Army deployment underway as part of ISDP plan

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 29 - The government has begun preparation to deploy the Royal Nepal Army in Maoist-affected districts, highly placed government sources told The Kathmandu Post on Sunday.

"We have begun the preparation works. The army will reach the districts in about two weeks," a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. He added that the deployment was part of the government’s Integrated Security and Development Package (ISDP) that is being implemented in seven rural western districts - Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Salyan, Gorkha, Pyuthan and Kalikot.

The army deployment comes amid growing uncertainty about the role of the soldiers in the ISDP, especially after Commander-in-Chief Prajwalla Shumsher Rana’s controversial remarks last week calling for national consensus before army deployment.

But a senior government minister today ruled out such uncertainty. "The army will do as ordered by the National Defence Council as is provided in the Constitution," he said. "And the order has already been given to deploy them in the Maoist-affected districts. Besides, the ISDP, through which the army is being sent to the districts, has been given approval by His Majesty the King."

The ISDP is an ambitious Rs 400 million package that aims to kick-start development works in the seven districts where rebel activity has been most troublesome. The development work is small to begin with, such as constructing link roads, bridges, drinking water taps, helping in medicine delivery and general administrative work, but could grow over the years.

The army will help create space for the development activity by throwing a security umbrella in the districts, which could call for offensive operations against the Maoist rebels. "If need be, the soldiers will also go after the rebels to disarm them," said Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel said that the Armed Police Force, which has already been set up through a royal ordinance, will coordinate with the soldiers in the district in the security operations. Despite the arcane security operations, the emphasis of the ISDP is overwhelmingly on development, however. "The package aims to win the hearts and minds of the people," Poudel said.

While momentum towards army mobilization builds, government leaders are at pains to point out that the ISDP is without any malice even towards the Maoists. "Our Constitution is broad enough to accommodate even Maoist views. It doesn’t stop anyone from believing in Maoism, but you cannot incite violence in the name of Maoism. You cannot resort to violence against those who do not subscribe to your beliefs," Defence Minister Acharya said.

Gorkha to be model ISDP program

KATHMANDU, April 29 (PR) - The Integrated Security and Development Plan (ISDP) recently unveiled by the government will be implemented by an Internal Security and Development Committee headed by the Prime Minister and would mainly focus on the 22 districts, which are identified as the Maoist-activity prone ones. Divided in three phases, the programs will be carried out during fiscal years 2001/2002 and 2002/2003.

According to a blueprint of the ISDP obtained by The Kathamandu Post, others in the Committee include, Special Secretary of the government as the Member Secretary, and Deputy Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defense Minister, Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, Information and Communication Minister, Local Development Minister, and Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) as Members.

The Committee’s meeting will be held every month and there will be four sub-committees under it - Political Sub Committee headed by DPM, Publicity Sub-Committee headed by Minister for Information and Communication, Integrated Development Program Management and Coordination Sub-Committee headed by NPC Vice Chairman and Security Sub-Committee headed by Chief of the Army Staff.

The target districts where the first phase programs under the ISDP are scheduled to start immediately include, Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan Jajarkot and Kalikot in the Mid Western Region, and Pyuthan, Gorkha, Kavrepalanchok, Ramechhap, Lamjung, Dhading, Dolpa, Jumla, Sindhupalchok, Sindhuli, Nuwakot, Dailekh, Baglung, Myagdi, Tanahun and Achham elsewhere in the country.

Under the second-phase, infrastructure development works will be speeded up in Salyan, Rolpa, Rukum, Kalikot, Jajarkot and Pyuthan districts, while all kinds of programs that may be necessary will be carried in Gorkha. The government plans to develop Gorkha, the home district of Maoist General Secretary Prachanda, as a model district in terms of integrated development programs and security arrangements.

Royal Nepal Army personnel will be charged with the infrastructure and road development programs in the four districts.

The programs will be implemented jointly by the district and local level government bodies, which will be supervised by the Chief District Officer and coordinated by the Regional Administrator and ultimately the Sub-Committees and the Committees of the government. Various non-governmental organizations active in the districts will also be encouraged and supported to carry out their programs.

The necessary government staff including those charged with maintaining law and order situation will be immediately dispatched to the districts under the first phase program, while existent and necessary programs with special emphasis on agriculture, medicinal herbs, forestry, women empowerment, education, health, drinking water sanitation would be launched in the second phase.

In the third phase, long-term programs aimed at bringing the backwater districts to the mainstream of national development would be identified and subsequently implemented.

An additional budget of Rs 150 million will be required to carry out the programs under the first and second phase of ISDP. Gorkha district - which is being developed as a model district - alone could require Rs 49.5 million while the another Rs 254.2 million would be required for the other six districts, namely Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan, Kalikot, Jajarkot and Pyuthan.

Just recently, the government has endorsed a policy for setting up an integrated fund, which will be responsible for allocating funds to the development projects and garnering public support and mobilizing them in the development endeavors. The government plans to ensure transparency, accountability, respect to democratic norms and values and compliance of financial rules and regulations while implementing the programs.

Armymen threaten party activists

By Kedar Ojha

KATHMANDU, April 29- Armymen today took possession of the army vehicle which was held by the leaders and the activists of six left parties who are protesting against the mis-use of government vehicles and warned not to dare repeat such action again.

The warning came after the activists of the left parties snatched the key of the vehicle driven by Col. Krishna Bahadur Tamang at Ratna Park. Some armymen went immediately to the place where the incident took place and warned the activists not to interfere with the army vehicles again.

Six left parties have been protesting against the government officials for their mis-use of the government vehicles.

Major Prayog Jung Rana, leading the team of armymen went to the place where the incident took place and raised questions like, who is responsible for holding a vehicle and why is it being held. Nobody dared to answer the questions. Amik Sherchan who was standing nearby to protest the mis-use was found dumbfounded. " If this happens again, the consequences might be serious," threatened Major Rana after getting back the key.

Six left parties made public, when they declared the movement, that they will interfere not only with the government vehicles but also with the army and police vehicles when they are on a patrol without a pass to run during public holidays.

According to the some activists, the driver was not in the uniform and there was no pass to operate the vehicle during public holidays.

Likewise, in the same place where the incident took place, DIG of central zone, Rabi Kanta Aryal’s vehicle was also stopped by the activists for operating without a pass.

Similarly, activists have also stopped the government vehicles of Minister of State, Gopal Rai, Speaker Taranath Rana Bhat, chief district officer. They held over 50 vehicles of different government officials. On the first day itself, over 40 vehicles were held by the activists.

Police man handle agitating nurses

By Pragya Ghimire

KATHMANDU, April 29 - The Police had to intervene to end the scuffling between the protesting nurses and patients at the Bir Hospital today. Hundreds of nurses and patients were manhandled and abused by the policemen called to break the stand-off.

However the nurses strike continues for the fourth day, with the concerned authorities doing their best to fulfil their demands.

The doctors, at the hospital, are on 24 hours health and nursing services duty. The emergency ward has been affected to a great extent and no outdoor patients have admitted to the hospital.

With just 65 patients, admitted in the wards, the hospital looks almost vacant. All emergency and serious patients have been transferred or diverted to other hospital and nursing homes in the valley.

The nurses demanded that the government retain the allowance facility that they had been receiving prior to the last year’s salary increment and that Rs 125 be made available as food allowance for 12 hours night duty.

The agitating nurses have called on nurses, working in all the hospital nation-wide, to support the nursing association and join the agitation from tomorrow.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has assigned four-member team to look into the matter immediately. The team includes Ministry’s Special Secretaries Dr. Somnath Aryal and Bijaya KC, Joint Secretary Rewati Raj Kafle and Under Secretary Tanka Mani Sharma.

The Ministry Officials say that the team needs time to study and recommend on the ongoing problem.

Special Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health were not available for their comments.

A Senior Nurse says, "We are still providing minimal emergency service and the four deaths on Friday is not due to the current strike."

Ram Prasad Sharma, 45, who admitted his son, Prasant Sharma, to emergency ward, says, " Doctors said the condition of my son, a kidney patient, is very serious. So I transferred him to Patan hospital seeing the worsening situation as very few nurses attend the wards".

Meanwhile, Bam Dev Gautam, General Secretary and the leader of CPN (ML) issued a press release urging the concerned authorities to solve the problem a soon as possible.

Medicos angry over Licensing Exams

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 29 - New medical doctors and those doing their internships today blamed the government for introducing licensing examinations without proper homework merely to harass the genuine junior medical doctors.

The junior doctors claim that Nepal Medical Council (NMC) is not clear about its licensing examinations, as it has still not clarified on how it is going to conduct it. "The tentative date for the examination is set for Jestha 20 (Nepali calendar) and the syllabus has not yet been released," said Dr Dilli Bhurtel, co-ordinator of a working committee of all intern doctors at a press conference today.

"NMC has no proper protocol regarding holding of the examinations. Just telling us there would be an examination is a serious attempt to harass us," said Dr Jayendra Bajracharya, another member of the committee.

The junior doctors say that NMC is not clear regarding the objectives of licensing examination. "If standardisation is their goal then examination should be held for all who are directly involved in the medical field, not only for ones who apply for NMC registration," states a press release distributed today.

They claim that they are being made scapegoats in the name of licensing and standardisation.

The junior doctors stress that the (NMC) should immediately register them as temporary doctors after they furnish to the NMC the certificate of completion of internship.

The junior doctors claim that they are not against the licensing examinations but are against the process which is being imposed on them.

NMC’s Registrar Anil Kumar Misra however says that such a registration is required to ensure quality among the incoming doctors. He says that the syllabus for the upcoming licensing examination is ready and will be released soon. All doctors who applied for registration after Falgun 18, 2057 are required to sit for the licensing examination. And, those who applied before that date are exempted from it. The Cabinet had passed the decision to conduct the licensing examinations.