Landslide victims yet untraced

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MORANG, Aug 14 - The 17 people who were buried under the landslide in Prapcha and Shreechaur VDCs of Okhaldhunga have not been found as yet.

According to Okhaldhunga District Police Office, the 17 people missing after the landslide are Tulasa Pokhrel, Pancha Bahadur Sarki, Khadga Bahadur Sarki, Hira Lal Sarki, Amrit Bahadur Sarki, Kumari Sarki, Kale Sarki, Bhola Sarki and Karna Maya Sunuwar of Prapcha VDC.

Similarly, others missing after the landslide are Bishnu Bahadur Bika, Goma Bika, Tek Bahadur Sarki, Devi Prasad Nepal, Sabire Biswokarma, Rudra Bahadur Sarki of Shreechaur VDC, Gopal Sarki of Katunje VDC and Hom Bahadur Bhujel of Harkapur VDC.

Relatives of all the 17 victims are performing the last rites declaring that they are dead, but the police are still continuing the search.

The landslide had buried 23 people as they were walking on Thursday evening. Three people were rescued alive and the bodies of three people were found.

Shah said the 17 were declared dead after the limbs and different parts of bodies of some people were found in the rubble.

DDC vice-president Harka Bahadur Rai told The Kathmandu Post that relatives of the 20 victims were given Rs 10,000 for each victim by the District Natural Calamity Relief team while Okhaldhunga DDC gave Rs 1,000 each. Similarly, the Red Cross and other organisations also distributed clothes, foodgrain and other relief materials to relatives of the victims.

Apart from the death of 20 people, the landslide also caused property loss to about 15 million rupees. According to DDC vice-president Rai,the landslide swept away paddy land in ward nos. 4,6,8 and 9 of Prapcha VDC and ward nos. 1 and 2 in Shreechaur VDC where farmers used to grow about 1,000 muris of rice. It also damaged five major irrigation and five drinking water projects and engulfed 11 houses.

Likewise, 35 families in Prapcha VDC and 15 families in Shreechaur VDC have been rendered landless following the landslide. People are facing a shortage of drinking water and problem to irrigate their land in both VDCs.

Cow gives birth to two-headed calf

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TEHRATHUM (Atharai), Aug 14 - Although it sounds strange, a cow belonging to Padam Prasad Purkuti of Atharai Sakrantibazaar VDC-9, about 22 miles east of the district headquarters, has recently given birth to a two-headed calf.

One head is big and black while another head is small and white in colour. The calf born seven days ago is alive, but employees of local Livestock Service Centre say it will not survive for a long time.

Similarly, a cow belonging to Khadanand Dhungana of Samthang in Khamlalung VDC-9 has been yielding milk to his owner over the last nine years although she had given birth to a calf only nine years ago. She continues to give milk regularly both in the morning and evening.

A large number of people are thronging to see the two-headed calf and the cow who has been yielding milk regularly for nine years.

Dhungana says, "The cow had given birth in the year 2049 BS (1992). The first calf of the cow born nine years ago has given birth to her calves four times but her mother continues to give milk without ever giving birth to any calf after that."

The cow gives five litres of milk including in the morning and evening and the income generated by selling the milk is enough to meet his daily expenses, he added.

A large number of people continue to throng the villages to see the unique cow all through the day and disturb Dhungana in his daily routine. " I am tired of giving information about the cow. Sometimes, people continue to pour in from morning to evening and prevent me from cutting grass for the cow. At this, I get irritated, but I am glad that I own a "kamadhenu" (the wish-fulfilling cow).

‘Water tank poinsoned’

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CHAUTARA, Aug 14 - An unidentified person secretly added deadly poison into a water vessel owned by police in a bid to kill all the 60 policemen stationed at Sangachowk, the District Police Office here said today.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rabiraj Shrestha, suspected that the poison must have been added in the absence of a police cook who had left the vessel on the public tap for a while.

Cook at the post Birendra Parajuli said that he saw one of the corks of the three empty poison bottles floating on the water pot when he returned to the tap to collect the vessel. He added that all the bottles were found sunk into the water.

DSP Shrestha said that the policemen by chance escaped a major casualty on police side. He added that they were investigating the matter seriously.

Police did not rule out the possibility that the Maoist rebels could be behind poisoning the water in a bid to kill them at once. The police outpost which lies about 15 km away from the district headquarters is a Maoist stronghold.

Distributors begin to return liquors

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DANG, Aug 14 - Hundreds of thousands of rupees worth of alcohol was returned by the distributors of Dang to their dealers on Monday and Tuesday after the All Nepal Women’s Association (Revolutionary), the sister organisation of the underground CPN (Maoist), announced that they would launch a campaign to ban use of alcohol from the country.

The association announced that it will start the campaign to rid the country of alcohol from the 17th of August.

Pratibha Traders Tulsipur and its branch at Ghorahi, the distributor of San Miguel beer and Tiger beer returned 596 cases of beer to the company on Monday, Pramod Paudel, proprietor of Pratibha Traders, told The Kathmandu Post.

Similarly, Ghorahi-based distributor of Sharada Distillery Siraha, and Sidhubaba Distillery Bhairahawa, Tank Singh Budhathoki, said he also returned six thousand cases of alcohol valued at about Rs 400,000 to the company on Monday.

Budhathoki added that they were negotiating with the company to return to the company the remaining quantity of alcohol lying in stock in the district.

In the same way, Krishna K.C., proprietor of Amrit Traders and Dang-based distributor of Tuborg beer also said discussions were being held with the company to return the beer lying in stock in the district. He, however, holds the view that the quantity of beer, which has already been distributed, should be allowed to sell. People engaged in liquor trade consider that the campaign of eliminating alcohol from the country will have a tremendous negative impact on the national economy although many view the campaign positively in the direction of banishing social evils.

During fiscal year 1999/2000, Tulsipur Tax Office collected revenue worth 9.745 million rupees as excise duty, whereas it drastically declined to 2.627 million rupees in the FY 2000/2001 after Rapti Distillery was shut down. Now with the legally imported alcohol also returned back, excise duty income will be almost zero.

Moreover, hundreds of people in district will be unemployment as a result of this campaign.

Chairman of Dang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dharma Raj Shrestha, says this is a common nation problem and proper solution should be found to address it.

3 houses , paddy field damaged by landslide

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JAJARKOT, Aug 14 - Three houses collapsed and a large tract of paddy field covered by sand in Khalanga, the district headquarters following the torrential rainfall and the consequent landslide on Monday.

Chairman of Khalanga VDC Top Bahadur Thapa told The Kathmandu Post that the three houses which collapsed during the heavy rain belong to Dhuleswor Karki of Risang Garapani in Khalanga-6, Ram Bahadur Shahi of Syala in Khalanga-2 and Sur Bahadur Rokaya of Thanti Bazaar in Khalanga-2.

Property worth about Rs 400,000 was destroyed, but fortunately none was hurt during the house collapse.

Landslide, which occurred just below the District Administration Office, damaged the drinking water pipeline and covered the planted paddy field with. The paddy field, which normally produced about 12 tons of paddy, belonged to nine local families.

Cracks have been noticed along the Tika Bazaar main road leading to Chaurjahari. Other roads have also been damaged at different places.

VDC chairman loses post in vote recount

RAUATAHAT, Aug 14 (PR) - Ram Dev Raya Yadav, elected as the chairman of Pipra Rajbada VDC during the last local body election has been defeated by 10 votes when the votes were re-counted by the Rautahat District Court, Sunday.

He was elected VDC chairman as a Nepali Congress candidate with a majority of 8 votes. His nearest rival, Kishuni Shah of CPN (UML), had filed a case with the special court alleging that the election had been rigged.

In response to the case filed by Shah, the Supreme Court had ordered Gaur District Court to count the votes again. Shah who was defeated by 8 votes in the election was declared winner by 10 votes after the recounting by the district court.

Ram Dev Raya Yadav has already left the Nepali Congress and joined the CPN (UML) while Kishuni Shah has joined Nepali Congress even before the court verdict was made in his favour.

Include sex education in curriculum

By Ghanashyam Ojha

KATHMANDU, Aug14- Sarita (name changed), 36, an HIV-AIDS victim, and she recalls those days now, she curses the time and the surroundings she was brought up. She had grown in a very rigid and traditional society. Sex education in such milieu was beyond dream. Lack of proper sex education made Sarita fall prey to the deadliest disease, AIDS.

"Had I been aware of it during my childhood, I might not have had to fight a losing battle for life now", says Sarita with tear-filled eyes.

"It was time when growing children could hardly ever talk to the elders overtly about sex. They were compelled to conceal innumerable anxieties that erupted with the age. Talking about sex and sex-related subjects was a taboo", says Anuradha Koirala, who has been running the shelter group "Maiti Nepal" in the Capital for the AIDS-affected and socially victimized women.

"Such old fashioned trend deep-rooted in our society causes many youths to fall victim to unsafe sex and abuse of drugs, which rewarded them with AIDS", she adds.

In course of raising awareness among children, the role of state owned Nepal Television (NTV) and Radio Nepal can play equally important role.

Sushma Gautam, executive producer of " Children Program" in NTV claims that the programs, broadcast by NTV focusing on children during past few years have proved much fruitful.

"The programs like "Hello Kids"," Swasthya jigyasha (Health query)", "Indreni" are drawing more children’s participation and we hope the children will make best use of it in future too," says Gautam.

She says that NTV is very soon launching a new program called "Children Court", which will deal with children-related problems.

"Children, will use such programs as a common platform to raise issues of child abuses with lawyer present in front of them and try to get their problems answered or solved", says Gautam. Children, on the other, opine that they have been under constant pressure. Saling Terva, a tenth grade student complains that both parents and teachers pressurize them. According to her parents and teachers are yet being more cooperative to address their issues.

"Our parents and teachers are concerned with only the marks we obtain in the exams, more marks we score, more admiration we can get but once we fail our exams, we must be ready to face abuses from both parents and the teachers," complains Salina desperately.

" Instead of hitting sharp criticisms upon our failures, parents and teachers should try to know why a child is doing so, why he/she is falling behind", suggests Salina.

Children in many parts of the kingdom have initiated activities focusing on the social malpractice. Some of the energetic children in Jhapa, eastern Nepal, have recently launched a child magazine. Children in Dharan have been running a child magazine for the past few years with their own resources.

"These are much commendable works children have been actively involving themselves into", appreciates Anuradha Koirala.

With the view to raise awareness among children Budhanilkantha School in the Capital has been organizing various awareness programs annually for the past few years. According to N. P. Sharma, Principal, the School recently organized a mock SAARC conference before the onset of the SAARC Secretarial meet in Sri Lanka. Yadav Kanta Silwal, former SAARC secretary general was invited as the chief guest in the program.

"Children will be more responsible and will get sound knowledge of such current affairs too with such programs", hopes Sharma.

The most interesting part of the program, Sharma recalls, was that the children, representing SAARC nations, dressed up in traditional costumes of the SAARC countries and also tried to speak the language of the respective countries.

"We have found that the program yields much more effective result and we will continue such programs in future too", adds Sharma.

Anuradha Koirala further stresses that there should be a separate sex education classes in schools and it should be included in the curriculum. "School is the place where children spend maximum amount of their time and learn new things.

So it is very effective to begin sex awareness programs from schools itself," adds Koirala.

" However, it would be better if we could include parents, teachers along with students in such programmes and initiate it from home too", suggests Koirala.