His Majesty felicitated

KATHMANDU, June 22 (RSS)- The meeting of the Nepal Blind Welfare Association Central Committee which was held yesterday congratulated His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev upon His Majesty’s accession to the throne and heartily wished for long life and good reign.

Similarly, the meeting expressed concern over Her Majesty Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah’s health condition who was injured in the unexpected incident in the Royal Palace and wished quick recovery and also wished for the quick recovery of other members of the Royal Family and Royal Relatives.

The meeting also extended condolences on the demise of His Majesty King Dipendra, HRH Prince Nirajan and HRH Princess Shruti and prayed for the eternal peace to the departed souls.

Likewise, a meeting of the Shree Panch Tribhuvan Memorial Committee executive committee has expressed best wishes and hearty felicitations to His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on the occasion of His Majesty’s Accession to the throne..

The committee also wished for His Majesty’s good health, prosperity and long reign.

Chairman of the committee and former prime minister Kirti Nidhi Bista presided over the meeting yesterday.

Two bodies recovered from Marsyangdi

TANAHU, June 22 (RSS)- The bodies of Narakaji Gurung and Mahadatta Poudel alias Ramu, the driver and helper respectively of the ill-fated tanker which had been missing since Friday after it fell down into the Marsyangdi river while on its way from Pokhara to Birgunj, were found floating downstream in the Marsyangdi the other day.

According to the District Police Office, the body of Gurung was found floating near the river bank at ward No. 3, Markichok of Anbu Khaireni while that of helper Poudel was found at ward No. 4, Narighat, Anbu Khaireni VDC.

The bodies have been taken to the West Regional Hospital, Pokhara, for an autopsy.

Another driverof the tanker Indra Bahadur Gurung who managed to survive the accident is undergoing treatment at the West Regional Hospital, Pokhara.

Meanwhile, ten-year-old Bimala Thapa, the daughter of Man Bahadur Thapa, a resident of local Devghat VDC-2, was swept away by the flooded Deudi Khola stream, according to VDC chairman Shiva Raj Poudel.

Govt for law and order in country

ITAHARI, June 22 (RSS)- State Minister for Home Hari Prasad Sapkota has said the government is very sensitive in ensuring law and order in the aftermath of the unexpected and terrible incident in the Narayanhity Royal Palace, recently.

Sapkota while addressing party workers at NC Sunsari district party office Inaruwa today, said all the democrats should unite at this hour as those against monarchy and multiparty system have been attacking it.

"The government is attentive towards the attack on the monarchy and democracy by the Maoists by making rumourous political comments", he said, adding that the Integrated Security and Development Package (ISDP) will be moved forward on priority basis.

Sapkota said it is indispensable for the king and the people to unite as per the thinking of late B.P Koirala when the nation and the monarchy is in crisis.

Discussion will also be held among security bodies to safeguard people in the context that Maoist influence has been spreading in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Sankhuwasabha, Okhaldhunga, Khotang and Bhojpur districts at present, Minister of State Sapkota informed.

Sapkota also took stock of the development and law and order situation by meeting NC party workers in Harinagara, Gautampur and Chimadi area today.

He also gave directives to Concerned Development and Security Office chiefs and chiefs of sister organisations at the party office. The programme was chaired by NC Sunsari party secretary Rajiv Koirala.

Land certificates to squatters

Chitwan, June 22(RSS)- The Landless Problems Resolution Commission Chitwan has distributed land-ownership certificates to 375 families living in 21 VDCs at a function organised at Fulbasi VDC here yesterday.

It was informed at the function that another one thousand landless families will be distributed with land-ownership certificates soon.

Addressing the function, MP Gangadhar Lamsal said the distribution of land ownership was as promised by the NC during the election campaign for livelihood of the people.

Commission chairman Narayan Prasad Koirala said the land received by the landless will not be allowed to sell for the next 15 years.

Also speaking on the occasion were central members of the commission Trilochan Nirmal Poudel, Madan Amatya, CDO Tikaram Aryal, commission vice chairman Sitaram Bhatta, Sharadanagar VDC chairman Ash Bahadur Lama, vice chairman Shambhu Bhandari and Bidur KC also expressed their views.

Jackal killed to prevent spread of rabies

JANAKPURDHAM, June 22 (RSS)- Locals in a village near Machijhitakaiya VDC in Dhanusha district have killed a jackal that wreaked havoc by biting 45 persons and 10 domesticated animals, yesterday.

The jackal was killed in order to prevent any spread of rabies from the jackal’s saliva to livestocks and man, chief of the District Livestock Services Office Dr. Indrakant Jha informed.

Maoists to ban hemp farming

Post Report

HETAUDA, June 22 - Underground Maoists on Thursday declared that they would turn Makawanpur a hemp farming-restricted district. Maoists also said they were determined to crack down the nexus between hemp smugglers and the police. Hemp is grown in more than a dozen VDCs located to the north-western part of the district.

Addressing a mass meeting organised at a local school of remote Namtar VDC-2, Maoist leader said they would take strong action against those involved in hemp farming.

The rebels also set nine sacks of hemp on fire in the presence of the locals. They said that the hemp was seized from smugglers who were attempting to ferry it into India.

"The hemp farming will only help the smugglers and police. So we will not let anyone have hemp nursery in all villages," one of the rebel leaders said. June and July are the suitable months for developing hemp nursery.

Rebels leader called Ramesh said that his party would assist the locals to grow ginger and other cash crops instead of hemp.

He said that the smugglers not only tempted the innocent locals but also misused them as hemp porters. He said hundreds of locals ended up their lives in prison and bigwigs often remained scot free.

Locals said the investors for hemp farming were scared following the Maoist decision to destroy the farming.

A local, who participated in the meeting, requesting anonymity, said that the smugglers had also planned to funnel their money to the rebels so as to ensure their illegal business.

National Census 2001 Program in Morang

BIRATNAGAR, June 22 (RSS)- The National Census Office, Morang, organized a programme here on the occasion of the commencement of the Tenth National Census-2001 Programme in the district today.

Addressing the programme, Chief District Officer Binod Gyawali, from the chair, shed light on the importance of the national census in the formulation of various development-related policies and plans.

He said it is out of this realization of the importance of national census that the government declared a public holiday on the day of the national census.

Chief of the District Census Office Badri Karki also highlighted the important place of national census in the country’s development process.

The task of data collection which formally began on June 15 in the district is scheduled to be completed on June 26.

According to the Chief District Census Officer Karki, the entire district has been divided into seven areas and seven area supervisors, 616 enumerators and 163 supervisors have been mobilized for this purpose.

The population of Morang district according to the last census conducted ten years ago was 674,823. Similarly, the number of households in the district was 126,557. The First National Census was held in 1911.

Party workers’ gathering held

JANAKPUR, June 22 (RSS)- Minister of State for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol has spoken of the need to assure the people on the norms, values and ideals of democracy.

Minister of State Dangol was addressing a party workers’ gathering at the Nepali Congress Dhanusha district party office here on Wednesday.

Noting that the Upper House holds its own significance in a parliamentary system, Dangol urged all the Nepali Congress workers to actively work towards ensuring the victory of the Nepali Congress candidates who have filed their candidacy for the membership of the National Assembly from the Central Development Region.

Nepali Congress candidate for the Upper House from the Central Development Region Chiranjibi Nidhi Tiwari also expressed his views at the meeting chaired by Nepali Congress Dhanusha district president Ramkrishna Yadav.

Post office employees rue meagre salary

JANAKPUR, June 22(RSS)- The Additional Post Office employees are sorry at their plight being deprived of the government facilities. Although they also are government employees, they get less pay and facilities compared to other civil servants.

At present there are a total of 75 additional post offices in various Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Dhanusha district established in line with the government’s policy of extending postal services to each and every VDC following the political change of 1990.

Hundreds of employees working in these additional post offices are ruing their meagre salary and facilities given to them. An employee of the rank of postman at these offices draws a monthly salary of Rs 950.

"The government increased the salary of all civil servants. A peon gets a salary of up to Rs 3,000 per month but we only get Rs 950 a month", says Sobhit Yadav, a postman at the Additional Post Office, Kurtha.

According to District Post Master Ramnesh Kumar Sharma, there are altogether 274 postal agents and delivery agents employed at the various Additional Post Offices in the district.

Souvenir released

HETAUDA, June 22 (RSS)- Chief Judge of the Appellate Court of Hetauda Paramananda Jha released a souvenir Indra Sarobar published by the Officers Club of Makawanpur, yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, Jha called on the civil servants to work for the greater welfare of the villagers by realising their own responsibilities with the spirit of the constitution.

CDO Durga Prasad Pokhrel said works for maintaining law and order have been carried out as per the directives of HMG and that development will take momentum only through the coordination between people’s representatives and office chiefs.

The function was chaired by club chairman Mohan Bahadur Karki. Similarly, the Ninth Annual General Assembly of the Officers’ Club Makawanpur also concluded here.

Club secretary Narayan Hari Sharma presented progress report and treasurer Binod Chandra Koirala presented annual income and expenditure.

The annual general assembly re-elected unopposed Mohan Bahadur Karki to the post of the club chairman.

The vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and joint secretary elected were Narayanhari Sharma, Krishna Prasad Panthi, Raman Jha and Rhishi Adhikari.

Similarly, the members elected unopposed are Maheswori Bista, Teknath Sharma Bimal Ghimire, Rabiratna Shakya, Nirmal Pyakurel, Basant Dhungana, Madhusudan Budhathoki, B. K. Maharjan, Balaram Dhakal and Krishna Bahadur Shrestha, the club informed.

Bandits loot cash and kind

NAWALPARASI, June 22 - A gang of armed bandits looted cash and kind from eight houses in Koilapani village of Shiv Mandir VDC-8 on Thursday night, according to the police.

Police from Kawasoti area police could arrest one of the bandits who was fleeing along with the booty on early Friday. Police, however, declined to disclose his name as he was still under investigation. Police said that the person under the custody would be a clue to arrest the remaining gang members.

Two locals, who sustained injuries while defending the bandits, are undergoing treatment at local Kaligandaki hospital. A local, Tikaram Kandel, said that the bandits had opened fire in the air when the locals attempted to encounter with them.

Police suspect that this could be the same gang that robbed at the frontier Rupauliya VDC-5 last week.

Off the beat

Feminists’ move

Indeed, there is gender discrimination in our country and those advocating equal rights for women are furious over the recent sexist attitude shown by the government to deprive them of earning millions recently. A lady associated to a certain feminist organization was furious over the government prejudice of not providing equal right to devour "katto" and become millionaire overnight. Her organization is thinking of taking out a protest rally for the "equal katto right for women" very soon (Raziv)

Sadvawana’s Rohit ?

In the last couple of weeks we have seen most of our top politicians speak to the international newspapers, magazines, radio and television channels as Nepal all of a sudden became the center concern for international media following the royal carnage of June 1. Well , it has always been trademark of our leaders not speaking the national language while dealing with foreigners and some like Gajendra Narayan Singh don’t speak Nepali even while dealing with people who do not know any language apart from Nepali. So did some of the Congress leaders. Surprising , even politician always speaking against India and claiming that the country is being a victim of "Indian Bistarwad" like Narayan Man Bijucche were also gleefully speaking Hindi with the Indian media. Now, now are we finding some commonalties between the Majdoor Kisan and Sadvawana?? (URM)

We, the people

We, the people of Nepal are very honest, tolerant and self - constraint. So, says a recent proposal passed by Nepali Congress and it thanked the people for the same. But the meeting missed out to thank the people for their sober move to accept the new regulation which directly contravenes the fundamental rights conferred by the constitution. Just pronouncing the word ‘ we are democratic’ is enough to woo the people. Once a party is democratic, everything done by it is democratic. If it allows its home minister to detain people even by crushing the right of habeas corpus, it is also for the sake of democracy. Isn’t it, Poudel Baje ? (Rudra)

More setbacks

Going will get tougher for CPM-UML in the up coming house session. If the latest rumor (in the country of rurours) is anything to go by , the agitation- savvy UML leaders won’t be backed by the remaining opposition parties this time. And with the Lauda Jet already air -borne , and the Royal massacre submitted , the MKN and companies’ dreams are unlikely to come true. Since like its another season of backlash and setbacks for A ye- Malle. (SurEnd)

Reversing history

Napoleon Bonapart had once said that he was more afraid of a pen than one thousand strong armed force. A pen does not shoot out bullets but injects ink into pubic mindset that ultimately shakes ruling classes. That’s why the little pen always remained specter for rulers.

Our post-democracy leaders see the pen a specter that hounds them all the time. The ruling class wants the press dance in tune with their hoarse music. They must have regretted now that they committed a grave mistake by ensuring press freedom in the Constitution. The government’s recent move to crack down the media has backfired themselves, with global media condemning their absurdity. If the government wants to uphold its tarnished image, respect the press freedom even in crisis. A wise statesman never thinks of reversing history, rather he wishes to speed it up. (Arjun)

Another victim

Nepalese people came across a horrible nightmare this month. The whole country mourned the death of their beloved King, Queen and the royal family. Most of the Nepalese male population, I guess more than three quarters of a pie tonsured . Barbers had never been so busy like they were two weeks before. I asked a barber how much did he earn ? He told me sobbing that he was going to his village for three months. Why ? He would starve if he stays at Kathmandu because nobody will come to him for the next three months to have a hair cut, he quipped. So, the barbers turned out to be another victim of royal tragedy. (DILIP)

Safety for CDOs

Who will be secured after the formulation of the Public Security Regulation-2001? Obviously, the government at the cost of other opposition parties and even unwanted elements (only that considered unwanted by the government). Until when would they remain secure? Unless all the Chief District Officers (CDOs) are abducted by the Maoist or even by any other new-born rebels as it is the CDOs who are given unlimited power by the new regulation. Watch out CDOs who will provide security to you? Well don’t worry, ask the government to formulate another regulation to guarantee your protection. (PP)

One person, one plate

This scribe was taken aback by a notice hung in modest hotels of the major tourist areas of the capital city including the ones in the entry point at Sunauli. ‘One person, one plate’ read the notice. Neither I could make it nor could resist the temptation of knowing the meaning. Finally, I decided to ask a hotelier.

What does the notice mean? He said, generally we charge our customers of meal either on head count basis or plate system. But when foreigners come to us they buy one plate of rice and even three persons share the meal. The practice is harmful to us. Therefore, to discourage such practice , we hang the notice. My thirst for meaning was quenched.

(RSS)

Katto right

I often think that we Nepalis have become very careless to follow our tradition. It is so because what our teachers teach in the culture class room are so outdated and boring and ruddy. But I’m a optimist.

Now I have found that there is something in our culture which is really alluring even in this IT age.What else? It is Katto. Let there be a rule that Katto would be given at the death of every development programs, projects and other people-oriented schedules. Likewise, end of unproductive seminars, interactions, symposiums also deserve Katto-eating ceremonies. This way, the bahuns will continue the culture what if they don’t go to temple and chant mantras and follow the Vedic principles. (RAJEEB)

Dead body identified

ITAHARI, June 22 (RSS) Police have identified the dead body found yesterday in a paddy field at ward no. 3, Bhaluwa Village, Sunsari District, to be that of 25-year-old Dhyanu Chaudhari, a resident of the locality.

Chaudhari, who previously was said to be involved in several criminal activities in the area, had gone missing from a local brick kiln a few days ago. Chaudhari’s wife identified the body of her husband yesterday when police showed her the body. The body was then handed over to her, according to the ilaka police office, Duhabi.

Police suspect that Chaudhari might have been murdered and his body dumped in the paddy field.

The post-mortem was carried out at the district hospital, Inaruwa and the body handed over to his family for cremation after necessary legal processes, police said.

It is learnt that an investigation is underway in this connection.

NSU comments on probe report

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 22- The fourth general meeting of Nepal Students’ Union concluded here recently with a resolution on the recent political developments in the country.

Nepal Students’ Union made public its decisions on the hosts of issues such as the probe report, new king, security of royal palace and many others at a press conference organized here in the capital.

According to Sharma, the probe report was too limited to meet people’s expectation. The report of the High Level Committee was satisfactory given the time limitation and TOR," he added.

Speaking to the reporters, Sharma urged to diffuse the confusion and suspicions through the commitment of all political parties.

Regarding the education sector, he said that All Nepal National Free Students’ Union, a Maoist students’ wing which comprises of hardly 5 per cent of the total students’ population cannot achieve anything worthwhile through violence and closing down private schools.

Two children rescued

BESISAHAR, Lamjung, June 22 (PR) Local teachers on Friday rescued two children aged eight and 10 from a jungle where they were left stranded for five days after their mother died falling down from a sharp face of a hill at Baglung Pani VDC-8.

The teachers returning from a teachers’ training programme found the soaked and shivered kids near a landslide area of the VDC from where their beloved mother skidded off the sliperry trail.

The VDC is located about three hour’s trek from here, the district headquarters.

VDC chairman Padam Jung Gurung said that police recovered the body below the landslide. Police suspect that the woman was approximately 35-year-old woman hailed from Bhujung VDC of Gorkha district along with her two children.

Police said the kids would be handed over to their family members. The post-mortem of the body was carried out in the district hospital.