Polio on the way out, says official

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KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - Polio, which has been crippling and killing millions of children all over the world, is in final stage of retreat, said Stewart McNab the UNICEF Counrty Representative in Nepal while speaking at a function on Polio Immunisation held in the capital today.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala urged all the political parties to work on a war footing to eradicate Polio from the country. "Let us all work like we did during the election," he added.

PM Koirala stressed the role of education in eradication of epidemics in a developing country like Nepal. He expressed the present government’s commitment in complete eradication of polio from Nepal.

The intensive National Immunization Day (INID) with the theme - Kick Polio out of Nepal- is going to begin on December 9, targeted to provide polio vaccine to nearly 4 million children all over the country.

Nepal started national Polio eradication programme in 1996 and has so far immunized 95 per cent of total child population of Nepal. Polio vaccine is administered to children below the age of five. But, it is believed that there are still 3-5 per cent children yet to be vaccinated against polio.

Under INID, there will be 23,000 immunisation centres and more than 1,00,000 volunteers to effectively administer the vaccine throughout the country.

For total eradication of Polio, surveillance units are established to detect if anyone is left out.

According to a WHO report, 163 countries have so far been successful in wiping out polio virus and have gained the status of polio free nations.

Power outage is back, thanks to Khimti-I

By Surendra Phuyal

KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - The dreaded "load-shedding" is back. A leakage in the penstock pipe of the Khimti-I hydro power plant has forced authorities to announce power outages throughout the nation.

Prachar Man Singh, Head of Planning and Administration Division at Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power monopoly, told The Kathmandu Post Tuesday that the indefinite load-shedding will last for two hours in the evening - from 5:30 to 7:30 in Kathmandu Valley and 6:00 to 8:00 elsewhere.

"The new load-shedding schedule has been arranged in such a way that a given area will face power outages only once a week," he said. "The leakage caused problem in the entire system especially when the power demand is increasing (with the onset of winter) and production is decreasing."

The dreaded black outs come barely a week after the 60 megawatt (MW) Khimti-I was officially inaugurated. The Norwegian developed projected had been pumping all its power since July, when it became operational, into the national electricity grid managed by NEA.

Khimti’s contribution to the national grid had ended load-shedding for good, a fact that was trumpeted loudly by its promoters during the official inauguration a week ago.

Officials at the Himal Power Limited (HPL) a Norwegian undertaking which developed and operates the plant, meanwhile, said that it would take a maximum of 15 days period to patch up the leakage detected in the expansion joint of the vertical penstock pipe. The leakage is located about 2 kilometres north-east inside the tunnel of the power plant in Kirnetar, Dolakha.

Before the plant was shut down for maintenance works late yesterday, NEA’s various hydel power plants were contributing a total of 319 MWs of electricity to the national grid. Fifty of those megawatts were contributed by Khimti-I.

"If the leakage could be repaired by local resources and manpower it could be repaired within three days," Himal Power Limited (HPL) General Manager Harold O’ Skar told The Kathmandu Post. "But if we need to bring spare parts from Norway it could take a maximum of 15 days...We don’t want to take any chances."

He attributed "frequent changes in temperature" as the factor contributing to the leakage in the joint - which was fixed with "extra thick rubber seals." The penstock pipe was installed by Kvaerner, a Norwegian contractor.

According to him, before the fixing and patching works are carried out all the water from the 10-kilometre-long tunnel needs to be emptied through a canal into the Tamakoshi river. "Works began last night, and all the water will be emptied by late Tuesday," he said. "Then it will take another two days to carry out the maintenance works--provided we have all the necessary spare parts."

A team of technicians from Butwal-based Nepal Hydro Electric Company have already left for the site, and a technician from the Norwegian contractor company in arriving here Wednesday, according to HPL officials.

Khimti-I, which was constructed in seven years at a cost of US $ 140 million, is Nepal’s first private sector power project, and the annual production from the run-of-river project is estimated at 350 million kilowatt-hours (units) of electricity.

HPL GM Skar said his company could face a loss of between US $ 50,000 to 70,000 a day during the shut down period.

Is this society crippled?

By Tashi Dolma Thinley

KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - Have you ever imagined how difficult it would be to be a woman, a mother and on top of that disabled? Well the women at the Nepal Disabled Women Society (NDWS) know exactly how it feels.

"It means we have to face up to three tiers of discrimination," says Sushila Poudel, president of the NDWS and herself a disabled women.

Certainly, however, all is not lost for disabled women. Rita Shakya, is an M.A student at the Patan Multiple Campus and has a diploma in Sociology. She now runs a boutique in Pulchowk. She is one of many who have proved to be far smarter than her able-bodied counterparts. "I am very fortunate to have my family and friends supporting me emotionally and financially. They never make me feel inferior".

Promises never seem to turn into reality for NDWS. "A lot of government offices have promised to employ our physically- disadvantaged girls in their offices. Even Rastriya Apanga Sewa Samiti, a social organisation that works for the welfare of disabled and run under the patronage of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, hasn’t favoured disabled in jobs. The Samiti has employed 16 women but ironically, none of them are disabled, said Poudel.

NDWS is not only the organisation facing such apathy.

Asha Bal Kendra (ABK) is a day care centre for mentally-retarded children confronting similar problem. Tulsa Sharma, co-ordinator for ABK, faced a problem of resource crunch and social support when she first started out. "For a mentally-retarded or a disabled child, the mother fills the role of the other half - her only hope".

In more than 30 per cent of cases, with the birth of a handicapped child, the father leaves his entire family and his once most beautiful wife. "A few months back, some of our children accompanied by their mothers, went to collect certificates from the Social Welfare Council. After waiting for a whole day we were dumbstruck when they asked for the father’s citizenship papers", Sharma added.

Sharma also remembers how difficult it was to rent a room for the day school intended for mentally retarded children. Nobody was ready to rent out their premises for ‘Baula bacha’(mad children). Then to cover costs, she charged a fee of Rs 60 per child per month. But the next day, one set of parents didn’t send their child.

According to Sharma, they said, "If you really want our child, take him for free." Sharma, at that time was torn between her love for the child and her anger and frustration at the indifference of the parents and society.

Poudel says "It is our society that is crippled. We therefore believe in social integration. Together we can make things better."

NDWS offers free courses in computing, secretarial skills, tailoring, community based rehabilitation and sign language to the disabled. Women like Shakya and her skilled friends are all talented and ready to go. But where? Says Shakya, "I know I am capable of getting jobs but I don’t want to apply anymore. If one applies for a secretarial post, they would definitely prefer a good-looking, smart girl, which we are not".

Many disabled women are ready to face the challenge but there are a lot of barriers standing in their way. "The most frustrating problem is the social barrier, if you finally succeed in getting a job, then you start facing daily mobility problems also," says Poudel.

IFC calls all hotels to stop booking

KATHMANDU, Dec 5 (PR)- A meeting of Industrial Friendly Committee (IFC) has called on all tourism related organizations to stop all bookings beginning December 11, in response to the complete strike from that day as called by the hotel workers demanding an imposition of a 10 per cent service charge.

Issuing a press statement today, IFC, which represents all business organizations including the apex body Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC), has expressed its serious concern and requested to look for alternative arrangements for the tourists visiting Nepal.

IFC is an association of FNCCI, NCC, Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA), Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Board of Airlines Representatives Nepal (BARN), Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA), Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA), Nepal Incentive and Convention Association (NICA), Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), Nepal Bankers Association (NBA) and Handicraft Association of Nepal (HAN).

Meanwhile, Skal Club Kathmandu has demanded an immediate resolution of the 10 per cent service charge being raised by hotel workers.

It demanded the government to play a proactive role in protecting tourism as it contributes four per cent to the GDP providing emlployment to more than half a million people in the country. Skal Club, an international tourism industry club, has more than 25,000 members in over 500 clubs spread throughout 85 countries.

Koirala for now, will Deuba be the next ?

By Meena Kaini

KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - The recently concluded district and village level election of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has given clear indications that Prime Minister and the incumbent party president Girija Prasad Koirala is going to win the election for the second time as the president.

The Koirala camp of the party is confident that it will be him again. To put it in the words of Koirala’s close ally and the party’s general secretary Sushil Koirala, "he is going to win with overwhelming majority."

Koirala is challenged by the so-called second generation leader of the party, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. With a majority of Koirala-supporters coming to the general convention, where does Deuba stand?

The two contenders have made claims that they would be the winners in the up-coming party election. Deuba hasn’t, however, given up. "I am confident that I will win, despite all the irregularities" he said recently.

Political analysts say that Deuba has "nothing to lose" even if he faces defeat in the election. The almost certain loss to Koirala will not actually make any substantial difference to Deuba’s political career and aspirations, they add.

Everyone knows by now that the actual battle is not for the party presidency this January, but rather over the succession issue. At 77, Koirala is already way past retirement age. By the time the next party elections come around in 2006, he will be too old to contest the polls. Who will take over the party reins then?

Deuba has set his sights to that moment, sources in his camp say. He is not contesting this election with any other second generation leader and that could be enough to establish him more as a successor to the present leadership of the party.

"Deuba has established his credential as a kind of natural successor time and again," says Krishna Hachhethu, a political analyst at Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS). "Whatever comes out of the elections - win or lose – this would only further consolidate Deuba’s position within the party and among the people."

The Deuba camp of the party has been accusing the Koirala camp of irregularities while issuing and renewing the active membership in the run up to the just-concluded local NC elections.

There has been a lot of wrangling within the party during the past year that could directly influence the party’s election during its all-important general convention in January.

At the heart of the wrangles is the role of NC General-Secretary Sushil Koirala, who is related to the Prime Minister. The younger Koirala had dissolved NC’s 16 elected district committees last year. Despite the overall hue and cry over such action, the senior Koirala stood firmy behind his general secretary, further raising the ire of the dissenters.

As a result, many in the party accuse Prime Minister Koirala of nepotism and favouritism. The Deuba camp even goes as far as to accuse him of trying to pass on the party leadership to his family members, which is not outlandish considering that the Prime Minister decided to stand for re-election to the top party job after concluding that no one in his close circle, Shushil Koirala or his niece Shailaja Acharya included, could defeat Deuba on their own.

That analysis by Koirala insiders have had the unwanted effect of boosting Deuba’s political capital. While once, both Ms Acharya and Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel were considered his equal in party stature, and therefore a rival to the top job when the leadership changes hands, it is now only Deuba against Koirala.

That may yet change if the prime minister completes his grooming of Finance and Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya, now so apparent for everyone to see. But Acharya has his own weaknesses. Though bright, young and technocratic in approach, he has shown little inclination for the rough and tumble brand of politics that is needed to survive in today’s Nepali Congress.

Besides, given the various sub-camps within the larger Koirala camp, it is yet to be seen whether Acharya will be acceptable to all when the time for succession arrives, which in all probability could arrive before the next intra-party elections in five years time.

All this leads analysts to conclude: While Prime Minister Koirala may win the battle for the party presidency come January, it appears entirely plausible that Deuba will win the long-term war over succession.

Social upheaval continues in Ground Zero of Maoist war

By Harihar Singh Rathore

JAJARKOT, Dec 5 - In the harsh, mountainous terrain of this district where the "People’s War" has been raging on for several years, it is not difficult to see why more villagers are joining the rebel cause.

Clashes between rebels and the police over the years have turned dozens of local women into widows. While most of their deceased husbands were Maoist rebels, quite a few of them were innocent villagers caught up in the cross-fire.

With little income to feed their children, the widows of such men, and their young ones, are joining the guerrillas in larger numbers. The rural women of Jajarkot do not understand the ideology of the rebels, and neither do they care. But they are now taking up arms out of vengeance.

The rebels are adept at turning such sentiments to their advantage. Take the instance of Nilu Rawat, 51, whose husband was killed in an encounter with police some years ago. A mother of five children, Rawat found it difficult to rear her family. Over the last four years she sold almost everything she owned—her jewellery, bullocks, goats, and land.

When her eldest daughter left her last year and entered the jungle to "exact revenge for her father’s killing" the incident proved to be the last straw that broke the old widow’s back. Leaving her four young siblings in the care of local militia this April, she also joined the insurgency.

Nilu is not the only widow to join the so called "people’s war". Maoists have lured numerous such women kindling deep-seated sentiments of revenge. Some have joined the guerrillas after they found no alternative to drag their meagre existence. Children who come of age also join the Maoists or are forced to take up guns by the insurgents.

Tilki Basnet, 51, has a similar story to tell. Her husband Kali Bahadur Basnet, 48, a local teacher was killed by the police in the same encounter that led to the death of Nilu’s husband. A mother of four, she left her children in the care of her relatives and went to the jungle to help the insurgents.

This trend is continuing in this hardscrabble district. According to local estimates, families of 133 people killed in encounters with police find themselves between the devil and deep blue sea. Many of them have joined the rebels, either to avenge the death of their loved ones, or just to make a meagre living.

The casualty in this social upheaval have been young children. Though the exact number of orphaned children has not been counted, they live in miserable conditions at the mercy of the local militia. It is not hard for the rebels to entice them to join their movement once they come of age, as has been occurring now.

While that is the condition on one hand, there is a different story on the other side. The government provides some funds under the Ganeshman Peace Campaign for the education of the children of 43 people killed by the Maoists in this district. But the families of persons killed in encounters with police, even those who were innocent, do not get such facilities, fuelling more local resentment.

Colleges in Valley remain closed

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KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - Almost four hundred 10+2 colleges and higher secondary schools in the valley remained closed at the request of All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), a student wing of underground CPN (Maoists), today.

The student body had requested that all the institutions remain closed, in support of the denouncement of the detention of ANNFSU (R) students from the capital’s Ratna Rajya Campus by police and in protest against police intervention in Saraswati Multiple Campus.

The police had detained ten union members, while they were attending a meeting, on November 20, and the police intervened and lathicharged the students at Saraswati Campus, on November 11. The police have released six of the detainees, while the others still remain in custody. The police, in the Saraswoti incident, were not able to arrest any of the students since all of them managed to escape.

The principal of a reputed institution, requesting anonymity, said that a group of the students met him today and asked him to close down the institution. However, the students did not ask to close the private schools, which run intermediate courses, but not the 10+2 courses.

The union with a 15-point demand list, has also called for a week-long nationwide closure of all public and private colleges starting December 8. The principal, quoting the students, said, "If any student is found attending college during this period, they will, of course, be abducted."

CIAA chief renounces pension while in post

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KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - The Chief Commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Suryanath Upadhyaya, has informed the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in writing that he would not receive his pension as long as he remains in the post.

Pensioners appointed to public posts after their retirement usually enjoy both "pension and pay".

According to a CIAA source, a person who is appointed to any post of public responsibility with the provision of financial facility should not claim his or her pension as long as he or she remains in the post. The pensioner who enjoys both the pension and pay to be borne by the national coffer is, in principle, unethical and unlawful, newly-appointed Upadhyaya mentioned in his letter addressed to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister.

Upadhyaya is the first to publicly announce that he will not claim both pay packets. As of now, officials appointed to Constitutional Bodies--CIAA, the Election Commission and the Public Service Commission--have enjoyed both pension and pay. Likewise, those appointed as ambassadors, General Secretary of the Parliamentary Secretariat, political appointees in the public corporations, consultants, Governor of the Rastra Bank and other periodical commissions, after their retirement from their old services, benefit from the dual perks.

According to the Koshi Toshakhana office (pension administration), there is no record of a case in which former administrators have foregone their double payment once appointed to a public post after retirement. People appointed to the public jobs have been enjoying double benefits from the tax-payers’ money over the last seven years. According to the recent review in the pay scale, an retiree who is re-appointed in any Constitutional body receives simultaneously more than Rs 15,000 salary per month and over Rs 8,000 in pension money.

"Yes, I found it unethical to extract the double benefits from the single national coffer. I have decided not to claim my pension as long as I remain in this position," CIAA chief Upadhyaya, who retired as secretary from the Ministry of Population and Environment, said "Morally I found it unethical to claim double payment from the state".

The Act concerned with the service, facility and condition of those appointed to the Constitutional bodies- 2034 B.S. - had barred them from enjoying the double benefits. However, the provision was removed in 2050 B.S. (1993) when the Act was amended. Earlier, there was a clear provision which stated that a pensioner who is appointed to any public post would be deprived of pension facility as long as he or she remained in the post.

"It cannot be said that the pension and salary currently in practice is illegal," CIAA Chief Upadhyaya added,"However, it cannot be justified that every thing is right unless the law directly prohibits to do so".

Pension administration official, Devraj Pathak, said that he received no request letters from anyone for the pending of his or her pension while holding the public post.

"There is no record so far of anyone renouncing their pension after being appointed to a public post," Pathak told The Kathmandu Post. He said that the state had to bear additional burden for the pension and pay. He added that the law was silent on this issue.

The Pension Administration had, earlier, asked the Ministry of Law to clarify whether the double benefits enjoyed by the pensioners at a time was lawful or not. Pathak was of the view that the government should amend the existing law thereby barring a pensioner from enjoying the double benefits at the expense of the tax-payer.

According to the Pension Administration, pension facility is awarded in accordance with the latest post held.

The Public Expenditure Review Commission which has already submitted its interim report to the Ministry of Finance made no suggestions in this connection, General Administration Secretary at the CIAA, Mukunda Prasad Aryal, said.

PL Singh demands meeting to probe ‘malpractices’

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KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - Nepali Congress MP P L Singh called on Prime Minister and party president Girija Prasad Koirala on Monday to immediately convene the party’s central committee meeting to form a committee to probe "election malpractices" in the district conventions held recently.

In an open letter to the PM, Singh, himself a central committee member, said his letter should be considered his resignation if president Koirala didnot convene the meeting immediately.

He accused the party’s election committee of ignoring the resolution of the October 22 central committee meeting. In that meeting, the committee had decided to renew the active membership of the partymen who were members in 1996, said Singh. He alleged that in Kathmandu alone, 1518 old members’ membership was not renewed, while 1138 others have been added as active members.

Singh also said that massive irregularities had taken place on the election day itself.

He also accused party general secretary Sushil Koirala of functioning arbitrarily. "If the central committee does not remove the anomalies through discussion, it will prove that the party president and the general secretary are trying to establish dynastic rule in the party."

Human Rights activists demand Kashyap’s release

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KATHMANDU, Dec 5 - Five prominent human rights activists, in a press release issued here today, have demanded immediate and unconditional release of Shyam Nath Kashyap, who was abducted by suspected Maoists rebels.

Kashyap is a resident of Arghakhanchi district who was allegedly abducted from his residence recently. The activists have also urged both the government and Maoists not to use the captives as a bargaining ploy. "We also want to remind both the Maoists and the government that it is their utmost responsibility to respect the Geneva Convention on Human Rights."

The release has also urged the government to make public the whereabouts of all individuals, who have been allegedly taken into custody illegally. Former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, Human Rights Commission member Kapil Shrestha, former lawmaker Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Krishna Pahadi, Khim Lal Devkota, Kul Raj Ghimire and Madhav Lohani have signed the press release.