Anti-graft task forces submit reports to PM

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Three separate taskforces set up to recommend ways to stamp out corruption from public life submitted their reports to Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai on Friday, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

The taskforces include the Legal Consolidation and Reform Taskforce coordinated by secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Bidhyut Raj Chalise and the Proposed Taskforce to Determine the Organisational Structure of Investigative Bodies for Elimination of Corruption coordinated by secretary of the General Administration Ministry Ramanand Mishra.

The remaining is the Taskforce for Organisational Reform and Raising Effectiveness of National Intelligence Department coordinated by secretary of the PMO Rameshwar Shah.

All the three taskforces were constituted in July by Prime Minister Bhattarai with express orders to recommend ways to stamp out corruption from public life.

They were also ordered to look into the legal and organisational feasibility of combining both the Special Police Department (SPD) and Revenue Investigation Department (RID), two premier anti-corruption agencies, and putting the newly formed body under the direct supervision of the PMO.

The SPD is currently under the Home Ministry and the RID under the Finance Ministry.

The Chalise Taskforce recommended in its report that property of all ministers and senior government officials should be checked thoroughly to determine any corruption and for this a separate department should be set up.

“The property of everyone from the prime minister down to the peon should be checked regularly, and checked more minutely once they are out of position. This is the recommendation we gave” Chalise told The Kathmandu Post.

The taskforce also recommended setting up special courts to deal with corruption cases, he said. The same has been demanded by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for the last four years, without any success.

Chalise said that corruption probes had been hampered in the past by the involvement of various agencies with overlapping powers and responsibilities, therefore, such powers and authority should be defined clearly by law to minimize duplication and confusion.

According to Chalise, corruption cases against officials of the level of joint-secretary or under should be investigated by the new agency under the PMO. The CIAA should take charge of all cases against officials over the joint-secretary level up to the prime minister, he added.

The Chalise taskforce also recommended setting up “vigilante groups” to counter corruption. It also said that anti-corruption personnel should not be transferred frequently.

Two staffers held in  Indosuez Bank forgery scandal

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Police took two employees of Indosuez Bank into custody today to investigate whether or not they assisted con men who absconded with Rs 20.5 million producing forged cheques and documents to the Bank over the past one month.

Sources said the police have taken Rajendra Lal Bajracharya and Shuva Ratna Shakya for interrogation Friday.

Police suspect that the two could have assisted the embezzlement case as there is a marked difference between the real signature of Norbu Tshering, proprietor of Yak Carpet Industries Lalitpur, and the forged signatures on the cheques.

The money was embezzled out of Yak Carpet Industry’s account at the Indosuez Bank by alleged racketeers who forged proprietor Tshering’s signature. You can make out that the signatures were put down with a “shaking hand,” police said claiming the cheques were forged.

According to Bank sources, Shakya was authorized to release cash amounts of up to Rs 200 thousand on his own, while amounts more than that could be paid out only with the approval of the two suspected bank employees.

The alleged fraudsters withdrew the amount using six cheques from a checque book which they got on December 14 using a forged letter-pad, police sources said.

The alleged swindlers have been identified as Manoj Gurung of Lalitpur, and two account holders Prem Bahadur Shahi and Gopal Bahadur Gurung, both of Lalitpur, police said.

All the necessary documents such as citizenship certificates, post office box numbers and identity cards used in acquiring the money have been found to be forged, police sources added.

Mark Dumaj, Executive Director of the Bank, who on Wednesday filed a report at the Kathmandu District Police Office to conduct necessary investigations, refused to comment on the suspected involvement of his staff.

“No comment at this stage,” Dumaj told The Kathmandu Post. “We shall see later on.”  

Three Maoists killed

-By a Post Reporter 

NEPALGUNJ, Jan 14 - Three Maoist rebels were killed in separate encounters Friday with police in Rolpa and Rukum districts, and  additional three policemen and two villagers were injured in yet another Maoist bomb attack, police said.

Information provided by the Mid-Western Regional Police office said that two Maoist rebels were killed in police encounter Friday afternoon in Dharamsala. The area is in between Rolpa district’s Thwang and Rukum district’s Mahat village, police said.

The two dead rebels have not been identified. Police recovered some arms and ammunition at the site after the hour-long fire-fight ended.

Similarly in another incident, one Maoist rebel was killed in an attack on a police patrol at Maipang, a remote area in Rukum district. The dead rebel is a woman, police said.

In yet another incident Friday, three policemen and two bystanders were injured in a bomb attack by Maoists near Liwang village in Rolpa district.

Police sergeants Keshav Dutta Pandey and Hari Kumar Shrestha were seriously injured in the bomb attack whereas constable Keshav Khatri sustained minor injuries, police said. Khim Bahadur B.K., an 11-year-old, was also seriously injured while 22-year-old Thir Bahadur Dangi escaped with minor wounds, according to reports.

The injured are to be flown to Kathmandu for treatment on Saturday, police said.

Costly ride, this

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - A woman, who asked for a lift home last night from King’s Way, very nearly never reached home.

Area Police Office in Kirtipur have nabbed three people for allegedly trying to molest the girl near Chobhar.

Rajkumar Shrestha, Arjun Sapkota and Krishna Khatri tried to molest the girl who hitched a ride with them on the vehicle numbered Ba 1 Kha 5954 Thursday evening. This vehicle was hired by Soltee Casino, police said.

The woman, working for a private firm, wanted to go to  Samakhushi, but was tricked by the three men and taken to Chobhar.

The woman, after managing a brave escape, got a lift in another vehicle which was on its way to Kathmandu, and lodged a complaint at the area police station.

According to the police, necessary investigations are being carried out. The accused have been transferred to District Police Office in Hanumandhoka for further interrogation. The vehicle is still kept in the police custody in Kirtipur.

LBCC announces agitation

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - A committee representing the country’s local bodies today demanded that the government religiously enforce Local Self-Governance Act and immediately give up violating the law.

At a press conference organized here Friday, the Local Bodies Concerns Committee (LBCC) officials also announced a series of agitation programmes aimed at putting pressure on the government for the enforcement of the decentralization Act.

Though the government brought the Act aimed at decentralizing the country’s heavily centralized governance process - into “enforcement” since May, the law’s provisions have not been followed, local bodies complain.

“The government has literally failed to enforce the Act,” said LBCC Chairman, Madhav Prasad Poudel. “It has gone to the extent of violating laws.”

The bodies also said that it was inappropriate on the part of the government to introduce such people-oriented programmes as Ganeshman Peace Programme and Garib Sanga Bishweshowor through separate committee’s, presence of scores of empowered local bodies notwithstanding.

Poudel said 51 different laws overlap with the Act and demanded that the parliament’s upcoming winter session work towards introducing a Bill to amend Some Nepal Acts.

Among others, the 25-point demands include, recognition of the local bodies as constitutional bodies, immediate formation of a monitoring committee under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, channelization and increment of the annual budget(under Rural Self-Reliance Programme) for Village Development Committees, cancellation of all the town development committees, and initiation of other reforms.

The Committee’s agitation programmes include interaction with different political parties on the demands on January 16, sloganeering and sit-in programme at Ministry of Local Development premises on January 17, gheraoing the Ministry on January 24, 25 and 26.

The local bodies have planned district-level meeting of locally elected representatives on February 1, pamphleteering programmes on February 3, 4 and 5, local body offices’ closure and an hour long chakka jam on February 14, demonstration on February 28, and relay sit-in at Bhadrakali from 1 to 7 March, and fast-unto-death from March 8.

Attribute growth to host of factors

-By Ameet Dhakal 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Experts point out a host of factors behind the expected recovery of the Nepalese economy and say it would be extremely misleading to attribute growth to any single factor alone.

They ascribe to cyclical factor, favourable monsoon, confidence soared up by political stability and stable economic climate abroad especially in India, as the major factors behind the projected six percent plus growth rate of the economy.

While some who claim cyclical factor as the most important reason behind the upturn of the economy, argue that five years was a period long enough’ for the cycle, inherent of the capitalistic system, to turn up. A close look into past 25 years of growth pattern also supports this argument. Economy slipped into low equilibrium a number of times during this period but the slow-down never lasted for more than five to six years.

However, it could be equally misleading to rely too much on cyclical explanation. “ It would be wrong to lay excessive importance on cyclical factor. And one shouldn’t downplay the role of political stability, which provided a predictable business environment and soared the confidence of investors,” says Ram Binod Bhattarai, Secretary at the Ministry of Finance.

“Similarly, the role of increased development expenditure in supporting economic activities should not be underestimated.”    

Perhaps the government contributed more importantly by restraining its temptation to intervene during these years of slow-down, which could have worsened it. In the early eighties under similar conditions, government invested heavily borrowing from the banking sector and upset macro-economics imbalance leading to economic stagnation in the long run. Similarly, government did not reverse the reform process during this critical period despite urge from the various cores. “ Though we couldn’t initiate second phase of reform we did not reverse the process which maintained the confidence of the market,” says Bhattarai.

Definitely, one of the important factors behind the present rebound is the supportive role played by financial sector, which remained insulated from real sector contagion. The monetary policy of the central bank also remained fairly conducive during this period, which helped cut the costs of funds to the languishing real sector. “ Central bank’s initiatives pulled down the lending rates of the banking sector to 12-13 percent for prudent projects from as high as 17-18 percent,” says Sateyendra Pyara Shrestha, Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank.          

Had the problem in real sector spilled over to the financial sector, the slow-down could have been longer dragging the growth rate to negative. Similarly, the monetary policy supported by increased supply from agriculture sector averted the risk of stagflation: a fatal combination of stagnation and inflation. Last year economy plunged to a low growth of 1.9 percent and high inflation of over 12 percent.

Equally important factor behind the growth is reviving Indian economy and its trickle-down effect. Indian economy is growing since last year and is billed to cross 6.5 percent growth rate this year. “ Growth in India supports Nepalese economy through increased export, inflow of remittance and tourism,” says Governor Shrestha.

Nepal-India Trade Treaty signed in December 1996, which for the first time removed the provision of local value addition for preferential entry of Nepalese products to India also played a crucial role on external fronts.

Export to India, which was just over 5 billion rupees in the fiscal year 1996/97 jumped to over 13 billion rupees in 1998/99 covering over 37 percent of the country’s total export.

Though all these factors contributed to the economic rebound, the major boost to the economy came from agriculture sector, which is expected to grow at four percent plus point.

Since the agriculture sector growth for next year remains as precarious, doubt arises regarding the sustainability of the growth. This also brings into light the need to consolidate the gains in the manufacturing and service sector. “ We have already obtained the benefits of first phase of reforms. Thus second phase of reform is warranted to sustain and accelerate economic growth in future,” says Secretary Bhattarai.

However, he agrees that increasing investment efficiency, extending irrigation to reduce monsoon dependency and promoting foreign trade should be equally on agenda to sustain growth.   

The search for a new dumping site as elusive as ever before

-By Yogendra Bista 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Exactly a month remains before the capital’s garbage dump, the Gokarna landfill site, is discontinued for good after 15 years of sometimes controversial use. But despite the hurtling deadline, the alternate dumping site is far from ready to welcome Kathmandu’s garbage.

The forthcoming garbage fight, as a result, has already led Kathmandu Metropolis Mayor Keshab Sthapit to declare: “We will dump the garbage on the city streets if we are not provided the alternate site by the Ministry of Local Development.”

Sthapit, who made the declaration to this reporter on Friday, complained that the problem has been politicised.

For the past 15 years, Kathmandu has been dumping its filth at the Gokarna dumping site at Mulpani VDC. The site reportedly exhausted its capacity long ago but was reluctantly extended repeatedly due to the absence of a long-term suitable alternative. That invited numerous protests and troubles from the Gokarna residents in recent years.

Gundeli Khand (near Ramche Phant) of Syuchatar VDC, in the west of Kathmandu, has been proposed as the new landfill site by HMG to solve the garbage problem. But no basic preparation seems to have been carried out till now at the spot. The reason behind it has been stubborn opposition of locals including politicians across party-lines. In order to tackle the protests and come out with an acceptable formula, government recently constituted a 29-member Suggestions Committee, according to Kul Prasad Marhattha, Co-ordinator at the Ministry of Local Development.

But the committee itself has been embroiled in controversy. Many of the members who are from Syuchatar say they were appointed without their knowledge.

When asked about it, Local Development Ministry’s Marhattha said, “Except the particular Ward Chairman, the rest of the members of the committee have already received their appointment letters from HMG.”

Contrary to this claim, Ishwor Bindari the Secretary of Environment Protection Main Struggle Committee, a local group opposing the new dumping site said, “Over 10 members of the committee constituted unilaterally by government, have not accepted their appointment.” Nandan Hari Gautam, the Chairman of Ward no. 8 where the proposed site falls, alleged, “The government is conspiring to break people’s unity on this issue.” He has also reported that the neighbouring six VDCs are also with them in the protest.

Upon contacting Shyam Sundar Thapa, Syuchatar VDC Chairman, he burst out emotionally, “We won’t allow the garbage dumping in our village even if it costs our lives.” He complained of non-compliance of proper procedure in the matter by HMG by not taking prior permission for the project from its own Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE).

Damodar Gautam, a prominent political figure of the locality, neither supports the use of his VDC as a landfill site, nor does he want his area to be deprived of the related fruits of development.  The Ward Chairman, Nandan Hari Gautam, is however straightforward, rejecting any such need of development in exchange for accommodating all of Kathmandu’s garbage there. He warns, “We may take the issue to the court if the situation comes.”

Government official Kul Prasad Marhattha hopes that the local people have started understanding the development package slowly and, therefore, will support the government move in due course of time. Ishwor Bindari, the representative of the protestors, on the other hand, claims, “Every single person is agitated.”

Rup Chandra Pant, a local resident, like many others from the nearby Kalanki area, fears that the environment of the locality will deteriorate. They are panicked by the thought of possible foul smell in the area. The days ahead will surely tell Kathmanduites where they will have their new dumping site. In the meantime, much convincing needs to be done.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that government has already spent more than Rs 88 million in vain on the previously much debated alternative landfill sites of Okharpauwa and Ramkot. The sites were dropped in favour of Syuchatar.

Yam & Sakkhar: The perfect potion for Maghe Sankranti

-By Chet Bahadur Singh 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Look around this Maghe Sakranti (Saturday) and what do you see?

Almost all Nepalis from every strata of society feasting on - what else? - yam, ghee and sesame seed balls (laddoos) with dollops of sakkhar (raw sugar).

That may not be your idea of a favourite meal or even a healthy diet but that is exactly what the doctors think. Traditional food consumed during Maghe Sankranti may not appeal to everyone, but sweet taste aside, it also packs a wallop of nutritional materials. 

Various Ayurvedic and allopathic practitioners maintain that such edibles -- abundant in nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and calcium -- energizes the immune system of the human body.

“The sesame laddoos and sakkhar heats the body that provides energy to fight diseases while yam provides energy, boosting one’s alertness and sexual vitality,” says Dr. Ram Narayan Shah of Nardevi Ayurvedic Clinic. “The edibles consumed this festive season prevents problems in the joints, kidney and throat right in the primitive stages. The human body is more prone to such diseases this season.”

Dr. Tek Raj Pant, an ayurvedic practitioner, also says such edibles energizes the body when the energy level during this season is very low unlike during summer and spring seasons.

During Maghe Sankranti, devotees bathe and throng to temples in the valley offering puja to various gods and goddesses. The trend is peculiar amongst the Newar community who consume Sidra fish, and refer to this day as “Ghyu Chaku Sanghu”. Black urad cooked with rice or yam is also consumed in the hilly region.

Religious texts about Lord Bishnu also mentions that the body attains good health if ghee, molasses, sesame laddoos, yam, grain, spinach, waterpots along with traditional firepot is offered and the edibles consumed on this day.

According to Man Bajra Bajracharya -- an ayurvedic practitioner having knowledge on cultural values -- the concept of consuming yam came after households do not consume the paddy of the new harvest until it is stored and puja rituals are performed for two to three months. Most of the households will have run out of paddy from the previous year’s harvest and choose to eat the easily available yams from the nearby jungles, he said.

“Yams are abundant in carbohydrates whereas Sidra, being fish, has lots of protein and carbohydrates,” says a dietician at the capital’s Bir Hospital, Rajeshwori Pandey. “The edibles consumed during the country’s various festivals also provides a balanced diet to everybody in the villages.”

Dr. Dharma Nath Mandal of Homeopathic Hospital at Pulchok in Patan says the edibles consumed during Maghe Sankranti benefits the body though it has not been officially mentioned in homeopathic texts.

When asked about the origin of the festival of Maghe Sankranti, cultural expert Dr. Purushottam Lochan says the festival could have started from either the onset or middle of the Lichhavi dynasty in Nepal.

“A stone inscription said to be established by King Anand Dev established beside the Til Madhav statue in Taumadi Tole of Bhaktapur more than 800 years ago states about the festival,” says Dr. Lochan. “No convincing indications, however, have proved that the ancient inscription was established by Dev so the trend could have started earlier.”

Ancient texts of the Gopal dynasty disclose Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur had experienced a month long snowfall during this season. The trend of consuming yam and sesame that heat the body as well as basking in the sun after massaging the body with oil could have also started since then, say historians.

Similarly, Vice Principal of Hindi Literature at Tribhuvan University Jaykant Lal says people in the Terai consume sesame seed laddos, beaten and puffed rice mixed in sakkhar during this season.

Former Controller with the Ministry of Education Ratna Man Dongol, 88, celebrates this day by performing various rituals by five Bajracharyas in front of Swoyambhu, praying for world peace. A huge feast is also held on the occasion.

“Children are massaged with oil mixed with black urad by parents on this day to recall the days their mothers did so when they were young,” says Dongol.

‘Vested interests have ended up affecting press freedom’

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Nexus between the press, politicians and businessmen for the fulfilment of their vested interest is the greatest threat to press freedom, media experts said here today.

Former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana said “party-oriented” nature of Nepalese journalism is the greatest drawback and alleged that such orientation was fostering political irregularities.

Dhungana was addressing an interaction programme on “Press freedom and its use” organised by the Department of Information.

He levelled private press as highly “baseless” and those owned by the state as “sycophant”. Such irresponsible journalism overshadows social and national interests, he added

Chairperson of the Editor’s Society Govind Biyogi maintained if the information flow is stopped then the freedom of the country is bound to end.

“Press freedom is a must in a democratic society but to a certain limit,” he said not specifying the “limit”.

Lawmaker from the main opposition CPN-UML Raghuji Pant said though the constitution of Nepal has guaranteed press freedom, it was yet to be realised in practice. “There is no difference between the government’s approach to press before and after the restoration of democracy,” said Pant, and added that “Not a single government after the restoration of democracy is exception to it.”

Chairperson of Nepal Press Council Hari Har Birahi said that the press fought for the restoration of democracy on 1990 and it was fighting for its sustenance. “However, there are still many shortcomings in our press but we shall overcome them because we are committed to improve it,” he said.

General Secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Journalist Tara Nath Dahal said press needs total freedom but it should be prepared or it may go against its interest.

Bomb blast at Dugar office

-By a Post Reporter 

BIRGUNJ, Jan 14 - A bomb went off last night in the heart of this commercial town, seriously injuring a person working at a leading industrial house.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack mounted at the Adarshanagar office of Tolaram Dugar. But sources said local businessmen have been receiving threats of extortions from underground Maoists, adding this is a second attack aimed at intimidating local businessmen.

Two unidentified persons hurled explosives at around 8 O’clock at Hiralal Prasad, nightwatchman at Dugar’s downtown office and managed to run away taking cover in the darkness. Prasad, who is being treated for ankle injuries, said a second bomb didn’t go off. Adarshanagar was facing a routine weekly blackout last night.

Surendra Jagire of Dugar Company today said he had no knowledge whatsoever about “who’s and why’s” behind the attack. But business leaders here wonder why the business community has become the target of these attacks.

Local residents who immediately gathered at the scene after hearing the loud explosion said the assailants had an easy escape due to load-shedding. Police Inspector Kuber Singh Rana, however, said the bomb wasn’t very powerful, adding the unexploded second bomb had been passed over to the explosive experts in the army for investigation.