10 schools to get libraries

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KATHMANDU, Aug 19 - The Nepal-Finland Society currently implements Democratic Education and Library Development Project at ten high schools of Palpa and Kavrepalanchok Districts. This was made public during the Certificates Distribution Ceremony held in the Capital, today.

The project targets rural youths at developing awareness in democratic environment.

It is greatly hoped that through this program, the participants shall be able to gain valuable knowledge and experince about the functioning of the multi-party democracy and the rights and the responsibilities of a responsible citizen in a democratic society. The second component of this program is to establish ten well equipped libraries in the ten selected schools. It aims that a library with 900 to 1,000 hard cover books and all the necessary equipment required for the operation of a proper library shall be established.

The establishment of the libraries in these schools shall immensely help in understanding the young Parliament, and go along way in helping students and teachers by furthering their knowledge about the multi-party democracy, human rights, legal sysytem among others.

‘Save Kamaiya tradition, culture through sweeping law’

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KATHMANDU, Aug 19 - Social activists and lawmakers today called for a comprehensive legislation to re-settle and rehabilitate the freed Kamaiyas and thus help address their cultural and social obligations.

The theme was concluded at an interaction program on " The Act relating to Kamaiya Labor ( Prohibition) " organized by Kamaiya Movement Mobilization Committee.

Commenting on the Bill, the participants said it was made at a time when the freedom of Kamaiya was the main agenda. But, now it is shifted to rehabilitation and resettlement of the freed Kamaiyas. Therefore, they called for overhauling of the Bill before it becomes law.

Speaking on the occasion, parliamentarian Urwa Datta Pant said the freed Kamaiyas would prefer to receive land if the aim of the revolutionary land reform announced by the Prime Minister is aimed at distribution of land.

Another lawmaker Umakanta Chaudhary warned against the misappropriation of means and resources in the name of Kamaiyas.

Most of the speakers agreed that Kamaiyas have greater attachment to land where they have been living. So, they should be provided with land there instead of displacing them to another place. This will help in protecting their indigenous values, culture together with their economic development.

Speaking from the chair Pramod Kaphley of Group of International Solidarity (GRENSO) Nepal, said Kamaiyas could not be deemed as freed unless the Bill addresses the problems of indigenous people and dalits.

Other speakers of the program were Prem Parajuli, Eak Raj Chaudhary, Sunil Chaudhary, Shiva Bhusal, Rudra Raj Sharma and Dilli Chaudhary among others.

Idleness, obesity cause for many diseases

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KATHMANDU, Aug 19 - The excessive weight-gain is also an important cause for various diseases and hormonal disbalance, experts here said today.

Professor Dr. D.B. Karki, Head of Department at Kathmandu Medical College, says, "Obesity causes various serious diseases like Cancer, Sugar, Blood Pressure, Heart ailment, Rheumatism, stones among others primarily due to Nepali peoples’ negligence towards their health."

"Laziness, excessive eating, alcoholism, sleeping for long hours and irregular exercise are the main factors which cause the excessive weight-gain", added Dr. Karki.

Body weight should be balanced according to the height and structure of each person. The ideal weight for a 1.6 metre height should be 51-64 kilograms for men but women having same height should be between 49 - 61 kilograms, Dr. Karki said. Doctor said, Regular exercise, daily work and balanced diet keeps a person healthy and free from disease.

Disabled demand addressing of their problem

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KATHMANDU, Aug19 - National Federation of the Disabled (NFD) at a press conference held here today expressed their unhappiness towards the government for undermining the problems of the disabled by excluding their issue even in the Prime Minister’s recent declaration in the Parliament.

The government on Thursday made a historic declaration which promised to uplift the backward section of the society, particularly the Dalits and women, in a bid towards the formation of an equal society. However, the declaration failed to address the problem of the disabled.

"It seems that the government feels no responsibility towards the problem of about 2.4 million disables nationwide," said Muniswor Pandey, the president of the NFD, requesting the government to "include the problems of the disabled in the declaration, since we are also the members of the imagined society with equal rights". "Until our issues are addressed government’s goal can not be materialized," he added.

He also asked the government to make reservations for the disabled in different fields of society. The NFD also asked the Maoists to raise their problems in the forthcoming peace talk with the government.

Human rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar criticized political parties for not including any programs to uplift the disabled in their manifestoes. He conceded the fact that even Human Rights activists have failed to raise disable’s issues even after the restoration of the multi-party democracy.

Tuladhar also underlined the need of a Human Rights Organization to look after the Human Rights violation of the disabled, promising to convey the disables’ problems to the Maoists and to request them to raise the issue during the fothcoming peace talks.

Meanwhile, the NFD is going to submit a eight-point demand on August 21 to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, demanding a National Disabled Policy along with the formation of a National Commission for the Disabled.

Besides the immediate declaration of a twenty-year plan for the up-liftment of the disabled, the NFD has demanded free education up to college level for the disables, NFD president Pandey informed the reporters presented at the press conference.

Landslide kills two, buries nine houses

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MYAGDI, Aug 19 - Heavy rain that lashed the district on the night of August 17 triggered landslide in Rum VDC-1 killing two people and burying nine houses in the debris.

Those killed in the landslide are Bal Bahadur Pun, 80, and his wife. Their bodies were recovered and cremated on Sunday, Member of Myagdi DDC Tirthendra Gauchan informed by telephone.Apart from burying nine houses, the landslide also damaged 15 houses. According to the secretary of Rum VDC, the landslide has buried 35 domestic animals and 60 households have been affected as a result of the landslide.

In Darbang, ward no. 2 of the same VDC, a drinking water tank was also swept away by the the landslide. The landside has also washed away an-80-metre-long suspension bridge in ward no. 9 and affected Sanimkhola Small Electricity Project disrupting the power supply in the area.

The people affected by the landslide have gone to the neighbouring village and no arrangement has been made to provide them with food and shelter.

According to the information received from Chairman of the Red Cross Society Dr Bhupendra Bahadur, the first team of the Red Cross has left Darbang for the affected area with supplies like biscuits and noodles and another team will leave shortly with relief materials like tent and clothes.

Chief District Officer Mathur Prasad Yadav told The Kathmandu Post that the team of District Natural Calamity Relief Committee will visit the affected site on Sunday.

Landless squatters occupy forest land

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GULARIYA, Aug 19 - Landless people have illegally occupied nearly 600 hectares of forest land under the jurisdiction of Bardiya District Forest Office.

The government forest area in Bardiya district covers 33,452 hectares of land. According to Bardiya District Forest Office, the landless squatters have erected temporary huts at Bangaiphanta of Dhadhabar, Manikapur of Magaragadi, two Phanta of Banibhar, Dhanaura Phanta of Dhodhari and Neulapur Phanta. According to District Forest Officer Gopal Baskota, it is estimated that about 5,000 people are living in more than 4,000 huts.

As the temporary huts have been constructed at different seven places, it is not possible to go there alone or in a small group and evict them from the government land, forest employees say.

Efforts were made several times to remove them from the forest but as they have received political support, attempts to evict them from forest land failed every time, forest sources told The Kathmandu Post.

A group of forest office employees led by assistant forest officer Shiva Wagle had visited the forest encroachers about two months ago.

The team was taken by the landless squatters under their control for some time and was allowed to go on the condition that they would not visit the area again.

Immediately after this incident, another team comprising the Chief District Officer, Superintendent of Police and District Forest Officer visited the area occupied by the illegal squatters who gheraoed them for some time and later allowed them to leave on the condition that they would never visit the site again.

Preparation was made to remove them from the forest land shortly after the visit of this team, but the team was unable to remove them due to the pressure from the district level ruling party leaders, an employee said on condition of anonymity.

According to the forest source, preparations are under way to hold talks with all sides soon including the ruling side, to find out a solution to the problem.

The source further says that the centre has ordered the forest office to remove those who have captured the national forest irrespective of whether the talks with them are successful or not. The source says the task of evicting the illegal occupants of the forest has been delayed because of lack of vehicles, manpower and budget.

These people have been living in the temporary huts erected by them in the forest area in the name of landless people over the last five months.

Govt official sends letter to Maoists

ROLPA, Aug 19 (PR) -A letter has been sent to Maoist district secretary by National Investigation Commission district chief on behalf of the district administration office expressing the desire to meet and hold talks with them, according to a reliable source.

This is the first time that there has been an official communication between the Maoists and the district administration in this district, where the Maoists’ ‘people’s war’ had started for the first time six years ago.

The district administration wanted to meet the Maoist leaders face to face at a safe place and resolve the problems facing the district through mutual discussion and dialogue with them, the source said.

The letter was sent to "Sijal", the district committee secretary of the Maoists. He has also responded positively by sending a reply through the telephone of the DDC. He has said since they are busy they may inform later regarding their meeting.

According to DDC vice-president Dalbir Pun, the Maoists have asked the district administration to perform their duty to the people without obstruction and in a transparent way. "He also asked us to function properly," the DDC vice-chairman said.