Nepalis billed charming people

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, May 2 - Many in India know him for his widely read column in The Times of India - Jugular Vein. Others know him as one of media’s trend-setters who left indelible mark on the reader’s mind with the trend-setting JS (Junior Statesmen).

Yes, he’s none other than Jug Suraiya, an avowed lover of Nepal, who now edits TOI’s editorial page but has curiously declined offer for perhaps the most coveted chair in the Indian media - Executive Editor of TOI.

So what’s in all this for Nepal? Jug, as he is known among his friends, is a regular visitor of Kathmandu and calls Nepalis "easily the most charming people in the world. I have forgotten how many times I have visited Kathmandu."

Nepal to him is the middle-class Indian’s Switzerland. Only that Nepalis are much friendlier than the Swiss, he says.

The love affair started way back in the 60s when Kathmandu was still the Verdant Valley draped in terraced rice fields. The JS team in all probability inherited their fascination for Nepal from their Editor-mentor Desmond Doig who later adopted Nepal as his home.

So how does the lover of Nepal feel about the current Nepal-India relations, especially after the Christmas-eve hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight and subsequent cancellation of IA flights to Nepal?

"I don’t think there are many problems between Nepal and India. But I must say that India, because of its sheer size, makes for a sometimes uncomfortable neighbour," he told The Kathmandu Post yesterday.

"Let me put it this way. If I were a Nepali, I would feel the same way about India. Here’s a large giant, by and large friendly, but sometimes clumsy. We feel that the relation we have with Nepal is exemplary. We feel among the SAARC countries, we have the closest relations with Nepal."

He has called for an all-out effort "not just from the bureaucratic level but also from the journalists and people’s level to resume the (IC) flights. It’s just not Nepal that’s suffering, even middle-class Indian travellers, for whom Kathmandu is a popular destination, are suffering."

Dalits seek free education

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, May 2 - Under the direction of the NGO group Concern Nepal, leaders of the Dalit community are to pressurize the government into making free primary education for Dalit children a law.

At a press conference, the human rights activist, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, former MP, Golchey Sarki and Bijay Sainju of Concern Nepal called on the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare to include the situation of the opressed Dalit children in the upcoming UN report on child rights.

Nepal is a signatory of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child which forces signators to submit an evaluative report on the state of the nation’s children every five years. The next report is due later this year.

"Not enough has been done to make the plight of Dalit children known," said Sainju. "It is high time this was remedied."

The government estimates there are around 2.4 million Dalits in the community but various independent groups, such as Concern Nepal, say that in reality there are over 4 million, making up 20 percent of the population. They also say that only 10 percent of the Dalit community are literate.

Though 80 percent of children under 18 in the country receive education, the dropout rate is 75 percent at primary level. The NGO says that the crisis is more severe with the Dalits.

The activist group says though the government has addressed the introduction of free education up to high school level, they have as yet to turn this into a reality.

Hospital sans doctor

By a Post Reporter

SINDHULIMADHI, May 2 - Sindhuli Hospital is without any doctor these days despite the fact that the number of patients coming to hospital has been increasing with the onset of hot season.

There is provision for three doctors but only one doctor is generally present in this hospital and that one doctor of the hospital, Dr Jay Kumar Thakur, is on three-year study leave.

According to an employee of the hospital, another doctor has been transferred but he is still on leave.

Lincoln school completes training

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, May 2 - Lincoln School completed its week-long teachers’ workshop for Nepalese educators, which comprised both private and public schools, here Monday.

Altogether 60 participents from over 26 schools and government officials from the Primary Education Project participated the workshop.

Addressing the programme, Dr Barbara Butterworth, the Director of Lincoln School expressed her pleasure at having the opportunity to share many ideas as well as useful strategies with teachers from Nepalese schools. Organizer of the workshop Bhaju Ram Shrestha said " the purpose of the workshop was to promote the thinking that all our educators realize that the children should not be molded, but unfolded."

Sushan Burn, Faculty Coordinator, expressed happiness for having shared tried classroom techniques with eager Neapli participents.

Lincoln School hosts the Teacher Workshops as a part of their programme to supporting education in Nepal and as an opportunity to reach out to educators in their host country to share their faculty knowledge and expertise with their Nepalese colleauges.

Maoists vandalise office

By a Post Reporter

BIRTAMOD, May 2 -The underground CPN (Maoist) workers entered the temporary office of survey team located at Sharanami VDC at about 8 p.m. on Sunday and destroyed all the survey documents of the office.

About 10 to 12 people armed with pistol, khukuri and other weapons entered the house located near Sharanamati Health Post and burnt the survey documents and other survey tools by sprinkling petrol over them, Sub-Inspector Keshab Bahadur Ghartimagar of Jhapa District Police Office said.

They destroyed all the documents of the office including maps, field books, scales and grit papers after detaining the employees in one room. The survey team which had been working there for the last two years had completed 65 percent of the survey works and all their works done so far have been wasted, one employee who wanted to remain anonymous said.

According to police, they have not yet arrested anyone in this connection.

Water mills can be boon

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, May 2 - For a water-rich and energy-starved country like Nepal water mills provide a welcome solution to sustain the rural economies,said the experts at a workshop Prospects of Water Mill- Improvements in Nepal for Rural Application in Kathmandu today.

The participants were speaking at the two-day seminar organised by German Technical Cooperation, Nepal and Centre for Rural Technology,Nepal.

In his welcome address Executive Director at CRTN, Ganesh Ram Shrestha said the objectives of the workshop are to present the overview of the efforts made so far, experiences gained and the implications foreseen during the implementation of GTZ supported projects in various places.

According to him another objective was to discuss and suggest the framework for further cooperation and partnership toward extension of improved water mill promotion and dissemination in Nepal.

"CRTN", he said , "realized there was a need to improve the

existing technology rather than introducing new ones".

Speaking at the programme, Director, GTZ/Nepal, Peter Rhode remarked the improved water mills were "smart, simple and affordable... and will prove beneficial to the poor and reduce drudgery."

Lumin K. Shrestha, Director at CRTN said there have been four phases so far. He also informed the gathering that the Phase-4 has been selected and approved by International Selection Commission of EXPO 2000to be presented in ‘Projects Arounded the World, EXPO 2000, Hannover, Germany.

Both GTZ and CRT functionaries claimed the improved water mills are more efficient than traditional ones , besides generating electivity for domestic use and making hulling all the more easy.

This two-day workshop will conclude with a field trip to Dhunkhark, Kavre on Wednesday.

At the seminar a video film was shown on how the improved water mills were being functional in select areas. Among other presentations were papers on Ghatta Improvment Activities in Nepal, A Case from Jumla District, Government Policy Support in Micro-hydro projects, and Finance Mechanism by an official from Agricultural Development Bank ,Nepal and followed by an open discussion. The workshop is jointly organised by GTZ and CRT.

Poachers shot dead

By a Post Reporter

GULARIYA, May 2 - Three hunters have been killed at Kalinara of Babai Valley inside the Royal Bardiya National Park when the contingent of army stationed there opened fire on Monday night, the Shivadal Gulm, Thakurdwara informed.

The site is located at about 35 to 40 kilometres north of Gulariya, headquarters of Bardiya district.

Major Babu Krishna Karki of the Gulm told The Kathmandu Post by telephone that they had to open fire when the hunters fired at the joint patrol team of the army at the park and were trying to escape. All three died on the spot.

There were seven poachers and the remaining four were arrested.

They include Top Bahadur Bika, Dhojendra Bahadur Bika, Chhote Lal Bika and Khusi Ram Tharu of Magaragadi VDC-2 in Bardiya district. However, the three victims have not been identified. Their bodies have been sent to Nepalgunj for postmortem.

A temporary hut, one quintal of rice, detonator, materials needed to kill the rhinoceros, a home-made gun, bullets and ammunition were also found at the site, Ranger Ramesh Kumar Thapa said.