Emergency to continue till Maoists defeated: PM

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KATHMANDU, Dec 10 – Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today said that the state of emergency would continue until the Maoist terrorists are defeated and disarmed.

He also hinted the possibility of issuing "some orders" from the King to ease the problems that might have caused due to the state of emergency.

"Until and unless the Maoists are defeated and disarmed, the emergency will continue," said the Prime Minister.

"If there are problems caused by the emergency, the King may issue "orders" easing them," he said. He, however, did not give details about it. "We will go on easing the problems caused by the emergency," he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to political parties and friendly countries for supporting the emergency.

Speaking on the occasion, he lauded the role of the press for helping the government responding in a self-control and matured way. "I would like to extend thanks to the press for their co-operation during the present state of emergency."

On the occasion, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also reiterated the government’s commitment for directing the ongoing state of emergency towards the "terrorists and its aides", and not towards any political party or citizen of a civil society.

He said, "The government is conscious of making the emergency fruitful," he said.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a one-day workshop on the Role and Responsibility of Media Personnel in the Present Situation organised by the National Union of Journalists.

At the programme, the Prime Minister also assured the gathering of politicians and journalists to bring transparency in the "activities" of the government during the emergency.

Other politicians from opposition parties and media persons speaking at the workshop said that the government should not have declared the emergency as there were ample legal provisions that could allow the mobilisation of the army. They also expressed worries over the suspension of people’s fundamental rights in the emergency. They also asked the government to terminate the emergency period as soon as possible.

Leader of the opposition CPN-UML Khadga Prasad Oli, speaking at the same programme, said that the government could mobilise all security wings being confined in the Constitution. "Government could mobilise the army even without declaring the emergency since the Constitution has given the government the authority to use army for maintaining peace and security in the country".

He expressed disagreement over the emergency saying, "Our party has not supported the emergency as the government could take the present actions against the Maoists even in the situation of not declaring the emergency".

He also criticised the government for suspending the constitutional fundamental rights. "It was not necessary to suspend the fundamental rights of the citizen while declaring the emergency".

General Secretary of Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala asked all political parties to solve the present problems. "It is the responsibility of all the parties to get the country come out of the problem".

Pashupati Shumsher Rana, lawmaker of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, asked the government to educate people about what they should and should not do during the emergency through government-owned media.

He also suggested the government to forward other reform programmes along with the state of emergency. "Government should move ahead with development initiatives, reforms while taking step of maintaining peace and security," he said.

He said his party would decide about its support to the government for the emergency after evaluating the government’s activities during the period.

General Secretary of CPN-ML Bam Dev Gautum held the Maoists responsible for the present situation of the country. He also asked the government to solve the problem politically. "Government should look for political solution of the problem," he said.

Media persons speaking at the programme asked the government to allow the press to enjoy the freedom of speech. Those who expressed their views at the programme include: Hari Har Birahi, Chairman of the Press Council, P. Kharel, media adviser of Fedrich Ebert Stiftung, Kulchandra Wagle, chairman of Press Union, Sambhu Shreatha, chairman of Press Chautari and Tej Prakash Pandit, president of National Union of Journalists.

Govt warned against continuing emergency for long

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KATHMANDU, Dec 10 - The government is not clear enough about the type of emergency declared on November 26, which requires extraordinary caution and operates within the framework of the Constitution, a prominent Supreme Court Justice said Monday.

Speaking at a programme organised here to mark the 53rd International Human Rights Day today, Laxman Prasad Aryal, Justice of the Supreme Court said that the emergency in the country was pushed by the civilian government and should operate within the strict limit of the Constitution without endangering civil liberty.

"This emergency is painful requiring extra-high caution from the government and extra-ordinary wisdom from the masses," he said.

He also warned that if the emergency continues for long, it would create further problems in the country. The government must be aware of the goal of such emergency and ensure that no right to life of the people is trampled.

Similarly, some prominent human rights activists also warned of the impending civil strife in the country should the emergency continue for long.

Speaking at the similar function, Krishna Pahadi, President of Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES) warned that human rights workers in the country would take to street should it continue for more than two weeks from now.

"We condemn the recent deaths of some eleven innocent farmers of Dang during the cross-fire between the rebels and the army... we will enter into confrontation with the government if military continues the bombardment of villages and resort to indiscriminate killings," Pahadi further warned.

Kapil Shrestha, a member of National Human Rights Commission said, "most instances of conflicts and disorder come from the violation of human rights and should be solved through observing the code of human rights."

Pramod Kafley from GRINSO, Krishna Kadel, President of Amnesty International Nepal, Gopal Siwakoti, Director of INHURED International also spoke at the programme.

UNDP assistance for poverty alleviation

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KATHMANDU, Dec 10 ? The annual evaluation meeting of Participatory District Development Programme (PDDP), Local Governance Programme and Local Development Programme was held in the capital Monday, states a press release issued here today.

According to the release issued by the Local Governance Programme, the meeting was attended by member of the National Planning Commission, Dr Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, Resident Representative of the United Nations, Henning Karcher, other senior government officials, District Development Committee chairmen and representatives from various donors.

The PDDP was started in 1996, initially in 40 districts. The release adds that the programme currently is operative in 60 districts. According to the release, the United Nations Development Programme has allocated US $ 17 million for the implementation of the programme that aims at poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor.

Forest resources depleting in Kanchanpur

By Prem Kumar Luitel

MAHENDRANAGAR, Dec 10 (RSS) – Forest Resources have been depleting in Kanchanpur district at the rate of 1,000 hectares every year.

According to Kanchapur District Forest Office, the forest area in Kanchanpur has declined from 88,200 hectares in 1996 to 84,700 hectares at present.

Majority of the land was covered by forests in the district except for a few settlements of the Tharu communities in the plains of Rautelibichawa, Raikbarbichawa and Baisebichawa 40 years ago.

District Forest Officer Ashok Dhungana blames His Majesty’s Government and the politicians for the depletion of forests in the district.

His Majesty’s Government has been providing forest land to resettle the Nepalese returning home from Myanmar, the flood affected people, the landless people, the Kamaiyas (bonded labourers) and the people displaced under the wildlife reserve expansion programme since 2018 B.S.

Under this process, the resettlement company set up by the government had distributed 6,500 hecatres of forest land, more than 2,000 hectares of forest land at Dodhara and Chandani and about 3,000 to 4,000 hectares of land at Mahendranagar had been distributed for settling the landless people, 3,200 hectares of land for resettling the people displaced under the wildlife reserve expansion programme and 540 hectares of land for resettling the kamaiyas.

The new settlers as well as the people being resettled under the above mentioned programs have been selling the land being provided to them and further encroaching the forest causing depletion of the forests, according to the district forest officer Dhungana.

Likewise, the Kamaiyas, who were provided 540 hectares of forest land, have been occupying 800 hectares of forest land at present. The pressure on forest increased as a result of the policy adopted by His Majesty’s Government a few decades ago to resettle the people of the hilly areas of Bhojpur, Chitawan, Jhapa, Taplejung, Dailekh, Banke and far western region in the arable land of the Terai region.

The illegal settlers have been further encouraged by the assurances given to them by the government and the leaders of political parties during general elections that the land occupied by them would registered in their name.

In the same manner the landless squatters commissions have also contributed to depletion of forests as they have been issuing land ownership certificates to the people illegally occupying the forest in the district, according to local residents.

According to the statistics released by the district development committee recently, 53.6 per cent or 882 square kilometre area is covered by forests in the district. This figure has reduced to 48 or 49 percent now, according to Forest Officer Dhungana.

The depletion of forests has not only affected timber production but also the special forest area identified as contributing to protection of bio-diversity at the international level.

The forest officer accepts the fact that smuggling of timber has been taking place through the northern and southern areas of Laljhadhi to Dhangadi and from the northern area of Bramhadev Bazaar and other places to Mahendranagar Bazaar.

Dhungana says that the forest office has been giving priority to increasing production of timber to meet the requirements of the people by developing community forests through involvement of the people.

At present nine community forests groups have been developing forest in 1,200 hectares of land while 18 other forest users’ committees have been registered in the district.

Most of the productive areas with irrigation facility where herbs can be cultivated have been converted into agricultural land.

Even though community forests have been handed over to the local people, forests have not been developed in these lands and the area is being occupied by them. Eighty-three per cent of the plain area of the Terai lies in Kanchanpur district. More than 60 per cent of the forest is covered with "sal" trees and 17 per cent by mixed trees.

Dhungana says that even though the forest management action plan has been prepared for scientific management and protection of forests, improvements have not been in development of forests because of the lack of proper directives as well as means and resources for implementation of the action plan.

Student-teacher scuffle in Biratnagar

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BIRATNAGAR, Dec 10 – Several students were injured here in a student-teacher scuffle in Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus after its campus chief Dr Upendra Koirala tried to lay the foundation stone of a clock-tower within the campus premises.

The campus unit of the Nepal Student Union (NSU), the student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress, had protested against the construction of the clock view tower. The campus, one of the oldest in the country, has allocated an estimated amount of Rs 3,400,000 for the construction purpose.

According to one of the students affiliated to the NSU, money was going to be invested into unproductive areas at a time when investment was required in other productive areas like modernising the college library. "We will not allow the construction of such tower which is unproductive. We have deposited money for the library facilities, but no any facility as such exists," said the student.

"At present, it is the need to modernise our library but we at any cost will not let the construction of the tower go on," said one of the NSU students.

There are around 10,000 students studying in the college.

"It is unproductive to spend into such construction as they are many important areas that requires investment. The regular classes have been affected due to lack of sufficient class rooms," said the former city Mayor Ashok Koirala. "There should be no such investment merely to fulfil the political desire".

However, Campus Chief Koirala says that the construction of the tower was going to be done as per the consensus reached between various political parties. He even said that former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the CPN-UML leader Madav Kumar Nepal had approved the project.