Separate laws sought on trafficking, prostitution

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KATHMANDU, Dec 30- Politicians, human rights activists and women activists on Sunday urged the SAARC governments to set up two separate laws regarding prostitution and women trafficking in the Convention they are scheduled to sign during the forthcoming 11th Summit.

Parliamentarian and central committee member of Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) Jhala Nath Khanal said that violence against women and girls is the most pervasive of human rights violations and exists in every country, cutting across boundaries of culture, class, education, income, ethnicity and age.

"However, the worst manifestations of gender-based violence are in South Asia which is known to be the most gender incentive region in the world."

He added that maximum numbers of women are trafficked in the SAARC region compared to other parts of the world.

Addressing an interaction programme on human trafficking and penalty, Dr Keshar Jung Rayamajhi, said that gender-based violence is a violation of women’s human rights.

Gopal Krishna Sivakoti, the executive director of International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED) International said that around 10, 000 Nepali girls are trafficked across the border to India annually and forced into prostitution.

"It is not the case of Nepal alone. From Bangladesh 200,000 girls are trafficked every year to India. And in India itself, girls are trafficked from Madhaya Pardesh, Utter Pradesh, Bihar, Himanchal and Gujarat to the main cities," he added.

"In Mumbai, there are 2,700 brothels. India makes Rs 20 million Indian currency by prostitution every day," Sivakoti added.

Madhubanti Tuladhar, the gender co-ordinator of Plan International said that trafficking is the sale and purchase of women, girls and boys for gains, within a country and across borders, by fraud or force.

"While many girls and women are trafficked for forced prostitution, children and young women are also trafficked for entertainment works, domestic works, factory labour, illegal adoption, organ trading and begging," Tuladhar added.

Member of Human Rights Commission of Nepal Sushil Pyakurel said that there are complex and multiple causes behind trafficking. "The root cause of human trafficking is poverty while other causes being low social status of women, illiteracy and lack of awareness.

"Most of the women from SAARC countries are taken to India after trafficking. India must take some bold steps to prevent this illegal flow of human beings," he added.

Meanwhile, documentary drama, Cheli Rudai Chhan Dalal Hasdai Chhan, two musical albums — Dhokha and Simanapari — and two books— Gadimai ko mela and Circus, were released in the same programme. The children of Plan International from Bara and Rautahat districts illustrated the two books.

The organisers say Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted by the United Nations 50 years ago grants all human beings freedom and equality. Realising that a large number of women and girls suffer from fear and violence, gender-based violence has emerged from a welfare issue to a human rights concern.

The interaction programme was jointly organised by Human Right-INHURED and PLAN International.

Nature clubs for school children

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KATHMANDU, Dec 30 - Kathmandu Metropolitan City has set up two more nature clubs in ward No. 5 of the capital, officers said.

KMC has recently set up nature clubs in Anmol Boarding High School at Maligaon and Edvanced English Boarding School at Rudramati, Gyaneshowr.

"The club members will choose their leaders and they themselves will set up new programmes to learn and also to raise awareness among the locals on various environemnt related agenda," said the social liason officer of Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme, Soni Shrestha.

She added that the members will disccuss on solid waste, cultural heritage, green environment and communication in their programmes.

KMC have set up 20 nature clubs in various schools in the city in past three months. And a special programme has been launched in the ward No. 5 area to raise awareness among the housewives, school children on managing of solid waste and other encironment related issues, the KMC officers said.

Govt committed to empower local bodies

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KIRTIPUR (Kathmandu), Dec 30 - A layman, Dhan Sundar Mali, the father of Rajman Mali, who killed in 1990 movement, inaugurated the sixth city council meeting of Kirtipur Municipality today.

Parliamentarian Tirtha Ram Dangol said that the government is committed to provide more authority to the local bodies.

Joint Secretary of Ministry of Local Development Surya Sharan Regmi said that the government is not withdrawing any rights it has given to the municipalities.

"Now, the local authorities should work from the point of view of the locals and the development plans also must meet the people’s voice."

In the programme the mayor presented a budget of Rs 47 million for the development of the new municipality that houses the country’s oldest Tribhuwan University.

In the programme, mayor of Kathmandu Keshva Sthapit said that Kathmandu wants to share hands with Kirtipur to build a cricket stadium and waster sports complex.

And he demanded 200 of land to construct a fertilizer factory in Kirtipur Municipality’s periphery.

Lalitpur Mayor Buddhi Raj Bajracharya said Lalitpur was reviving out of the money it collected form the tourists visiting the Durbar Square.

Hari Sharan Maharhjan of Nepali Congress warned the municipality that the budget of the city must not be misused.

"The municipality has its own crusher but it is not using it for construction works," said he.

He also said the municipality wasted its money on constructing a road that has less utility while the representatives are closing their eyes to more important development projects.

Ramesh Maharjan of United People’s Front said that the local representatives may keep themselves busy with political lobbying all they year but they have to come out of the political boundary while planning development for their area.

Representatives from different political parities also expressed their views concerning the development of the city in the programme.

Yomari Punhi celebrated

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KATHMANDU, Dec 30 – Residents of Kathmandu – 23 Bahaltol today celebrated the fesival of Yomari Punhi by cooking and distributing the rice cake, made of the newly harvested rice, to the neighbours and other local children who come to beg for it.

Pabitra Bajracharya, the ward chairman of the area said that by doing this, the locals could show others the old tradition of celebrating Yomari Punhi to others and also to discourage the system of giving money instead of Yomari."

The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley worship the rice grains by making artistic cakes out of the newly harvested grains.

Bajracharya said, "Out tradition has been that children often visit their neighbours asking for Yomari but in these days the children prefer receiving coins than the cakes. By promoting the locals distribute Yomari to children we can also teach the children the living heritage of the Kathmandu Valley."

Traditionally, the children sing a folk song while they go door to door, asking for Yomari.

The festival is celebrated by cooking Yomari and Lochamari from early morning and offering to god. They also make idols of Kuber, Laxmi, Ganesh, Kumar and others. After the puja, Yomari is taken as prasad.

Community organisations like Bhintuna Guthi of Ason, Newa Guthi of Chhetrapati, Nhu Pucha of Bhimsensthan organised rally, asking for Yomari and money as a fund raising programme for their organisations.

‘We utilise this opportunity to facelift Kathmandu’

After nearly a decade and a half, Kathmandu city is getting a massive facelift, thanks to the SAARC Summit scheduled from January 4-6. These are busy days for the staff at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) office. They are working on a war-footing to keep the city tidy and ready to welcome the delegates.

KMC has now two major jobs at hand—widening the Jamal road and improving the Maitighar landscape. These two jobs are being undertaken by the Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme (KVMP), a joint project of the KMC and the European Commision.

Padma Sundar Joshi, being the co-director of KVMP, is the man on the hot seat. He has been spending almost 15 hours a day going around the sites and supervising work. Razen Manandhar of The Kathmandu Post talked to Joshi about the preparations. Excerpts

What are the major things that KMC is doing in preparing to host SAARC?

PSJ: KMC is working hard in regularly brooming the city streets, cleaning the walls, displacing unauthorised street vendors, and covering the hoarding boards. We are also widening the road at Jamal and turning the eyesore constructions at Maitighar into a beautiful theme garden.

We are working on both the projects in full speed. We will complete the road construction by Monday. Then there is the ‘island’ at Maitighar with its huge mandala in the middle, a stupa and three water spouts. It will also be completed before SAARC but more detailed work may take place after SAARC too.

How much money has KMC spent on Maitighar?

PSJ: I am not the authorised person to give the exact figure. But KMC has alloted over Rs 25 million in land and house compensation, around Rs one million in demolising them, while the construction of the garden will cost some Rs 6 million more. We did everything so fast that we haven’t got time to estimate the cost.

Everything is being constructed so fast. So the expenditure must have crossed the fixed budget...

PSJ: In one way, it does demand extra budget. But if we do the same thing in, say three months, the overhead cost will be far too high. We are not compromising on quality and durability. KMC is thankful to the consultants and contractors for providing us with excellent services. This is an example of how Nepali technicians can do quality constructions in a short time.

The main thing is motivation. If the workers lack motivation, no good result will come out, no matter how much money and time you spend. Even the mayor and I myself monitor the construction works till 3 or 5 in the morning. That makes the difference to the workers.

Are you facing any particular problem these days?

PSJ: Not anything serious. Traffic police is helping us a lot but sometimes we have been facing problems while bringing in the vehicles with construction materials. And we have not got electricity yet though we have requested the Nepal Electricity Authority many times.

Would the constructions at Maitighar and Jamal have taken if SAARC was not being held? Should we wait for meets like SAARC to beautify our city?

PSJ: Theoretically no, but practically yes. We wait for occasions even for decorating our houses. SAARC is an opportunity. The intelligent minds utilise such opportunities.

Obviously, the government wakes up only on these occasions. And we take it positively. The KMC is now gaining credibility among the citizens, and people have a chance to see the difference in results when the ‘local government’ takes charge rather than the central government. This is an opportunity as well as achallenge.

How do you view Kathmandu in comparison to other South Asian cities?

PSJ: I have been to most of the big South Asian cities. I would like to say that these cities are not comparable because each of them have emerged in different circumstances and they belong to different topographies.

Almost all the cities were British colonies where lots of urban development had taken place before they got independence, but Kathmandu has been ever independent, and is surrounded by hills too.

Along with the size of the cities, urban problems there are more threatening than it is here. We have a better life style.

2000 rebels surrender

By Motilal Poudel

SURKHET, Dec 30 - More than 2,000 Maoist supporters have surrendered to the local administration in nine districts of the mid-western region since the state of emergency was declared in the country on November 26, according to reports compiled here.

Most of the surrendered rebels belonged to sister organisations of the Maoist party. In the insurgency-rife zones of Rapti and Karnali, the number of militants giving up to the authorities are increasing, say the same sources. A report from Jumla, one of the worst Maoist-affected districts in the Karnali Zone, stated that around 800 rebels in all have surrendered since the beginning of the emergency.

In Kalikot district of the same zone, around 500 Maoists have deserted their party ranks, and have pledged to the authorities that they will begin leading a "normal" life. Officials in Dailekh, a neighbouring district of Kalikot, confirmed that more than 350 Maoists and others who were forced to follow the underground party, have quit the party and surrendered to the government.

In the far-flung mountain district of Dolpa in Karnali Zone, a total of 160 Maoists have abandoned their party vowing to extend their support to the government’s mission of quelling the insurgency that has been raging for the last six years. Around 40 people in Salyan district have also promised that they would no longer be associated with the Maoist rebels.

Officials in Mugu district in Karnali said that till date in the wake of emergency, 10 Maoist supporters have surrendered to the administration.

More reports of birth anniversary pouring in

KATHMANDU, Dec-30(RSS) - News reports of celebration of the 57th birth anniversary of His Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah have been received.

Charikot: A function was organized here yesterday to pay tributes to late King Birendra. RPP’s Sunder Prakash Khadka, CPN-UML’s Bharat KC, NC’s Ishwor Manandhar, mayor Chok Bahadur Dahal and CDO Dipak Kumar Joshi had shed light on the contribution of the late king to the nation and democracy.

The function was chaired by Dolakha DDC chairman Lal Kumar KC.

RAMECHHAP: Speaking at a function organised to mark the 57th birth anniversary of His Late Majesty King Birendra, CDO Trilok Prasad Shrestha said the late king played an immense role in materializing the concept of SAARC and implementing decentralization for balanced regional development.

Principal of Mahendrodaya Higher Secondary School Gunja Bahadur Shrestha and others also spoke at the function chaired by DDC acting chairman Taranidhi Subedi.

The district judges, representatives of Nepal Police, political party representatives, employees, teachers, lawyers and journalists were present on the occasion.

JANAKPURDHAM: Garlands were placed at the statue of His Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah at zero mile in Janakpurdham yesterday.

Various individuals including party representatives, employees and others had paid floral tributes to the late king.

KALAIYA: Bara DDC organised a colloquium on the "personality of His Late Majesty and works" on the occasion of the 57th birth anniversary of the late king.

Various speakers on the occasion shed light on the late king’s contribution to the nation and the people.

SYANGJA: Security guards of the Royal Nepal Army and Nepal Police paid royal salutes to His Late Majesty the King at a special programme here yesterday.

At the function chaired by District Judge Bishnudev Paudel, different individuals had paid floral tributes.

RAJBIRAJ: President of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party Gajendra Narayan Singh, speaking at a function here yesterday, expressed the view that late king Birendra always strove for development and peace in the country.

Constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy are indispensable for the nation, he further said.

Rajparishad member Khushilal Mandal noted that the only desire of the late king was the all-sided development of the country.

A host of other speakers also spoke at the function chaired by acting DDC chairman Balaram Chaudhary.

LAMJUNG: On the occasion of the 57th birth anniversary of late king Birendra, different individuals including party representatives, lawyers, NGO representatives and journalists paid floral tributes to His Late Majesty and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls.

BIRATNAGAR: Inaugurating the Munal gymnasium built by Gopinath library yesterday to mark the 57th birth anniversary of Late King Birendra, chairman Phadindraraj Karki spoke about the importance of good health.

The gymnasium has been built on one kattha and 14 aanas of land donated by late Sankata Prasad Khanal about three decades ago.

The Rastrabadi Yuba Samuha Biratnagar also organised a function to mark the same occasion here yesterday.

ITAHARI: A seminar on "His Late Majesty King Birendra and three decades" was organised at the meeting hall of public secondary school on the occasion of the 57th birth anniversary of the late king in Dharan yesterday.

On the occasion, Rajparishad member Chakra Bahadur Sherchan, CDO Ram Prasad Khatiwada and others highlighted the contribution of the late king to the development of the nation.

The function was chaired by convenor of the organising committee Gopal Subedi.

Similarly, different kinds of functions were organised in Tulsipur, Chitwan, Gorkha and Tanahun to mark the 57th birth anniversary of His Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah.