Floods toll up 4 more dead, 1 missing

By a Post Reporter

DAMAULI, June 26 - Four more people have died while one is missing in a series of floods at various part of the country since Friday.

The total toll from floods and landslides in this monsoon has now reached 43 while three are missing. Home Minister Govind Raj Joshi had yesterday informed the parliament of 39 deaths and 2 missing cases.

According to our Damauli based reporter, Madhav Neupane,46, died while Dhoj Bahadur Gharti,48, went missing in a flash flood when they were crossing the local Sange river in between Kholebesi Swami Bhatti and Shyamgha Village Development Committees at 9:40pm yesterday.

They were on their way home to Shyamgha VDC, said police.

Locals found the dead body of Neupane some 3 km away from the site early today. With the latest incident the total flood toll of the district has reached 14 this monsoon. Many others were injured.

Likewise, two children of the same house died Friday on a land slide triggered by incessant rain since the past few weeks, according to late reports from our Pokhara based reporter.

Uma,15 and Pradeep,12, children of Krishna Prasad Ojha were buried under the debris of their home at Polyang VDC in Kaski when the landslide hit the house late at night.

Ojha and his wife also sustained injuries while their properties worth Rs 10,000 was destroyed in the incident, police said.

Meanwhile, according to our Jiri based reporter, Gyan Bahadur Basnet of Mali VDC died when a landslide buried his cow-shed yesterday. He was sleeping there guarding his animals, police said.

None of the animals, however, were affected by the landslide.

Similarly, a newly built wooden bridge at Deurali VDC of Damauli was flushed away by a flood. Locals are facing problem due to this.

Similarly, floods in Morang district has swept away diversions at four river on the 22 km-long Rangeli-Biratnagar road since the last four days due to incessant rain and totally paralysing transportation for 15 VDCs.

The British government had dismantled eight temporary wooden bridges and built eight diversions at eight rivers on the road for building permanent bridges in the places. Diversions at Chisang, Bhaluwa, Cheka and Judi bridge areas were swept away. People from Biratnagar and Rangeli are forced to use some 70 km long route instead.

Likewise, link between Jhurakiya, Govindpur, Sijuwa and Mahadeva VDCs have been severed due to massive flood in Wakra river in the region.

Heavy flood triggered by incessant rainfall had swept away an old bridge of Bungchung on Malekhu Highway of Dhading, obstructing the traffic since Wednesday. The traffic is not in full operation yet.

Last year, the traffic was disconnected for 80 days when the same bridge collapsed in the wake of a flood. After some repair works,the bridge was again used for transportation. A new bridge is currently under construction. Meanwhile, a suspension bridge is being used by travellers.

Massive corruption in police force
Home Minister, Secretary, IGP asked to step down

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, June 26 Former Minister of State for  Home Devendra Raj Kandel today claimed widespread irregularities and corruption in the police force.

"I have over a thousand evidences to prove irregularities and widespread corruption in the police and Home Ministry," Kandel said while speaking at the House of Representatives.

Kandel, who was the State Minister two years back when Girija Prasad Koirala was the prime minister of a minority government, demanded that Home Minister Govind Raj Joshi, Inspector General of Police Achyut Krishna Kharel and Home Secretary Padam Pokhrel step down.

He claimed that when he was still in office and had tried to purchase the much needed helicopter for the police force, his proposal was quashed by the IGP and the Home Secretary for "commission reasons".

Few months back, parliamentary committees too had summoned Home Ministry official and questioned on why it was spending over Rs. 160 million a year to charter helicopters while it could purchase one for half that amount. Kandel said that some police officials without personal backing were suffering while the ones with support from high places enjoyed privileged treatment.

"Deputy Superintendent of Police Thakur Mohan Shrestha has been transferred seven times in the past nine months while DSP Dorje Kumar Rai has been forced to serve in the Group A areas three times already," Kandel said adding that DSP Sarbendra Nath Khanal who is related to the Home Secretary has been posted in smuggling points like the border customs or the airport where he is earning lots of money. Police has classified 32 districts in "Maoist Affected" areas, classifying them further into three categories - Group A "Most Affected", Group B "Affected" and Group C as "Ordinary".

Nepal Police has lost nearly 200 police personnel since the underground Maoist rebels waged a guerilla war four years ago. Their violent campaign for a republic state has already cost over 1,300 lives.

Kandel’s remarks comes at a time when police officials are complaining that "widespread irregularities prevailed in police enforcements" especially those without any political masters to steer their career from being posted frequently to the districts most hit by insurgency.

Reports say that police personnel are increasingly refusing to take up their positions in Maoists hit areas and more police personnel are abstaining from reporting to these assigned districts.

Others say that though the police headquarters has already asked the Home Ministry to expel the officials who defy orders, action has not been taken against them as yet "due to pressures from people in powerful positions".

Kandel was not the only one who was critical of the activities of the Home Ministry. During the debate on the Appropriation Bill related to the ministry, members of both sides continued to seek Joshi’s resignation for failing to maintain peace and security in the country and for the irregularities.

"If they (minister, IGP and officials) are involved in irregularities they should be sacked from their jobs," CPN-UML’s Sher Dhan Rai said. In the past few weeks, lawmakers from the both ruling and opposition parties in parliament has continued to seek resignation of Home Minister for failing to maintain law and order in the country.

Beside, in the wake of continuing loss of lives caused by the Maoists insurgency, the incident in Siraha last week when a former president of Siraha District Development Committee was gunned down by two unidentified people also triggered voice against the home minister.

PAC flays vehicle import

KATHMANDU, June 26 (PR) - The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today began investigating the import of vehicles for the SAARC regional summit that was scheduled last year.

Though the vehicles were already imported as part of the preparation for the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the summit was postponed indefinitely.

Records provided by the Home Ministry showed that Rs. 94,566,872 had already been sanctioned to import 31 cars for security personnel, 19 jeeps, 76 motorcycles and one communication van. The decision was endorsed by the cabinet two years back.

Though initial reviews of the documents showed that financial regulations had been followed and tender bids called while importing these vehicles through local automobile dealers, PAC is checking if any irregularities had taken place in those deals and if these vehicles are still in condition.

PAC is checking into claims that these vehicles have been used by the government officials and has illegally found their way into the houses of powerful leaders and officials though the criteria clearly bars use of these vehicles for any other purpose than for SAARC summit. The cabinet decision had said these vehicles will only be used for the purpose it was imported, in this case the SAARC Summit, and after that too it would be in the custody of the Home Ministry.

No dates have been announced for the summit that was postponed.

Human error in Lufthansa crash

KATHMANDU, June 26 (PR) - Pilot error was the main cause for the crash of Lufthansa cargo plane south-west of Kathmandu last year, said the chairman of the commission that probed the accident here today.

Deputy Attorney-General Narendra Kumar Shrestha, Chairman of Commission for the Accident Investigation also said that the Approach Controller (AC) of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was negligent in not alerting the pilot about the mishap before-hand.

The Boeing 727 of Lufthansa Cargo India Pvt Ltd had taken off from the TIA enroute to New Delhi and crashed into the Chandragiri range three minutes later on July 7, 1999. All five crew members died in the crash.

Shrestha was speaking at a press conference organised by Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation today. The Aviation Accident Report was also released at the conference.

Shrestha also said that the AC personnel were in the process of duty shift replacement at the time of the collision. Later, speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Shrestha said, "ATC was negligent in monitoring the aircraft and the pilot could have been alerted."

As factors contributing to the occurrence of the accident, an extract of the report points out at the incomplete take-off briefing given by the pilot, unexpected drop in acceleration of the plane while the co-pilot was busy in radio with the ATC, the improper power and climb profile used by the pilot ... following the airspeed loss, the inadequate intra-cockpit crew coordination and slow response of ground warning system prior to the collision.

Besides, the report reads: "... no advisory alert was given by the Approach Controller to the crew of DLH 8533 (Lufthansa cargo plane)" when the aircraft deviated from the approved flight departure.

An computer visual of the plane’s take-off and its subsequent collision with Bhasmasur Danda (Chandragiri Range), Lalitpur was also shown. The animated film, which the ministry officials said carried the actual recording of the Flight Data Recorder, demonstrated that the pilot had received the warning five to six times before the crash.

Brigadier-General Khagendra Bahadur Shrestha said another factor could be that the pilot and co-pilot were together only for the second time. The report has also made recommendations for the Ministry, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and the airlines.

Some of the recommendations are that the airlines must ensure that their crew strictly follow State published Standard Instrument Departure; that CAAN should immediately review the duty period and the rest period of traffic controllers; that the Approach Controller should identify and monitor the flight of the transponder-equipped aircraft and any deviation observed in the flight procedure should be communicated to the pilot immediately.

Ansett disagrees with RA

KATHMANDU, June 26 (PR) - Royal Nepal Airlines Cooperation (RNAC) is faced with uncertainty about leasing a jetliner from Australia-based Ansett Worldwide Aviation Service after the latter has disagreed over terms regarding maintenance of the aircraft.

After weeks of controversies, RNAC had struck a deal with Ansett Worldwide, the holding company of Ansett Airlines of Australia, on leasing a 7-year-old Boeing 767-300ER passenger jet to fly on its regular services. A Memorandum of Understanding had already been signed stating that the maintenance part will be taken care by Royal Brunei International (RBI). Ansett had previously mentioned that it could back out of the deal if it was not agreeable with others over facilities similar to RBI. Ansett had not been agreeing on terms with RBI. According to a senior RNAC official, management officials at RNAC are in favour of dropping the deal by changing the terms in the agreement. On the other hand, Ansett has proposed to hand over the maintenance deal to some other company as RBI has suddenly demanded more money for maintenance.

Top-level officials of RNAC are meeting on Tuesday to decide over the fate of the lease deal with Ansett, the source added. "No signs of agreement is visible so far though representatives of Ansett are in the capital since the past one week."

Rally against killing

KATHMANDU, June 26 (PR) - More than 300 children today held a rally to protest the killings of innocent children in Panchkatiya of Jajarkot district on June-7 by the Maoists.

Altogether 25 people were killed during the Police-Maoist encounter at Panchkatiya, out of which 12 were police personnel, six Maoists and seven civilians.

Of the seven civilians, five were children which included a three year old child.

The protest rally was organised by Bal Chetana Samuha, a NGO working for child rights. According to Chandra Nath Sapkota of the organisation, many children have died during the four years of ‘People’s War’ as both the police and Maoist have used them as human shields.

Amit Shiwakoti, a 12 year-old participant of the rally said that the Maoist rebels who use children in the armed conflict should immediately stop this act. "We are coming out in protest against the use of children in war," said Siwakoti, also a member of Bal Chetana Samuha. "Both the police and Maoists are abducting children and the Maoists force them to participate in the war."

The protest rally that went through the major thoroughfares of the city ended at Basantapur Durbar Square where the children presented a street drama. The drama demonstrated how children are being used as human-shields by both the police and the Maoist.

Karmapa B'day marked

By a Post Reporter

A religious procession organized by Tibetans at Bouddhanath to mark the birth anniversary of 17th Karmapa Urgen Thinley Dorjee on Monday. The 17th Karmapa fled Tibet a few months ago and is now residing in Dharmashala, India .

KATHMANDU, June 26 - Hundreds of Tibetans, most of them monks, today carried out a procession in Bouddhanath here to observe the 16th birth anniversary of the 17th Karmapa Urgen Dorjee, who created an uproar in China by fleeing to India’s Dharmashala early this year.

Clad in their traditional maroon-colour attire, hundreds of Tibetan monks coming in from the Valley’s 45 Karmapa Gompas carried out the procession at Asia’s one of the biggest Stupa premises early Monday.

Also known as one of the key centres of ancient Nepal-Tibet trade, the centuries old Stupa area has the largest concentration of Tibetan refugees who are living in Nepal since the early 1960s.

The procession consisting of Buddhist monks, locals of Bouddha and school teachers and students revolved around the Stupa with a well-decorated chariot bearing Karmapa’s portrait.

They later conducted a puja praying for Karmapa’s good health and prosperity as well as world peace. Dozens of white Tibetan shawls were offered to the images of Lord Buddha and the 17th Karmapa.

Karmapa had quietly fled to Dharmashala from a monastery in Lhasa early this year after a week-long Trans-Himalayan journey, creating an uproar in Beijing. He is still living there.

Karmapa’s 24-year-old sister and his five disciples had also left for Dharmashala then, where Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile is based since 1950s.

About 30,000 Tibetan refugees are residing in different camps set up in Bouddhanath, Lagankhel, Pokhara, Mustang, Dolakha and a number of other northern frontier villages.

Talks with oppn to continue: Koirala

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, June 26 - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today said that the government would continue to hold dialogue with the opposition parties on issues that are of national interest.

"We will continue to hold dialogue with the opposition on the issues of national concern rising above party politics," Prime Minister Koirala told the House of Representatives today.

He said the government will continue to seek national consensus in these issues from the opposition parties. "It takes time to reach that point and we need much patience for that," he added.

Prime Minister Koirala, who was answering questions raised by lawmakers at the House, was responding to queries on whether the government had intentions to include suggestions and consult the opposition parties on all the issues and questions that are important and of national interest.

He said the government would continue to make public and implement reports presented by the commissions and committees formed. To make the administration more effective and efficient the government would implement other recommendations made by the Administration Reforms Committee, he said.

After assuming office, Koirala had reduced the number of ministries and merged few of them as per the recommendation of the committee.

Nayabazar land-pooling distributes certificates

KATHMANDU, June 26 (PR) - The much-debated project of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Nayabazar Land-pooling Project has finally started re-distributing land-ownership certificates from Monday.

After three years, the project is returning permanent land-ownership certificates to the owners of block Ka A, B, C, D and F. Earlier, they had temporary land-ownership certificates.

"From today, we help the locals collect their new land-ownership certificates. In a way, our mission is now done," said Bimal Rijal, the project chief. He added that after a period of uncertainty and suspicion, people have become positive towards the project’s objectives.

KMC started pooling the land of Kathmandu Ward No 16 and 17, in Nayabazar-Khushibu area in 1997 July following a cabinet decision. The project had to face harsh criticisms in the beginning.

The project received rights to assemble 885 ropanis of land and replotted it systematically for the convenience of the people. It then facilitated those unsystematic 1670 plots into 1120 plots with 16 km roads and drainage network. It has 34 ropanis of open space too.

According the Anup Mangal Joshi, the assistant town planner of KMC, this is the biggest land-pooling project of Kathmandu, which has taken shape earlier than other projects. "The project will continue working in the area." he said.

2 die, 24 hurt in bus mishap

RAUTAHAT, June 26 (PR) - Two passengers died and 24 others sustained injuries in a bus accident which occured near Jhunkhunuwa VDC around noon today, police said.

The bus with the plate number Na 1 Kha 5091 was heading to Gaur from Birgunj. Jogendra Rai Yadav of Pothiyari VDC and Satya Narayan Yadav of Madhopur VDC died on the spot, said DSP Mahendra Kumar Pokharel.

Those critically injured in the bus mishap are Lal Babu Mahato, a teacher at Garud High School, Maujelal Rai Yadav and Ram Naresh Yadav of Mohammadpur VDC-4. Those critically injured have been taken to Birgunj Hospital for treatment while others were taken to Gaur Hospital, the police said. An investigation into the cause of the accident is going on, said DSP Pokharel.