Media uproar halts illegal construction at Rani Pokhari

By Tilak Pokharel

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 - Amedia uproar on Tuesday forced the Ministry of Local Development (MLD) and Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to issue separate directives aimed at halting the on-going construction of a controversial building on the northern edges of the historic Rani Pokhari pond.

Both the bodies immediately issued orders to halt the construction of a shopping mall on the controversial site soon after news of the construction was splashed across the front pages of many newspapers on Tuesday, including The Kathmandu Post.

According to Achyut Koirala, Under-Secretary at MLD and in-charge of KMC section, the Ministry today circulated a directive to the Public Garden and Auditorium Development Committee (PGADC) preventing it from going ahead with the construction works of a one-storey business complex beside Rani Pokhari.

The PGADC is a body controlled by the MLD, and the secretary at the Ministry is the chairman of the PGADC. As such, the MLD has landed in the unlikely position of having to restrain itself by today’s directive.

Due to the connection between the MLD and PGADC, parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has summoned the secretary at the Ministry and the PGADC Chairman to a hearing at PAC on Wednesday. But, the secretary himself is the chairman of the PGADC.

Meanwhile, the KMC also called an emergency meeting today to discuss the "illegal construction". The KMC board wrapped up the meeting by issuing their own directive to PGADC urging it to stop the construction work and demolish the half-built mall.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post Executive Officer at KMC Hari Prasad Rimal said, "The board members unanimously decided to demolish the half-built building and rolled back the permission previously given to PGADC to build it." However, Rimal said that the permission was not given by consulting the board members.

The KMC had given permission, on November 10, to PGADC to build the building through the authorised Ward Chairman of Ward number 30 Chiniya Man Bajracharya. And, immediately after the permission, PGADC leased the land to Praja Rajbhandari of Bhimsensthan for five years binding it to pay Rs 15,000 per month.

The news of the ongoing construction works was published by The Kathmandu Post and other newspapers. The move to halt the construction works was first initiated by the Department of Archaeology (DoA) on November 9 by writing a letter to the MLD. In the letter, the Department had requested that the Ministry intervene to stop the works.

According to an officer at DoA who prefers anonymity, the department wrote the letter with the aim of giving moral pressure to PGADC to stop the works.

The officer said that DoA had been giving pressure to the Ministry from the very beginning of the construction works. "We had given similar pressure while erecting police station nearby, but in vain," he said, adding "it is also good if the work is stopped at this stage."

Showing the land ownership certificate of the contested piece of prime real estate in the heart of the capital, which has an area of area 15 aana 2 paisa (in local units) and with Plot Number 595, Manager at PGADC Pushpa Lal Shrestha said, "....See. We have land ownership certificate and the KMC also has given permission to built the mall. Then, what is our mistake ?...."

According to Shrestha, the main reasons behind giving the land on lease were: PGADC lacks enough money to pay its staff, the land was under-utilized, and there was possibility of making this land a Micro-bus Park by micro-bus entrepreneurs. Shrestha said that the land was previously "forcibly" used as a three-wheeler stand by tempo operators but the PGADC had managed to evict them out with the help of KMC and police.

The historic Rani Pokhari is already surrounded by haphazardly built commercial stores and other buildings, including a petro pump, a restaurant, a police station, a court and a campus.

Pratap Malla, a king of Kathmandu during the Malla period, constructed Rani Pokhari in memory of his beloved son in the late seventeenth century.

The statue of King Pratap Malla and his two sons riding an elephant, which is located on one corner of the pond, is also in danger since buildings have been constructed above it. The people are also littering garbage around it.

HM opens bio-diversity conference

KATHMANDU, Nov. 14 (PR)- His Majesty King Birendra inaugurated a three-day international conference on bio-technology and bio-diversity at a special function today.

Her Majesty the Queen was also present on the occasion.

The conference is jointly organised by Nepal Bio-technology association, Tribhuvan University Central Department of Plant Science and Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST).

The conference brings together 225 scientists and specialists from 25 countries including Nepal, India, USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Mexico.

Addressing the conference, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ramkrishna Tamrakar said that bio-technology has helped in the population control and the food production programmes of many developing countries around the world and stressed that bio-technology should be used appropriately for boosting agriculture production.

Describing Nepal’s rich bio-diversity as a boon to the country, Tribhuvan University Vice-chancellor Prof Nabin Prakash Jung Shah said Nepal with its varied situations provided important opportunity for bio-diversity researchers. "Bio-technology has an important place in all sectors of development such as agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry and crime investigation," said Dr. Dayananda Bajracharya, Vice-chancellor of RONAST expressing the willingness of RONAST to work in collaboration with other national and international institutions in the field of bio-diversity research and its utilisation.

Rift shows up in UML over constitution amendment

By Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 - A proposal by CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to amend the present constitution has hit rough grounds not from the outside but from within the party.

Not surprisingly it comes from none other than Khadga Prasad Oli, the main opposition party’s second most powerful leader after Nepal, who despite being a partner in party ranks is also a potential contender for the party’s top position.

During the party Central Committee (CC) meeting that began on Sunday, Nepal submitted a political report to the members suggesting amendment to the present Constitution that was drafted in 1990 following the restoration of democracy to what he called a move to resolve the problems being faced by the nation.

"We have adopted and approved the report presented by the general secretary and the proposal for amendment in the Constitution but I won’t comment on the process," Oli told The Kathmandu Post.

Oli left the meeting three hours before today’s meeting concluded. According to the Bhim Bahadur Acharya, the party office secretary, the question raised was not whether the proposal for the amendment should be forwarded but rather the process that needs to be taken.

Oli was objecting to the proposal saying such a move to make changes in the Constitution should be done within the Parliament and not outside its perimeters as demanded by some extremist forces.

"We decided unanimously that we would lobby with other political parties too so that we can begin the process to make the amendments stay within the boundaries of the Constitution itself," Acharya said.

To make any changes in the Constitution, two-thirds of the total 205 votes in the House of Representatives, the Lower House of Parliament, is required.

The one-decade-old Constitution has not been amended yet although there have been attempts by some parliament members.

Seeking to amend or change the Constitution from outside the Parliament would mean taking the path adopted by forces like the Maoists but in milder way.

The Maoists, for the past four and half years, have been waging a guerrilla war demanding a republic state that has cost nearly 1,500 lives.

Nepal’s report which is yet to be made public, has reportedly suggested that changes in the Constitution were necessary to correct flaws like the change in the constituency during election in accordance with the changing population.

He is suggesting that to conduct free and fair elections, the constituencies should not be changed after each election but rather left in its original position. And also the reforms in the land management cannot be achieved unless certain changes are made in the Constitution.

Though the two top men of the country’s largest Communist party remain to lead the party together Nepal and Oli have shared an uncomfortable partnership, especially after the death of party’s Chairman Man Mohan Adhikari in April last year.

Adhikari even when he was alive and in position, was mostly a figure head of the party while Nepal held most of the power and made most of the decisions. Even during the nine months in power when Adhikari was the prime minister and Nepal his deputy, it was believed that Nepal held a grip on most of the power.

After Adhikari, the position of chairman has remained vacant. And even after the one year they decided to leave the position vacant to honour Adhiakri, there are no takers.

Nepal still remains more popular among the party workers and supporters, observers say.

39th WWF conference begins with a ‘gift to the Earth’

By Surendra Phuyal

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 - The 39th annual conference of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) got underway here today with Prime Minister GP Koirala in his opening speech announcing that the government would double the area of Royal Bardia National Park (RBNP) and declare it a "gift to the Earth".

Situated in the mid-western Terai, RBNP presently covers an area of 968 sq km and is home to such endangered species as Royal Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinos, Asiatic elephants, four-horned antelopes and swamp deers. Under the extension programme, another 900 sq km of unprotected forest areas of Banke, Dang and Salyan districts will be included in the park, according to officials.

"We have recognized that WWF’s integrated conservation and developmental programs in the conservation areas and buffer zones not only saved our natural heritage but also helped us reduce poverty," Koirala said. "We welcome WWF to further extend its conservation and developmental programmes in Nepal."

WWF’s Country Representative for Nepal, Dr Chandra Gurung said that the extension to the RBNP will link 11 prime wildlife habitats in Nepal and India known as the Terai arc, which will provide a corridor to ease wildlife movement between Churia(Savalik) and transborder areas.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Director General of Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Dr Tirtha Man Maskey said that the extension would "pave the way for the creation of one of the best tiger habitats in the region."

About 250 royal Bengal tigers are currently surviving in Chitwan, Parsa, Bardia and Shukla Phanta parks of Nepal, according to officials.

RBNP is the second protected area to be declared a "gift to earth"--which is WWF’s highest recognition of a new and significant conservation action. Prior to this, the government (in 1997) had declared Kanchanjungha Conservation Area in the far-eastern hills as the country’s first "gift to the earth". With today’s announcement, RBNP became the 60th such "gift" dedicated to the earth.

Later on in the day, Chairman of King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC), HRH Prince Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah affixed the first cancellation marks on four commemorative postage stamps--that of Bengal florican bird, male one-horned rhino, female rhino and her baby and Lesser Adgunctanct stork.

Earlier, delivering his keynote address to the WWF conference, Prince Gyanendra spoke at length on the challenges and problems facing Nepal’s three-decade-long conservation efforts, and stressed the need for continued partnership between KMTNC, WWF and DNPWC, the key conservation partners in Nepal.

Nepal has established a network of altogether 16 protected areas covering a total of over 17,000 sq km, or nearly 19 percent of the country’s total area. The establishment of Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) in 1973 heralded the era of organized conservation in Nepal.

"We have set aside these protected areas to conserve, restore and manage the rich and varied fauna, flora and the landscapes of this country," Prime Minister Koirala said in his inaugural address. "It is our commitment that the gift area will be protected for future generations forever."

Billed Journey to Kathmandu: Sacred Gifts for a Living Planet, over 500 wildlife experts and WWF officials from around the world, and representatives of the world’s major faiths are participating in the five-day meet which, besides drawing up WWF’s conservation programs and strategies, aims to tie up the world’s major religions with nature conservation.

The faiths involved are Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islam, Jain, Jew, Shinto, Sikh, Tao and Zoroastrian.

The Journey to Kathmandu celebration is scheduled to be held in the historic city of Bhaktapur tomorrow. His Majesty King Birendra is due to grace the celebration. The event is being jointly organized by WWF and the Alliance for Religion and Conservation (ARC).

HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, also arrived here for the conference today. Prince Philip, also WWF President Emeritus and founder of ARC, will honour one recipient with the Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal 2000 on November 16.

Meanwhile, two Nepalis were recognized today by the WWF for their significant contribution to local and grassroots level conservation efforts. According to a press release issued late in the evening today, His Highness Rinpoche Nawang Tenzing Jango, a monk, and Min Bahadur Gurung, a farmer, social worker and village leader, received the WWF award at a special function.

While the Rinpoche was instrumental in helping to establish the Sagarmatha National Park, home of Mt Everest, Gurung was instrumental to the success of the Annapurna Conservation Project (ACAP), which is popular as a highly successful community-based conservation and development project.

Bomb blasts rock Birgunj, Rajbiraj

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 - Two powerful home-made bombs exploded in Birgunj and Rajbiraj on Monday night causing damage worth more than millions rupees to a liquor distillery and a cold-store building, police said. Maoists are suspected to be behind the blast.

A report from Birgunj stated that a group of 50 suspected Maoists rebels set a fire to Himal Distillery at Parwanipur, which lies about 10km north of the Parsa District Headquarters.

They set a fire to Gipsy Maruti van bearing the number plate Na A 586 and a RX motor-cycle, both owned by the factory. The rebels also damaged 400 cartons of refined liquor, 300 cartons of semi-refined liquor and destroyed a machine used for brewing.

The assailant had already disconnected telephone lines before they entered the factory chanting Maoist slogans. A labourer said that the insurgents sprinkled kerosene on the van and motor-cycle and set them alight.

The rebels also hurled abuses at the factory owner for not giving them donations and for hiring non-Nepali labourers in his establishment.

The fire-brigade and police reinforcement arrived from Birgunj after the rebels had already fled chanting Maoist slogans.

"It took at least six hours to extinguish the fire," said fireman Govinda Bhattarai. According to Bhattarai, firemen had to use foam gas to put out the fire because the liquor had heavy content of inflammable spirit.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Prem Bahadur Chand, said that the factory had not given the police details of the damage of the property. The manager of the factory, Shyam Malla, declined to comment on the incident.

This is the first time that the rebels have attacked such a big factory in Parsa district since the beginning of the insurgency in 1996.

Meanwhile, the rebels on Monday planted a powerful bomb in a newly-built cold-store at Dharampur VDC which lies close to the East-West Highway, Area Police Station at Kanchanpur said.

The building is owned by Minister for Information and Communications, Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta. About a foot of the building’s stair-case crumbled due to the small explosion, according to the Police Inspector, Durgalal Chaudhary.

NC convention to go ahead despite trouble

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 14 - The 10th General Convention of ruling Nepali Congress will be held as scheduled even if some of the district conventions cannot be completed before the meet in January in Pokhara, said party Spokesman Narhari Acharya.

"If the election for the district convention cannot be completed," said Acharya, "the central convention will not be affected as the number of members that cannot attend is minimal."

Acharya pointed out that there is a precedent for this practice. "Even the 1996 convention (in Kathmandu) went ahead without active members from about eight districts where convention could not be held."

Each district sends seven electors to the General Convention where they elect the party president and 50 per cent of the party’s Central Working Committee members. These electors are chosen by area representatives who, in turn, are elected by active members. Depending upon the size of a district, constituencies are formed. Bigger districts like Kathmandu and Morang have seven constituencies (a total of 49 electors each) while districts like Manang have single constituency.

At present, a raging controversy is going on in NC over anomalies in the finalisation of the list of active members.

The dissident group of former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai have accused the camp led by Prime Minister and party president Girija Prasad Koirala of issuing membership to their supporters. At the same time, Deuba-Bhattarai camp alleged their supporters have been denied the renewal of their active members.

In Kathmandu district alone the dissident group has filed 21 complaints alleging irregularity in 48 units out of a total of 111 units and has demanded re-election. The dissident leaders said on Monday that in 20 units membership certificate were distributed although election officials were not present. In 28 other units, elections were held without complying with the due election process, these leaders alleged.

Spokesman Acharya admitted that "serious complaints" have been received in Kathmandu but he added they were only two or three. "Tomorrow election will be held for these units alongwith the ten where elections have been postponed. There is no anomaly in the rest."

Acharya also said that it is usual for partymen to allege irregularities with or without proof. "However, most of the complaints are found to have no substance."

Mukunda Regmi, Coordinator of the party’s Central Election Committee told The Kathmandu Post that the committee was looking into the complaints filed and would take a decision on them soon. But he declined to say how soon. Regmi, however, said that by 28th of this month the elections for the village, district and regional levels are scheduled to be completed. He denied that the disputes would delay the General Convention.

Meanwhile, former PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and MP Omkar P. Shrestha have been elected unopposed as area representatives from Lalitpur ward number 1 and 10 respectively. Basudev Risal and Sagar Shumsher Rana too were elected unopposed from Tikathali and Bishankhu VDCs from the district. Nine others were also elected unanimously.

Meanwhile, a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court by NC general committee member Yagya Raj Angdambe could not come up for hearing today. In his writ, Angdambe said that he had been denied active membership from Ilam district because of his difference with president Koirala. He has named NC central office, central election committee, district working committee, Ilam and district election officer Ganesh Jhala as defendants. The writ is slated for its first hearing tomorrow.