An unidentified Humla village under welcome snow cover on January 26.

Heaps of garbage may  haunt capital again

-By a Post Reporter

LALITPUR, January 29 - Heaps of unattended garbage may once again haunt Kathmanduites as the locals of Syuchatar continue to agitate against the government’s plan to start a new landfill site in their village, Mayor of Lalitpur Sub-Metropolis Buddhi Raj Bajracharya said here today.

“The locals of Syuchatar VDC are continuing to agitate against the government move to set up a new landfill site in their village,” Bajracharya said adding that such basic infrastructures as roads need to be constructed before opening the site for dumping purpose.

Valley needs a new dumping site after February 12 -- the deadline to use Gokarna dumping site according to an agreement reached between the government and Mulpani VDC. The government has been attempting to prepare necessary infrastructures in Syuchatar VDC’s Gundeli Phant for the last few months. But the locals are continuing to protest.

Speaking at an interaction programme organized here Friday by the sub-metropolis, Mayor Bajracharya stressed that political consensus was the key to resolving the looming landfill site crisis.

He also blamed the government of ignoring his pleas to acquire some lands in Lalitpur’s Bungmati area to set up a landfill site required for Lalitpur municipality. “Government is turning a deaf ear to our request to get the land  for us at    Bungmati,” he said. “Whereas the Norwegian government has already assured us to establish a gas plant there.”

Commenting on the newly introduced trial five days a week working system in the valley, he said that he was forced to do so following the footsteps of other municipal corporations. “It is very difficult to commence works at 9 am,” he said.

On the problem of building houses after encroaching public lands, he said, “It is another major problem as it is difficult to demolish such houses due to legal and political hurdles.”

In the wake of protests from the local bodies against the government for failing to enforce the Local Autonomy Act, he termed the Act “meaningless”. Deputy Mayor Ramesh Chitrakar also expressed his views at the programme. Chairman of the ward members committee presided over the function.

Amnesty committee reformed

-By a Post Reporter

DHANGADI, Jan 29 - The executive committee of the Amnesty International Nepal was reconstituted today by the committee’s eighth general assembly. 

Krishna Kandel was elected as the chairperson for the next two years.

Other members and the officials were also elected during the meeting. Raju Sarkar has been elected vice chairperson while Hikmat Thapa has been elected general secretary, Raj Naryan Mandal as joint general secretary and Bal Chandra Acharya has been elected the treasurer.

At the end of the two-day meeting, prizes were given away to students who participated in the essay competition on “Child Right, Problems and Solutions”.

Mother of 16  seeks more children

-By a Post Reporter

TEHRATHUM, Jan 29 - A resident of Okhre VDC -3, Jhurka Maya Bajgain, is still desirous of begetting more children after the birth of her 16th child.

“We should welcome all the children given to us by God,” she says.

Jhurka Maya, 45 and her husband Kailash Bajgain, 50 are well aware of family planning, but they believe that it is sin to adopt family planning methods. Jhurka Maya is eager to have 20 children.

The Bajgain couple which lives at ward No 3 of Okhre VDC, about 15 miles west of the district headquarters, has 8 sons and 8 daughters. The eldest one is a 22- year-old daughter while the youngest one is a 2-year-old son. She gave birth to the 16 children during a period of 23 years after she was married at the age of 22.

Although all her children appear to be lean and thin, they are very alert. Jhurka Maya is compelled to carry two to three children along with her wherever she goes but she is still against the use of family planning devices and preventing more births.

One of her sisters also has 15 children including three sons and 12 daughters and yet she also does not like to accept family planning.

The parents of Jhurka Maya have two sons and 8 daughters. All the brothers and sisters of Jhurka Maya have 3 to 8 children. However, none of them has thought of accepting family planning measures.

Role of Red Cross lauded

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 29 - Nepal Red Cross Society Kathmandu District Branch (NRSK) held its 22nd general assembly here amid a function today.

Speaking on the occasion, President of Raj Parisad Standing Committee Keshar Jung Rayamajhi lauded the Red Cross for providing its service throughout the world with no discrimination against any caste, creed or community.

Since its 30 years of establishment, NRSK has involved itself in various projects such as drinking water, AIDS awareness and other social service activities in different communities. An Oriental Treatment and Training Centre, with acupuncture remedies, is also run by NRSK at its office in the capital.

The Red Cross movement was propagated by Jean Hendry Dunant during the times of war. For this, Dunant later won the first ever Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. In Nepal, Red Cross was established in 1963.

Dhankuta hospital in dire straits

-By a Post Reporter

DHANKUTA, Jan 29 - The District Hospital of Dhankuta district is in such a miserable condition that people of the district have been compelled to go to Ghopa in Dharan for medical treatment.

Although there is a provision of posting three doctors in Dhankuta Hospital, there is only one doctor since the founding of the hospital. The only doctor of the hospital is also on study leave for three years for the last two months, but his replacement has not been sent as yet.

The hospital which is without a single doctor is so dirty that green flies are buzzing in  hospital beds.

An employee of the hospital told The Kathmandu Post on condition of anonymity that the Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs) working in the district hospital are engaged daily in illegal activities of abortion and are thus earning a sizable amount of money.

There is no legal provision of abortion in Nepal but  AHWs are openly using female injections in the hospital for abortion and curate them later in the hospital. However, there are no institutions which can control them from carrying out such illegal activities.

In the absence of a doctor, the hospital staff are increasingly behaving in a negligent manner. One example is that the baby delivered in the hospital by Devi Karki of Dhankuta Municipality-3  on Wednesday was declared dead by the hospital staff but  was later found alive by relatives of the mother.

Meanwhile, patients complain that the doctors who have come to this hospital from B.P. Koirala Health Science Academy for their  practical study have referred them to Ghopa even if they are suffering from minor diseases like cold and cough.

Many dead bodies brought for postmortem have to be kept in the hospital for a long time due to lack of doctors.

The hospital had received a letter five months ago mentioning that another doctor would be sent for the hospital, but he has not yet arrived.