Kerosene crisis in Jhapa

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BHADRAPUR, Oct 2 - There is an acute shortage of kerosene in Jhapa district on the eve of Dasain and Tihar, two great festivals of Nepal.

The shortage was experienced since few days ago but it has been found that the price hike in petroleum prices in India two days ago has further exacerbated the situation despite the fact that Jhapa District administration, Nepal Oil Corporation Jhapa Office and police are actively trying to ensure regular supply of kerosene at the local market.

A customer of Bhadrapur, Govind Chhetri, said he visited different shops for a little quantity of kerosene but shop-keepers kept him directing from one shop to another in vain.

The kerosene sent to Pancha Kanya Oil Traders and Prakash Traders four days ago has not arrived yet by Monday.

When the district administration was contacted to explain the situation Assistant Chief District Officer Beni Madhav Gyawali said the matter had been discussed with chief of the Oil Corporation in the district Nakul Bhandari and he had been asked to remove the scarcity of kerosene without delay. He pledged that the acute shortage would be removed without delay.

As there is an open border between Nepal and India and people can easily reach the Indian border town in 10 minutes on foot there is every possibility that some quantity of kerosene will reach the Indian market no matter how strict the authorities are, but if sincere effort is made to check smuggling of kerosene to India there will be no crisis of kerosene at the local market.

The crisis of kerosene, which is used as cooking fuel at the bazaar area and lighting purpose in the rural area, has pushed up the price to an unprecedented level. Though the real price is Rs 13 per litre it is difficult to get kerosene for Rs 30 per litre, Mohali Rajbamsi, a 55-year-old farmer of Kerabari, about 30 kilometres south of Bhadrapur said.

Though businessmen say there is scarcity of kerosene, customers, however, suspect that this is an artificial scarcity created by the businessmen because they want to sell kerosene at the black-market in India where the price of this commodity has increased.

In the light of this situation, there is a need to ensure smooth flow of kerosene to the district on the one hand and maintain strict vigilance to control smuggling on the other.

Nepali gold, silver crafts under threat

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HETAUDA, Oct 2 - Traditionally acclaimed Nepali gold and silver crafts which are entirely attached to Nepalese culture are at stake because of the presence of foreign goldsmiths in Nepalese markets, local goldsmiths here say.

Nepali goldsmiths are also worried about their future after the Nepali gold and silver dealers started hiring foreign craftsmen, specially the Bengalis, in their enterprises, locals say.

Local craftsmen complain that foreign goldsmiths, who are less acquainted with Nepali culture, not only interfere with their locally available employment but also introduce those gold ornaments that are completely alien to the aesthetic value of Nepali culture.

Local gold and silver dealers, however, maintain that they are forced to hire skilled foreign hands to cope up with the changing perception of the Nepali customers, who hardly take heed of the traditional Nepali ornaments.

Local craftsmen only skilled in traditional gold ornaments lag behind modern arts on ornaments, gold dealers say. Local goldsmiths say they need adequate training on the art of modern ornaments so that they can come up with the current perception of aesthetic value in gold and silver ornaments.

Relief aid to former Kamaiyas

DHANGADHI, Oct. 2(RSS)- Nepal Red Cross Society, Kailali district branch has distributed Rs 634,00 worth of relief materials and Rs 12,000 in cash to various persons and institutions so far this year. According to the Red Cross branch, Rs 366,000 worth of relief materials were distributed to  former Kamaiya families dwelling in temporary camps at Dhanagadhi, Patharaiya, Urma, Dododhara, Baliya, Masuriya, Chaumala, Malakheti and Tikapur.

The relief materials thus distributed include blankets, dhoti, cloths and tents.

Besides, bed sheets and mattresses worth Rs 4,000 and Rs 10,000 were provided to Seti zonal hospital, Dhanagadhi, and Tikapur health centre respectively to help in the treatment of encephalitis patients.

Likewise, blankets, utensil, tents, clothing material and readymade garments worth Rs 102,660 were provided to 72 fire-affected families of Thapapur, Kharala, Mohnyal, Sahajpur, Kotatulsipur and Tikapur.

In addition to this, it also distributed Rs 155,000 worth of relief materials to 243 flood-affected families of Narayanpur, Dhanasinghpur, Fulbari, Mohanyal, Nigali, Khairala and Sahajpur.

Case filed against contempt of court

ILAM, Oct 2 (PR) - Bar Unit of Ilam Appellate Court filed here Monday a case against the Chief District Officer and senior police officials accusing them of ignoring the court's repeated orders to release two alleged Maoist students from illegal detention, according to Bar Secretary Bal Kumar Katuwal.

Bar Secretary Katuwal stated in his petition that Dhirendra Sharma and Laxmi Devi Neupane, chairman and vice-chairman of Maoist student wing--All Nepal National Free Students' Union (Revolutionary)--were arrested time and again despite the court's order to release them from detention.

Earlier, the Appellate Court had ordered the District Administration to release the students from detention in the first week of August but they were re-arrested.  After their re-arrest, the relatives of the students filed a writ of habeas corpus in the court, which, once again, ordered the concerned authority to free them from the detention on Sept 18. However, a group of plain-clothed-police re-arrested them as soon as they came out of the court after being released.

Initially, the police had arrested the accused charging them with raising funds for their organisation at the local market.

Maoists disconnect phone lines

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BESISAHAR (Lamjung), Oct 2 - Maoist insurgents today disconnected a mass-line telephone service and destroyed a Public Communications Office (PCO) at remote Gilung Village Development Committee, lying north-west of about 12 hours of walking distance from Lamjung district headquarters, according to locals. All nine VDCs of this remote northern hill district have been deprived of communications facilities during the Dasain festival because of the disruption of services.

According to the locals, the Maoists destroyed the mass-line telephone and PCO the day after they killed eight policemen at Bhorletar VDC on Sept 26.

A local said the rebels must have destroyed the telephone service to keep the assaults, they were likely to launch against their opponents, secret in the area.