Two-thirds of voters’ ID cards found with errors

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DANG, June 15 - Distribution of voter’s identity cards (ID) to the electors from the two constituencies of this district has not been completed yet despite the third attempt.

It has been found that two-thirds of the ID cards prepared so far have been found with errors. The photography of the voters had started in July, last year.

Out of the 67,000 plus ID cards distributed so far, only 3,811 ID cards in both the constituencies have been found flawless and the rest were found full of defects in their name, sex and address.

Voter ID cards are being introduced in many districts with a view to ensuring free and fair elections.

Following the massive flaws in the voters’ ID cards, the Election Commission had asked the Home Ministry to withhold taking photographs of the electors for at least a year.

This is the fourth time that voters’ photographs are being taken in the district since last Wednesday.

Administrative Officer in Dang, Ganga Bahadur Chhetri, said that the photography teams began their works on last Wednesday. The team will take photographs of the new eligible voters and correct the mistakes of the old ID card holders.

As the photography teams this time would not visit each of the villages, most of the eligible voters have to trek hours to get their photographs taken. The number of people taking their photographs will decline due to the difficulty in walking a long distance and the rainy season.

Last year, only 54 percent of the eligible voters had their photographs taken even though the photography teams had been assigned to each ward of all the VDCs.

Chief of the District Election Office, Surya Nath Sapkota, said that more than 12,000 new voters had been identified in the two constituencies. But no arrangement has so far been made to take their photographs for election purposes, Sapkota said.

The District Administration Office has made the voter lists of 2054 B.S. as the basis of taking photographs for the ID cards.

Tributes to Their Late Majesties paid

LALITPUR, June 15 (RSS)- A function was organised by the District Sports Development Committee to pay tributes to His Late Majesty King Birendra, Her Late Majesty Queen Aishwarya, Patron of the National Sports Council and the Nepal Olympic Committee His Late Majesty King Dipendra, His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan, HRH Princess Shruti and other Royal Family members on their untimely demise praying for the eternal peace to the departed souls.

At the function presided over by chairman of the District Sports Development Committee Sanu Lal Shrestha, various persons including Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Omkar Shrestha, MP Sharad Singh Bhandari, NC Lalitpur president Sagar Shamsher Rana, committee treasurer Julum Krishna Shilpakar and members as well as persons from various organisations, clubs and students of the Bal Vidyagriha also paid tribute for the eternal peace of the departed souls.

Phone service out of order

DEUKHURI, June 15 (PR) - The telephone services at the headquarters in Ghorahi have gone out of order since the last three days due to the technical flaw in the switching and transmission systems.

The technical fault is being rectified by technicians called from the regional office of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation at Nepalgunj.

Lightning kills man

LAMJUNG, June 15 (PR) - Can you ever imagine that when two persons were asleep, one was killed and the other spared of lightening ?

This was what exactly happened at Makaidanda of Chandisthan VDC in northern Lamjung. The 29-year-old father Harka Bahadur Thapa and his three-year-daughter were sleeping together on the fateful night of Thursday. However, the three-year-old child woke up while her father was no more.

"Harka shouted out loud in the middle of the night," one of his neighbours, Nara Bahadur Rimal, says. "But when we reached his room, he was unconscious whereas his daughter was hale and hearty."

The doctors at the local health post pronounced him dead when he was rushed there soon after the lightning.

Anti-liquor campaign

DHANGADHI, June 15(RSS)- Local women have been united in anti-alcohol campaign after crimes began to rise in the society due to consumption of alcoholic products in an uncontrollable way.

In this connection, local women chased away some persons who produced and sold alcohol illegally at ward No. 12 of Dhangadhi municipality. The women have also taken action against 4- 5 persons who produced alcohol illegally in their own area.

Similarly, the women of ward No. 1 Katan area are active in curbing production, sale and consumption of alcohol. Earlier, such campaigns launched by social worker and women’s leader Rajeswori Singh had an positive impact in the curbing of alcohol production, selling and consumption in the area.

Jeep hits cyclist to death

DHANGADHI, June 15(RSS)- Ram Bahadur Chaudhari, 25, a resident of Sripur VDC ward No. 1 died on the spot when he was hit by an Indian jeep at the Haraiya portion of the East - West Highway at Sripur VDC ward No. 5 in Kailali district.

According to eye witnesses, Ram Bahadur who was on a bicycle was hit by the jeep with the plate No. U.P. 31 C /8441 which was heading towards east from Dhangadhi from behind and was pushed 50 ft away.

The traffic police seized the jeep at Kailali Customs at Nepal - India border while attempting to flee towards India.

The body of the deceased is brought to the seti zonal hospital for post mortem and legal action against the driver of the jeep has been initiated

Enumerators begin data collection

NEPALGUNJ, June 15 (RSS) - As per the National Census-2001 Programme, family and personal data are being collected in the 46 Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Banke district, the Banke District Census Office stated.

Two hundred and seventy-one enumerators are taking the family and individual data as per the census programme.

Thirty-seven percent of the enumerators are women including three handicapped persons.

Sixty-eight supervisors have also been mobilized to make the census-taking effective.

Under the National Census Programme, family and individual data will be collected in Nepalgunj Municipality from tomorrow, the district census office said.

The census-taking will end in the district on June 21.

Meanwhile, reports from Pokhara say the National Census-2001 began in Kaski district today with the slogan "let no one be left out from the census and let there be no repetition".

The task of imparting familiarization training to the enumerators and supervisors for the national census ended yesterday.

In this connection, 92 supervisors have already prepared the household inventory for the district and the main task of taking individual and family data will be done by 346 enumerators who have been mobilized in various parts of the district.

The estimated number of households in the district is said to be about 79,732 which means 1 supervisor for each 1,000 households.

Similarly, one enumerator each has been assigned for 300 households in Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City and all the other VDCs of the district except Lekhnath Municipality.

The task of taking data and conducting the census will end by june 26. in Kaski district.

The district is divided into three sectors for conducting the national census-2001. There are two municipalities and 43 village development committees in Kaski district.

Condolence meets held all over the nation

KATHMANDU, June 15 (RSS) - Reports of condolence meetings being held to mourn the sad and untimely demise of His Majesty Birendra, Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya, His Majesty King Dipendra and other members of Royal Family are being received here.

Those organisations extending heartfelt condolences to Their Late Majesties the King and Queen are Suyal Thapa Chhetri Sewa Samaj, Drabya Shah Multiple Campus, Gorakha, Teli Kalyan Samaj Nepal, Consumers’ Forum, Nepal, Bajrabarahi Youth Club, Makwanpur, Sajha Swastha Sewa, Live Stock Development Farm, Jiri, Officers’ Club, Sindhulimadi, Sports Nepal and Annapurna Hand-made Paper Craft.

The people of Siraha district paid heartfelt tributes to His Late Majesty King Birendra, Her Late Majesty Queen Aishwarya, His Late Majesty King Dipendra and other royalties by organising a district-level condolence meeting here Thursday.

The condolence meeting held under the aegis of siraha DDC also observed two minutes’ silence in the memory of Their Late Majesties the King and Queen.

Judges Dip Kumar Karki, Tej Bahadur Karki and Narendra Shiwakoti, MPs Krishna Charan Shrestha, Hem Narayan Yadav and Dharmanath Shah, CDO Chandra Bahadur Karki, Superintendent of Police Bishwa Raj Singh Shahi, chiefs of various government offices, social workers, intellectuals and journalists offered floral tributes to the portraits of Their Late Majesties the King and Queen.

A peace march taken out after the conclusion of the meeting along with portraits of Their Late Majesties the King and Queen went around the Siraha town.

Siddhi-Indra Memorial Trust, Pimbahal performed a special worshipping of Abhitav Tathagat and Guru Padma Sambhav in accordance with the Buddhist ritual for eternal peace to the departed souls of Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Buddhist monks, Anagarika and Lama gurus collectively performed the worshipping. Mirmire Club, Ramghat held a condolence meeting to pay heartfelt tributes to Their Late Majesties the King and Queen and other royalties.

At the meeting, MP Sukra Raj Sharma noted that the image of the monarchy has been enhanced because of its catalytic role in the consolidation of democracy.

Central member of Nepal Press Union Ramesh Poudel expressed grief over the tragic incident that took place at Narayanhity Royal Palace on June 1.

Similarly, a condolence meeting was also held under the aegis of the institute of forestry to pay tributes to Their Late Majesties the King and Queen and other royalties.

Women Skill Development Project, Simalchaur lit 108 oil lamps as a tribute to Their Late Majesties the King and Queen and other royalties.

Child Welfare Committee, Baglung organised a condolence meeting for eternal peace to the departed souls of His Majesty King Birendra and other members royal family.

Similarly, a meeting of Khadka Samaj also expressed deep sadness over the untimely demise of Their Majesties the King and Queen and wished eternal peace to the departed souls.

A condolence meeting was held here Thursday to pay tributes to His Majesty King Birendra, Her Majesty Queen Aishwarya, His Majesty King Dipendra, His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan, Her Royal Highness Princess Sruti and other members of the royal family who passed away in an unanticipated incident on June 1.

At the condolence meeting, convenor of the Citizens’ Society Kishor Bhandari handed over the condolence books kept at Khalanga-2 Thanti, Khalanga-1 Bhagawati Tol and the district administration office to chief district officer Rishikesh Niraula.

Businessman drowns

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BIRGUNJ, June 15 - A 38-year-old businessman drowned in a local City Club swimming pool on Thursday evening, police here said.

The deceased has been identified as Mahendra Kumar Rajput,who was learning swimming for the last 10 days. Rajput had gone there to practise in the pool along with his family members and some friends. Life guards said he happened to reach the 10 foot deep water of the pool without their notice.

By the time two life guards pulled him out of the pool, it was too late. He died immediately after taking him to the local hospital. One of the life guards, Lav Giri, said that Rajput was still breathing when they rescued him from the deep water.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

Maoists obstruct census

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KALIKOT, June 15- The tenth National Census is hardly likely to be accomplished within the stipulated time at Kalikot, due to the seizure of the articles and materials belonging to the census officials.

The Fukot Ilaka Census Office said that all their census materials were looted by the Maoists from the office itself on the night of June 1, thereby suspending the entire data collection process.

Supervisor of the Fukot office, who is back in the headquarters following the Maoist attack, said that the Maoists made the attacks at a time when they were undergoing a 5-day training for the enumerators."They made us part of their self-proclaimed peoples’ government," supervisor Parshuram Kafle said.

District Census Officer Prakash Poudel said that the entire process of enumeration has been suspended in all the 17 VDCs to the north headquarters. The data collection for the census, however, is going on in the remaining villages after proper training to the census personnel. The census has therefore been limited to the area in and around the headquarters at Manma, Poudel admitted.

Maoist sources confirmed that they are indeed trying their best to suspend the census. "We’ve already formed our Janasarkar (people’s government) in Kalikot, and therefore nothing can be done without our consent," Pratik and Ranabir, Maoist district secretaries from Achham and Bajura, respectively told The Kathmandu Post.

"We’ll let them collect the data if the respective governement agencies make a formal request to us," Pratik said.

The District Co-ordination Committee for the Census, meanwhile, is scheduled to meet today to chalk out a future strategy in the wake of serious impendiments hampering the census work, Census Officer Poudel said.