kamaiyas in and around Kailali and Kanchanpur districts at 2,525-plus.

They had called on the government to take immediate steps to help all those suffering by dispensing adequate medicines and doctors before the outbreak of encephalitis and other epidemics. The region is said to be prone to epidemics like encephalitis.

Sthapit for full autonomy

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Keshav Sthapit today said that the capital city will not be developed unless full autonomy provisoned in the Local Governance Act 2055 (1999) is granted to KMC.

Speaking at the launching of Integrated Action Plan of KMC under Kathmandu Valley Mapping Program (KVMP) here today, he also said that "despite its status of a metropolis, KMC has no control over such vital urban components like roads, drainage, electricity, parks and ponds".

"The government earns Rs 1.5 billion as vehicle tax every year but Kathmandu gets only Rs 10 million to maintain its roads," he said. IAP is a Rs 2 million venture under KVMP which is expected to be completed in six months.

On the occasion, Chairman of Rajparishad Standing Committee, Dr Keshar Jung Rayamajhi urged KMC to come up with programs to reduce the metropolis’ "population pressure". "Kathmandu has become overloaded with population and uncontrolled traffic," he said. "KMC should manage the unnecessary vehicles and industries by throwing them out of the valley and restore the serenity."

Director General of Urban Development and Housing Department, Shashi Bahadur Thapa, stressed the need of action and not merely costly reports.

Deputy Mayor Bidur Mainali sought support from government bodies so as to make the Integrated Action Plan a grand success. Co-director of KVMP Padma Sundar Baidya said the IAP is introduced to include locals in development plans. Shedding light on the action plan, Kishor Thapa, a city planner, said the plan would prepare an outline for urban development which includes building codes, land development among others. "It is going to be a model for the whole of South Asia," he claimed.

Capital's traffic woes: Many vehicles

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 18 - The burgeoning traffic problem of the capital city has been attributed to uncontrolled vehicle registration and lack of policy implementation.

Traffic management experts gathered here today discussed the traffic problems at an interaction programme on ‘Carrying Capacity of Kathmandu Valley’s Roads and Traffic Management’ organised by Ministry of Labour and Transport Management.

In the last decade the vehicles increased by 350 per cent and motorcycles alone increased by 400-450 per cent in the country, most of which happened only in the capital.

"More than 50 percent of the vehicles are concentrated in the Valley," said Sushil Agarwal, Technical Director at the Department of Transport Management. "Out of 263,516 vehicles, private ownership is nearly 75 percent," he added.

The experts also called for immediate halt to the policy of granting licence to six-year old buses retired from long-distance services to ply in the Valley for shorter routes. In the night service routes, a bus has to be dropped after six years of operation, beginning from the day of manufacturing.

"We have more than the required vehicles and less than required roads, which is creating severe traffic and pollution problems," said Damaru Ballav Bhattarai, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Transport Management.

Bhattarai also said, "Individuals are guided by own selfish needs, instead of worrying for national interest," referring to the overcrowding of both private and public means of transportation. He also raised serious concern about the maximum number of vehicles plying on the road around Tundikhel.

Kumar Koirala, Senior Superintendent of Police at Valley Traffic Police Office pointed out serious lack of coordination between policy and practice. "How much we have been able to monitor the norms set after the ban of Vikram tempos?" asked Koirala.

Dr Partha Mani Parajuli from Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University said it was the right time to discard the policy of ‘one man one vehicle’ and promote mass public transport.

Parajuli suggested that on the main roads only buses should be allowed and tempos and other smaller vehicles should be limited to feeder and arterial roads.

"All the government offices begin at the same time which needs to be changed," said Sharda Bhakta Ranjit, SP at VPTO. Ranjit said that there were no separate lanes for different vehicles and this leads to worsening of traffic flow.

"We are introducing a monthly traffic day from this month," added Ranjit, "as a means to make all the concerned people to aware of traffic rules."