Police fire at kerosene crowd

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SIRAHA, Nov 15 - Police on Wednesday fired two rounds of bullets into the air in an attempt to control angry crowds who were unable to purchase kerosene on a coupon basis from a local petrol station, police said.

An elderly man was hurt during the clashes with police. After police intervention, the excited crowd surged towards the district administration office chanting slogans against police atrocities and the incompetence of the local administration.

"My brother and I were queueing for hours to purchase kerosene sold at subsidised rate. We fled the scene as soon as the police started firing," a 12-year-old boy, Raj Kumar Mukhiya, told The Kathmandu Post.

The District Administration said that a big crowd were gathered at PK Raj Enterprises petrol station as it was the only pump which sold kerosene on coupon basis to the people of Siraha Municipality and 15 neighbouring VDCs.

The owner of the petrol station said that the anxious crowd had gathered because of rumours that the coupons they had been issued with would be invalid from next month.

To reassure the locals, the administration announced over loudspeakers that the coupons for subsidised kerosene would remain valid in the coming months.

Insurgents offer amnesty to ‘rebels’

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JUMLA, Nov 15 - The Maoists insurgents have started a campaign to recall all those who fled their homes due to Maoist threats, on the condition that they engage only in social services.

Some of the villagers from Guthichaur VDC, including the VDC Chairman, Kaman Singh Aidi, were offered amnesty by the rebels on the condition that they would not turn against the locals in future.

Maoist District Committee member and the incharge of Area No.5 of the district, Comrade Karma, said that his party had no intention of chasing anyone away from his or her home.

"It is natural that a human being commit mistakes in life. But he or she should not start out with a wrong intention," Comrade Karma said. He also pointed out that his party was going to apply the call-back policy nationwide.

Maoists urged to free NC official

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SANDHIKHARKA, Nov 15 - A press statement issued by the family of Nepali Congress Arghakhanchi District Executive Committee Secretary Shyam Nath Kashyap (Ghimire), who has been kidnapped by Maoist insurgents, has demanded his immediate release.

Kashyap, a resident of Parauti VDC ward No 1 in Arghakhanchi district, who is a representative of the Nepali Congress National Convention and President of the Commission for Resolving the Problems of Landless Squatters Arghakhanchi District Committee, was kidnapped from his home at 7:30 p.m. on Monday by a group of 50 to 60 Maoists.

In the press statement, his wife Ganga Ghimire and son Ashok Ghimire have said Kashyap was in very bad health and hoped that the Maoists would give Kashyap a new lease of life by releasing him.

Stating that Kashyap had been on medication over the last few days due to stomach ailments and also suffered mental problems, his son Ashok Ghimire also called on the Maoists to show humanity and release him without delay. He has also requested human rights organisations to secure his father’s release.

The Maoists have said they would release him after the government releases their workers arrested by Arghakhanchi police a few months ago.

No one knows the whereabouts of Kashyap who is being searched for by police, Deputy Superintendent of Police Parshuram Khatri said.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress District Committee, Commission for Resolving the Problems of the Landless Squatters Arghakhanchi District, Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Students Union District Committee and Regional Committee are holding their emergency meetings on Wednesday to discuss the kidnapping of Kashyap.

Journalists condemn Minister Chaudhari

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BIRGUNJ, Nov 15 - The Nepal Journalists Federation Parsa branch passed a resolution expressing regret against the Minister for Science and Technology, Surendra Prasad Chaudhari, for rebuking the secretary of the Federation's Parsa branch, Dipendra Chauhan.

The resolution was approved unanimously at a meeting of the Federation, presided over by the branch president, Shatrughan Nepal, on Wednesday. The Federation also decided to send the resolution to the NC party President and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala as the minister had undermined the prestige of his high position.

The resolution was handed over to the officiating Chief District Officer, Janardan Sharma, to forward it to Prime Minister Koirala.

Chauhan, who is also the Birgunj-based correspondent of Weekly Bimarsha also registered a petition with the District Police Office requesting the office to ensure the safety of his life, stating that Minister Chaudhari had threatened to kill him.

Chauhan told The Kathmandu Post that the minister had misbehaved with him and threatened to kill him on Tuesday night in connection with a news report filed recently by him.

Paubha painting show begins

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KATHMANDU, Nov 15 - An exhibition of traditional Newari paintings, rooted in strong religious and cultural belief, was inaugurated today by the Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Taka Michi Okabe.

The Nepal Art Council Gallery has on display 103 paintings of 74 both old and new generation artists. This Paubha scroll painting exhibition is organised by Nepal Bhasha Academy.

Traditionally the Paubhas -- the religious scroll paintings -- were mostly painted by artists from Chitrakar family, after observing proper rituals. However, nowadays other artists have also begun to paint the Paubhas.

Lok Chitrakar, one of the renowned traditional artist from Lalitpur told The Kathmandu Post that they are obliged to remain under the strict traditional observations. "We read the tantras, the sacred books, in which certain deity is described in the context of prayers and we try to depict those unearthly descriptions and geometric configurations into our paintings."

The artists are not free to express and depict their personal feelings into the painting. "We can only bring slight alterations in hues of the colours but we can’t make any change in the proportion or iconography," he said.

Critic Krishna Chandra Singh Pradhan said that the imprints of both the Buddhist as well as the Hindu deities is an integral part of Paubha paintings. "Though, I think, changes in the tradition is slowly seeping in."

Orientation programme held

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SIMIKOT, Nov 15 - Member of Parliament, Gorakh Bahadur Bogati, on Wednesday inaugurated an orientation programme targetted at users’ groups of the Simikot-Hilsa road, which is being sponsored by the Rural Community Infrastructure Programme.

The eight km long Yari-section of the 65-km Simikot-Hilsa road is being constructed under the Food for Work Programme of the World Food Programme (WFP).

District Development Committee Chairman, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, said that WFP’s 18 metric tons of food-stuffs had been transported to the construction site via Tibet. The DDC is providing cash to the labourers and district partnership programme of the SNV, Nepal, the Netherlands development agency, which is assisting for social mobilisation.

It is hoped that the people of this remote, mountainous district will enjoy immense socio-economic benefits after the completion of the road.

Accidents increasing in Siraha district

LAHAN, Nov l5 (RSS) - The increasing number of road vehicles, haphazard parking, lack of knowledge about traffic regulations and over loading of vehicles have resulted in a steady increase in the number of road accidents in Siraha district.

According to the district traffic police office, l96 traffic accidents occurred in the district last year and 30 people lost their lives. Another l64 were injured.

The previous year, the district saw l20 road accidents which also claimed 30 lives. There were also 96 injured.

The 42 km stretch of road from Bandipur to Balan is black-topped and although the load capacity of the road is l0 tons, vehicles carrying l5 to 20 tons ply the road.

During last fiscal year, action was taken against l,630 vehicles and Rs l0l,752 was realised in fines.

Faith-healing takes life

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NUWAKOT, Nov 15 - A pregnant woman died here on Monday morning after her husband, a traditional faith healer, did not take her to hospital when she had problems delivering her baby.

Phursa Rai, 30, the wife of Thule (Chaure) Rai, resident of Bidur municipality ward No 6 in Nuwakot district could not deliver the baby when labour pain started. Her husband did not listen to the advice of his neighbours to take her to the health post or hospital.

Instead of carrying her to a hospital, he administered his own cure called jharphuk at their home. Eventually, she died after three days of labour pain.

She,however, had visited the hospital from time to time throughout her pregnancy. When she started feeling labour pain, she requested that her husband take her to the hospital but he refused due to their poverty.