PM Deuba congratulated

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KATHMANDU, July 30- European Union (EU) congratulated Sher Bahadur Deuba as Nepal’s new Prime Minister in a press release issued here by the British Embassy.

The release states the EU welcomes the appointment of Deuba as Nepal’s new Prime Minister and expresses the hope that calm and stability will come again to Nepal.

The EU also welcomes the steps taken toward a ceasefire. It urges dialogue between the parties and hopes that dates may quickly be set for negotiations.

The EU calls on the parties to renounce violence and seek a peaceful solution to the conflicts so as to ensure the country’s stable and lasting development.

"The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration", the release adds.

Rainfall provides relief to farmers

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MORANG, July 30 - Farmers in this district, which was affected by drought for a long time have felt relief after the rain started here on Sunday.

Farmers started paddy transplantation in some places on Sunday although they should have completed this activity by this time.

Of the total 90 thousand hectares of paddy field in the district, paddy has been transplanted in only 35 percent of the land. The remaining 65 percent of the land was so dry that dust was blowing from it until Saturday, according to District Agriculture Office, Morang.

Paddy transplantation work generally begins here towards the end of June every year. This means there is already one month’s delay.

The district has received adequate rain only after an interval of nine months, according to informed sources.

The delayed paddy transplantation work is going to have an adverse impact on the quantity of paddy production this year.

Farmers were so agitated due to absence of rainfall for a prolonged period that they solemnised marriage between a frog from Jhapa and another from Morang recently with the belief that this would cause rainfall. Similarly, Tharu women of Lakhantari VDC in this district danced naked throughout the night in the mud to propitiate Lord Shiva.

Call to make democracy free of corruption

BIRATNAGAR, July 30 (RSS) - Senior advocate and former speaker Damannath Dhungana has underlined the need to free democracy from the taint of corruption and giving it a pro-people image by gradually consolidating on the gains of the popular movement.

Talking to local journalists in Biratnagar on Sunday, the former speaker reiterated that talks should be held between the government and the Maoists.

He called on all to be free from their respective ideological preoccupation and make constructive contribution towards this end.

"An authoritarian communist regime is not possible through violence and terrorism as people are sovereign and they are the source of the constitution", Dhungana said.

He added that the constitution cannot function well if the Prime Minister is not strong in a democratic system.

Replying a query, Dhungana alleged that a gap has developed between the people and the constitution in the last 12 years after the restoration of democracy in the country and warned the people might rise again as they are a source of unlimited power.

Fielding a query, youth leader of the Nepali Congress Durga Subedi said that talks between the government and the Maoists will be successful as there is no crisis of confidence between the government and the Maoists.

PPR epidemic claims over 300 goats in a month

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DANG, July 30 - More than 300 goats have died of PPR epidemic in different villages of Deukhuri valley including Phulbari and Urhari over the last one month, according to Dang District Livestock Development Office.

More than 80 of the 1,050 goats have died of PPR even after they were vaccinated against the disease, the office informed.

Apart from this, 250 other goats died in Urhari, Bhojpur and some VDCs of Deukhuri as a result of the PPR, chief of the office Dr Basant Bahadur Singh said quoting reports received by him.

To prevent this situation, we searched for the local breeds of goats, vaccinated them against the PPR and distributed them goats, but all was in vain, Dr Singh said.

Technicians are of the view that the disease is caused by goats imported from India. Dang borders India and there are plenty of goats imported from India.

Dr Singh sees two options to control the disease: to stop importing goats from India and vaccination of goats against the PPR.

However, there is little possibility of stopping the import of Indian goats. This measure was tried earlier and was found ineffective. The government is unable to provide the vaccine also and there is little likelihood to prevent the disease. Therefore, the possibility of a large number of goats being killed by the disease is still there.

Earlier, more than a thousand goats were killed by this epidemic in Rampur Kalimati, located in the south-western belt of Salyan district, and most villages of Rolpa.

Jumla district made liquor-free zone

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JUMLA, July 30 - Underground Maoist cadre have declared this mountain district in the mid-western region an alcohol-restricted zone beginning Saturday, according to a party source.

Earlier, the district had been declared an alcohol-restricted zone except the Chandan Nath and Mahat VDCs.

Locals said that after Prime Minster Sher Bahadur Deuba announced cease-fire against them, the rebels openly warned some 70 people in Khalanga, the district headquarters, of taking severe actions in case they were found indulged in brewing and selling of alcohol and gambling in the days to come.

Locals also said that the rebels were collecting donations from the local businessmen and contractors.

"But the local administration has not taken any steps to prevent them from extortion in view of the government’s cease-fire announcement," a local said requesting anonymity.

Asked to comment on the Maoist move in the district headquarters, Chief District Officer, Kabiraj Khanal, said that there had been high-level instructions not to take any action against the rebels.

The entire district headquarters remains closed after 7 a.m. for fear of the rebels.

PM lays priority on small hydel projects

KATHMANDU, July 30 (RSS)- Prime Minister and Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, and Science and Technology Sher Bahadur Deuba has stressed the need to give priority to small hydel projects in order to end the situation of Nepalese having to buy electricity in dollars within their own country.

Prime Minister Deuba made this remark in reply to a question raised by Yadav Bahadur Rayamajhi of the CPN-UML during question hour at the House of Representatives today.

Deuba said that emphasis would be given to gobar-gas, small hydel solar cottage electricity projects which are very cost effective and useful for the country.

Pointing out the need to increase people’s participatory capacity in the villages for development of small hydel projects, Deuba said that "if we can develop the skill and capacity of generating electricity through small hydel projects, producing wires and electrical switches and carrying out mantenance works at the rural areas, the cost of per unit electricity could be reduced from Rs 6 to 40 paisa.

In reply to a query of Chandramani Kharal of the CPN-UML, the Prime Minister said that it was not true that a bill would be introduced to amend the Association Registration Act-2034 BS.

Answering a query of Biajaya Subba of the same party, Deuba said that records should be maintained at the District Administration Office, Land Revenue Office and other offices with the help of computers.

Stating that the non-governmental organizations have been making significant contributions for poverty alleviation, Deuba made it clear that the government, non-governmental organizations and international organizations have the same objective of extending the Poverty Alleviation Programme to the targetted groups.

Deuba made this remark in reply to a question by Ananda Prasad Pokherel of the CPN-UML.

Children working at risk on the rise

BUTWAL, July 30 (RSS) - The number of children working in risk areas in Butwal town area have been increasing day by day.

The number has increased to 690 now from 31 in 1996, according to a report of the UNICEF Nepal and the children’s welfare society.

According to another study of the Bal Samparka Kendra(BSK), the number of those collecting scraps in day time and living with their own parents are 581 and 109 are homeless.

The BSK found 195 children working in hotels and restaurants, 18 in factories, 23 as rickshaw pullers and 33 working as masons and porters, 21 beggars and illiterate and occupationally unclear are 46 as per a survey conducted in 1,119 children.

The children are also working as guards, cleaners, working in garages, selling polythyne bags. The age group of the children is 5 to 8. These children sleep outside homes and eat what is thrown away after feasts.

They do not wear clothes, have no place to sleep, walk with wounded feet while looking for metal scraps, play with fire with their friends burning each other, use weapons even in minor arguments and get dog bites while searching for scraps.

The coordinator of the BSK Indra Dahal informed this at a programme organised here yesterday on the occasion of the first convention of BSK. He also said they were being used by gangs in drug addiction and trafficking, and the problem has arisen because of glamourous social atmosphere, haphazard landless settlements and insensitivity of family members towards children.

Assistant CDO Ganga Bahadur K.C. said the plight of the children has been worsened due to non-governmental organisations not working as per their objectives.

At the function presided over by chairman of BSK Radheshyam Rajbhandari, various other speakers including district Children’s Welfare Committee Chairman Kamaldip Shrestha, FNJ Rupandehi president Binod Pahadi, president of the Rupandehi chamber of commerce and industry Mahendra Narayan Shrestha and chief of the Ilaka Administration Office Butwal Kaushal Raj Sharma called for scholarships, skill development training and construction of childrens’ homes.

Submersion after prolonged drought hits hard locals

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MAHOTTARI, July 30 - People who were hit hard as a result of prolonged drought in this district were happy on Friday when it started to rain. But alas ! many of them are now facing another crisis after the rainfall.

The entire villages including their houses were submerged in five villages of this district after the dam on the Ratuwa river suddenly collapsed on Saturday following the heavy rainfall.

Labourers depending on their wage by working on the nearly one thousand hectares of paddy fields in Bakadi, Ankar, Mahadevpatti, Bela, Ajmarpatti and Nainahi villages, which have been submerged, are worried about their livelihood which has been threatened by the submerged paddy field.

Showing the paddy fields of the village which are all under the water, Nand Lal of Ankar VDC-1 asks, "Where are we to work to earn our daily wage and keep ourselves alive?"

All the 40 Paswan families of Mahadevpatti are agricultural wage earners. To work in the field of the land owners is their sole means of livelihood. They were happy to experience the rainfall after a prolonged wait, but as the dam broke down and submerged their village their happiness turned into sorrow, says Jugeswor Paswan, 65.

"Rains are the drops of nectar given by God. But this misfortune has been created by humans who constructed this dam," said Paswan, blaming the leaders and technicians for the disaster.

Their cattle are also facing great difficulty. Since the ground where the cattle could graze is under water, they have become lean and thin.

There is shortage of dry place to keep them. They are compelled to stand up continuously in the absence of dry shed.

Somani and Ratiya of Ankar have to give up milk selling occupation since Sunday because their buffaloes do not yield milk any more.

Raj Kumar Paswan of Mahadevpatti keeps goats in addition to pursuing his main occupation of wage earning. As the land is covered with water, he is keeping his six goats on his cot to save their lives.

As the villages are under water the area appears like a vast sea. By the time this report was filed, relief assistance had not reached the villages. Chief District Officer Laxmi Prasad Bhattarai said immediate relief assistance would be distributed after the task of collecting data of the flood-affected area was completed.

Although ‘immediate relief assistance’ literally means that the assistance should be distributed immediately after the disaster, locals have the bitter experience that they used to receive immediate relief assistance after two months in the past.

VDC chairman Brahma Dev Paswan told the villagers, "Do not wait for the relief assistance. No one knows when it will come.

March to the office of the CDO as a delegation and demand for construction of embankment and employment opportunity."

Three Maoists released from Nepalgunj jail

NEPALGUNJ, July 30 (RSS)- Three Maoist activists have been released from Gulariya jail yesterday inaccordance with the decision of His Majesty’s Government of releasing 15 Maoist workers to create a congenial atmosphere for talks with the NC-Maoists.

Those being released from the Gulariya jail are central member of the All Nepal National Free Students Union-Revolutionary Rishi Ghimire of Tiram VDC-3, Pyuthan district, president of the Banke district Deshbhakta Janatantrik Ekta Manch Tilak Pariyar of Kohalpur VDC-4, Banke district and secretary of the Same Manch Balaram Kafle of Kohalpur VDC-3, Banke district.

Speaking at a programme organised by INSEC mid-western regional office after being released from jail yesterday, Ghimire said that a solution to the Maoist problem could be found if the talks along with issues of nationalism, freedom and Human Rights were moved ahead sincerely.

Stating that the Nepalese could enjoy peace to some extent if the talks were moved ahead sincerely, Pariyar said that all the political parties, patriotic, democratic and progressive forces and intellectuals should remain alert and see that the talks does not breakdown.

The government should move ahead from its position of status quo and the Maoists should move backwards to some extent inorder to make the talks successful, Kafle said, adding that if this was done a point of agreement could be reached for the talks.

The Maoist activitists also thanked the Human Rights activitists, journalists, intellectuals and all others for taking steps for their release.

INSEC mid-western regional convenor Bhola Mahat hoped that the Maoist problem would be resolved.

‘Withdraw tariff hike’

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MORANG, July 30 - Industrialists of Biratnagar have opposed the charge hike announced by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in electricity bill effective from the month of Bhadra (August-September) this year.

At a time when the industries and businesses were becoming sick due to declining income level of the consumers and irregular power supply, the NEA has once again proved its inefficiency in management by raising charge. It has been taking undue advantage of its monopoly and imposing dictatorship, says a press communique issued here by acting chairman of Morang Industry Association Kishor Pradhan.

As the NEA has been increasing charge every year, the economy of the country has been badly affected. Instead of taking measures to prevent leakage, realising the arrears, streamlining the management and making it transparent in an attempt to provide high quality service to its customers, the decision of the NEA to raise the price without any necessary studies, analysis and justification are against the interest of the customers, the press communique said.

In view of this reality, the association has requested the NEA to withdraw the decision without delay, according to the press communique.