Lauda jet ‘earns’ Rs 87.5m loss in one month

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, Feb 2 –  The B-767 Lauda Air jet is fast turning out to be a white elephant for the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) with its wayward service.

According to the documents obtained by The Kathmandu Post, the jetliner, which was earlier construed by the RNAC management as "necessary," to meet the passenger demands, has incurred an operational loss of whopping US$ 923,562 (Rs 68.6 million) during December alone. Add to this the loss of US$ 255,682 (Rs 18.99 million) that RNAC has to pay for the under utilization of the jet during the same period and the loss figure would exceed Rs 87.59 million.

Out of the guaranteed minimum 300 flight hours per month, the jetliner could not utilize 74.10 flight hours. RNAC has to pay to the Lauda Air at least US$ 1,005,000 per month at the rate of 3,350 USD per flight hour whether or not the plane flies the stipulated hours.

The documents show that the wide-bodied jetliner is making losses in all sectors - Delhi, Osaka, London, Bangkok and Singapore - that it currently flies.

While trying to justify the controversial jet deal, former Executive Chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha had told the reporter to see the deal from the business point of view. " The deal is a profitable venture...once the plane starts to operate, you will see yourself how profitable it will be"

The ‘costly’ jetliner has already cost the job of the then executive chairman of RNAC and the civil aviation minister and has dragged the Prime Minister himself out the firing line. The wide-body jet is hanging around the government’s neck like an albatross.

These are not the only losses. RNAC has curtailed the flight hours of its two 757 jets and the another leased-jet from China South West Airlines (CSWA), which are underutilized to make way for the Lauda jet.

The RNAC winter flight schedule (from Dec 1 last year to March 24, 2001) shows that the management has arranged 326 hours for the Lauda jet, 294 for the CSWA jet and 250 and 212 hours for the two planes owned by RNAC.

Moreover, insiders say the crewmembers of the Lauda jet often do not cooperate with the RNAC management further compounding the case.

Today’s incident in itself was a classic example. The RA flight 205-6 (Kathmandu-Delhi-Kathmandu) could not take-off this morning as per schedule and had to be grounded due to Lauda jet.

The Lauda jet was to fly to London today, but the crew informed the management that it would not be able to do so due to pending maintenance check. The operations department diverted its RA jet initially scheduled for KTM-DEL-KTM for London and shifted its passengers to Indian Airlines.

However, at the eleventh hour, the Lauda crew said that they want to fly to London as per the original schedule. The management accommodated "Lauda’s wish" and it flew to London at 1 p.m, nearly four hours behind the schedule. RA went to rest as its passengers were already adjusted to IA flight.

Corporation officials, requesting anonymity, said, "this sort of mess is a regular happening these days." RNAC should have prepared separate route maps for the Lauda and its own jets, but they messed up things to accommodate the "white elephant" giving rise to ingrained chaos, they said.

"It seems it is not the Lauda Air jet that has been leased, but the other way round," said an official sarcastically. When asked why Lauda Air was not following the schedule prepared by RNAC, he said that either Lauda Air was not interested anymore in its Nepal operations or it didn’t care about the RNAC management that "is proving to be too weak".

Rajesh Raj Dali, the newly appointed Executive Chairman at RNAC told The Kathmandu Post that he was also trying to analyze the flight schedule, especially with reference to the erratic Lauda jet’s non-compliance. "I will try to fix the problem," he said.

NWSC expresses mixed views on privatization

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2- The employees of the Nepal Water Supply Corporation here today, expressed mixed views towards the government decision to hand over the management of the Corporation to a private party.

The employees were speaking in an interaction program organized by Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) Workers Union Central Committee on the relevance of the Government decision to hand over the drinking water and sewerage management of the Kathmandu region to a foreign party.

The Government is known to have taken the decision of handing over the management to a foreign party bucking out to the pressure from the foreign donor agencies. The donor agencies have been reluctant to provide loan to the Government on Melamchi Drinking Water project lately.

Most of the employees seemed to oppose the government decision fearing that many of the employees would be sacked and the existing facilities of the employees would be cut out once the private management takes over. Some opposed the decision as they felt the general people would not be able to pay the increased water tariff of the Melamchi supplied water. It is expected that the water tariff will increase by three times of the present tariff in order to meet the cost of the Melamchi Project.

Shiva Bhandari , a member of the NDWC working committee said that history of privatization in the country has not been good in the country. He explained that out of 16 government institutions that has been privatized so far in the last 10 years many are either running at a loss or have lost their existence.

However, some strongly support the decision saying that it would be the right thing to do if the people are supplied with clean drinking water. Chandra Kant Maratha, NDWC chief of Bhairawa branch said that privatization was plausible to some extent as NDWC had failed over the years to supply people with clean drinking water.

Bhupen Prasad, chief of NDWC Butwal branch said that the weakness lay in the corporation itself as nothing much has been achieved although different process of trial and error has been going on for a long time. He said that half of the employees of the corporation did not work therefore having a foreign management would not be a bad idea.

Kaushal Nath Bhattarai, General Manager of the Corporation said that the government had come to the decision to hand over the drinking water and sewer management of the Kathmandu region to a private party after many development programs over the years had failed to improve the performance of the Corporation. He also said that a total sum of Rs 60 million had been spent so far for the development of the corporation.

He also said that the government had short-listed three foreign companies, a British and two French companies to hand over the drinking water and sewer management of the Kathmandu region for the period of 10 years. "The Government plans to hand over the management by December 2001 and that too may get delayed," Bhattarai added.

Old vehicles stall Kathmandu traffic

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2 - Traffic almost came to a standstill in various parts of the capital today after transport entrepreneurs took to the streets protesting the government decision to ban vehicles over 20 years old and those with two-stroke engines.

Hundreds of public transport vehicles and taxis rallied across the major thoroughfares of the capital that began from Koteshwore at 8 a.m. Friday.

The protesters caused traffic to go haywire, causing traffic jams at various places, as they rallied through New Baneshwore, Maitighar, Thapathali, Tripureshwor, Kalimati, Kalanki, Maharajgunj, Lainchour, Old Bus Park, Putali Sadak and Babarmahal. The rally ended again at Koteshwore around 6 p.m.

The rally also blocked the route His Majesty King Birendra was taking while returning to the Narayanhity Royal Palace from the Nagarjun Palace.

Protesters also hurled stones and smashed windshields of six microbuses at Kalanki and a Sajha Bus at Thapathali, police said.

General Secretary of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs (FNTE) Bishnu Siwakoti claims that some 5,000 old vehicles participated in the rally today, but the officials at the Valley Traffic Police Office (VTPO) claimed the number did not exceed 1,200.

However, Kumar Koirala, Senior Superintendent of Police, VTPO, admitted that the traffic remained out of control throughout the day.

Though some of the light vehicles were seen plying during early hours this morning, almost all public-vehicles remained off the street later in the day. Civil servants and other workers were seen going to office either on foot or in private vehicles. The situation of the school-going children was much more pathetic.

The government has decided to ban vehicles over 20 year old vehicles from operating within the Valley from mid-November this year. Similarly, it has also decided to phase out the operation of vehicles with two-stroke engines from mid-July this year.

However, transport entrepreneurs have been accusing the government of making a unilateral decision and have demanded the government first provide, among others, unadulterated petrol to control the capital’s rising pollution.

"The environment is spoilt because the government has been distributing impure, adulterated fuel (with more than 65 per cent impurities). This fact was even revealed by the report of a government-formed commission last year," said Bishnu Siwakoti, General Secretary FNTE to The Kathmandu Post.

The entrepreneurs’ claim that they had to resort to the streets after the government showed its indifference towards their 35-day ultimatum, which expired more than a month ago.

Other protests of the entrepreneurs include - one-hour chakka jam on February 7, two-hour chakka jam on February 11, one-day chakka jam on February 16, Western Nepal shut down on February 26 and Eastern Nepal shut down on March 5.

Oppn parties to launch ‘powerful’ campaign

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2– Leader of the opposition and General Secretary of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) said on Friday that opposition parties would launch a "powerful" campaign to oust Prime Minister for his alleged involvement in the controversial Lauda Air jet lease deal.

"The PM is involved in the lease deal; he is not above board," the opposition leader told some reporters at his party’s office, Balkhu, today. Nepal added that Hari Bhakta Shrestha, the then RNAC executive chairman was removed believing he would destroy evidence and Tarini Datt Chataut, the Civil Aviation Minister resigned on moral grounds. "Will the evidence still not be destroyed if the one under whose instruction the deal was clinched remains in power?" asked Nepal.

On Monday, the opposition parties are to present a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala asking for his resignation. Before that leaders and workers of different political parties will gather at Ratna Park and march towards Bhadrakali shouting slogans, said Nepal. CPN-UML will also organise a signature campaign involving intellectuals and general public.

Nepali quake victims still unknown

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2 - Nepalese officials in New Delhi, India still have not been able to confirm death of any Nepalese in the devastating earthquake that rocked the Indian state of Gujarat, that has taken lives of some 15,000 people so far.

Meanwhile, according to our district correspondents and various media reports, four Nepalis, two each from Dailekh and Surkhet districts, have died till date.

The two dead Nepalis from Surkhet have been identified as Chandra Bahadur Khatri and his wife. The couple hailed from Ranibas, Gampu VDC in Surkhet. Likewise, the two Nepali victims from Dailekh are reported to be from Khari Gaira VDC.

"It will probably take at least 2-3 more days before we could confirm anything...We have been trying to get hold of the Nepalis organizations in this State now," said the Duty Officer at the Royal Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi, Friday evening.

"But it is very difficult to assume anything at present...Even the death of some Indians in Delhi has not been confirmed yet," the officer added.

An Embassy official is already in Ahemdabad (the capital of Gujarat) to co-ordinate with relief officials and to assist the Nepali there. Various Nepali organizations in India have claimed of high casualties among Nepali people working in this Indian State.

Numerous Nepalis, especially from Western parts of the country are working in various Indian cities.

New primary education policy introduced

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2 - After launching a series of "experimental education policies", the government has again introduced a liberal policy for primary education in five different districts, educational experts said.

Spokesman of Education Ministry, Sundar Prasad Shrestha said that the newly introduced ‘liberal promotion policy’ frees the little students from taking regular examinations; and there would be no relation between being passed in the examination and entering into higher grade.

The compulsory primary education programme, launched in Ilam, Chitwan, Syangja, Surkhet and Kanchanpur two years ago, had been practically proved to be a failure.

Jaya Prasad Lamsal of Curriculum Development Centre said that the new policy would be introduced on an experimental basis for the next three years. "If we could make a policy to discourage the children’s repeating the same class and tendency of dropping-out, primary education would be within everybody’s reach."

According to Dr Hridaya Ratna Bajracharya, the chief of Centre for Educational Research and Institutional Development (CERID), the new policy is a scientific process above the traditional system. "This will help the children share equal opportunity in education and also will enhance the range of basic and primary education."

Curriculum Officer Lamsal said that instead of checking what the students write on paper, their overall behaviour or performance would be calculated.

Subjective learning progress, social and individual characteristics, emotional status, incidents and creativity would by counted in this system. "After the evaluation, the students will not be marked with first, second or third position but almost all will be allowed to study in higher grade."

Chief of Children Development Resource Centre, Dr Kishor Shrestha said that this new policy would turn education from ‘opportunity’ into ‘rights’.

However, educationalist Dr Man Wagle is not fully convinced about the new policy. "The government is propelling new education policies one after another. Such policies should not be brought without proper foundations and studies," he said.

Tiny hands shape their own future

By Rajeeb Tamrakar

KATHMANDU, Feb 2 - "RNAC, Ratna Park...Lagankhel," you might have often heard this high-pitched child scream while waiting in various public vehicle stands around the capital city.

These never tiring voices of the "little conductors" greet the passengers, ask for fare and sometimes pass silly comments on them. The "little" conductors, in their "dirty" attire, are these days indispensable to "micro" buses and "safa" tempos - the eco-friendly three wheelers.

The 700 gas-powered safa tempos and 300 micro-buses plying the Kathmandu streets are not only job-providers to these children. But they are anything... shelter, home... and more importantly their future dreams.

Ramesh(he hesitates to disclose his surname), a 9-year-old who likes to call himself a "conductor", is a new comer on this job. It is barely a month he is into it, and yet he has already set his goal. "I want to become a temo-driver," he says.

Like all the kids, who are doing a double work of making their livelihood and knitting their dream out of their engagement with the Safa tempo, Ramesh too has his own story. He ran away from home after his father got him a stepmother. For Ramesh, who was then barely 7, his "new mother"(as his father told) came to his life arousing a lot of curiosity. But, slowly neglect and eventually fear that Ramesh came to identify his new mother with. And his father too was not the same old father. He could feel the newness.

Within two years, Ramesh gathered enough courage to flee from his home and flung to Kathmandu, which provides a city of wonderland for many such children from out of the valley. He spent some sleepless nights as "khate"(the street child) sharing the street with his peers, often pestered by the police and passers-by.

Now he is happy. There are no more sleepless nights under the open sky in Kathmandu streets. The three wheeler is his home. He has the privilege to sleep under a roof inside the tempo parked in the garage. He is beginning to earn his meals and some cloths. He enthusiastically shows his secondhand shoe that he brought from Ratnapark. "I paid Rs 75 for this shoe," he said.

His passions are now in driving tempo. "In fact, I can drive tempo right now, but the problem is that traffic police won’t let me drive." he adds sadly.

Nimesh Kumar Chaudhari, 14, from Sunsari district in eastern Nepal is not only earning his living; he is also supporting his family. He has been working on a tempo since last 2 years with his father and his brother-in-law, both tempo drivers.

Chaudhari prefers to go around with his brother-in-law Raj Kumar Chaudhari rather than with his father, "I dont like to work with my father because he sometimes gets angry quickly," he says.

Chaudahri studied upto class three and left his studies to come to Kathmandu with his parents. He looks back with nostalgia. "Of course, it was beautiful...still I want go to my village and study with my friends," says the little man.

Raju, a 12-year old conductor also detested working in tempos earlier but he now enjoys it. He recalls a tempo driver that he came across a few months ago who didn’t even feed him properly. "I was new then so I had to stay hungry for many nights."

Raju is happy with his job except for some drunk passengers who refuse to give him fare and instead slap him sometimes. It is not just the interest of these little conductors that gets them this job.

"Its convenient to have someone who collects money from the passengers or else lot of them might slip away without paying fare." says Dinesh Lama, a driver of safa tempo." Moreover, these little conductors are so little compared to their "driver boss" that they could exploit them in terms of salary, scold them and sometimes even extract help in their housework.

SC issues show cause notice

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KATHMANDU, Feb 2- The Supreme Court today issued a show cause notice in response to a filed writ petition challenging the government’s decision-making procedure, regarding public holidays, through directives.

A single bench justice Gopal Prasad Khatri issued the order.

Chairman of the Forum for Independent Thinking, Bharat Jangam had filed the writ petition on January 15 stating that the government’s decision-making procedure regarding public holidays through directives and notices is unconstitutional and that the court issue mandamus to such act. The petition had argued that the government could issue directives regarding public holidays only after making proper laws.

The petition had also argued that the government prescribing public holidays on Sundays, that too confined only to Kathmandu Valley violated the constitutional provision 11 (1).

The petition stated that civil servants could enjoy about 200 days off in a year and that the act related to civil servant facilitated a civil servant to work for less than five years in the entire 20-year period. The writ had argued that the state couldn’t realise effective return compared to what it has invested upon these civil servants as they are entitled to too many holidays.

The same bench also issued a show cause notice to two other similar writs. Bishnu Prasad Poudel, Accountant in National Planning Commission had filed a writ stating that the government should not cut down religious holidays while cutting down public holidays. Mahendra Kunvar of Agriculture Development Bank in Kavrepalanchowk had filed the writ arguing that the government providing public holidays on Sunday confined only to Kathmandu Valley violated the constitutional provisions.

2nd World Buddhist meet concludes

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LUMBINI, Feb 2 - The Second World Buddhist Conference concluded here today passing 14 point agenda. The conference decided to devise a separate master plan within six months for the development of places like Kapilbastu, Dev Daha, and Ramgram.

The "Lumbini Master Plan" devised two decades earlier could not address the needs of these places. The "Tilorakot Durbar" situated in Kapilbastu where Buddha spent 29 years is devoid of preservation and proper excavation.

The conference also decided to establish a training centre for youth and stressed the need to include "Buddhist education" in the school and college curriculae.

The declaration also stated that the construction of Maya Devi temple will start within two months which was stopped as the UNESCO didn’t give a go ahead.

The conference was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Thursday which was participated in by representatives from l4 countries.

The theme of the conference was "Lumbini in the New Millennium: Youth and Community" aimed to mobilise participation of youths in the overall development of Lumbini.

Speaking on the inauguration ceremony Prime Minister Koirala had said that the construction of second International Airport at Lumbini will help develop Lumbini as well as promote the tourism sector. The Prime Minister had also pointed out that the Lumbini master plan was proceeding at a snail pace and had urged various countries to divide up the master plan into sections and work on its implementation.