Endangered pangolin dies in Hetaunda Zoo

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HETAUNDA, June 24 - The endangered pangolin, that was caught here and handed over to a local mini-zoo at the Martyr’s Memorial Park died Friday.

Some fire-brigade employees caught it in the town 10 days ago.

But the specimen of the endangered species was not safe even in the zoo as employees were ignorant of the dietary habits of the pangolin and the significance of the rare species. They, however, tried to feed it with some insects and kept it in a cement pipe filled with soil.

RC Neupane, a zoo employee said that the pangolin died despite the hardest effort of the zoo. "We are very sorry we could not save the animal that could be an additional attraction of the zoo," he said.

Anil Shrestha, the zoologist of the Institution of Forestry Hetauda said that the animal died because the zoo lacked its proper habitat and also trained manpower to cure it.

"Even the central zoo in capital does not have proper place for such tender animal."

The pangolin, which is a shy wild animal ventures into the night in search of prey. Its favourite dish is the eggs of grasshoppers and selected types of ants.

Enlisted as an endangered species, the pangolin found here has a weight of 5 kg, with dimensions, 45 cms by 12 cms. A similar pangolin had been found here 18 months ago.But it disappeared soon after, and how it did escape from the confines of the zoo. While some say that the pangolin fled its confinements, others claim that it died after refusing to eat anything for several days.

The zoo at Jawalakhel had refused to adopt a similar pangolin three years ago, maintaining that it was impossible to keep it in a zoo.

Don’t resign under pressure: Nepal

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BESISHAHAR, June 24 - General Secretary of the CPN (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday urged his party workers not to resign from their elected posts in different VDCs at any cost under the pressure from Maoists and defeat the Maoists ideologically.

Speaking at a function organised by his party to pay tribute to UML worker Sukuman Gurung who was killed in the 3-day-long "bandh" (general strike) organised by his party he said his party had declared late Gurung as a martyr.

He said the activities of the Maoists had not benefitted the Communist movement.

Stating that the campaign started by the UML against corruption would be continued in the days ahead Nepal said his party would not compromise with Prime Minister Koirala.

Earlier, speaking at a gathering of his party workers he said government was showing its despotic nature by introducing the new regulations and added that the NC would not be able to address the Maoist problem.

Bus service closed due to monsoon

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DARCHULA, June 24 - The bus service from Mahendranagar to the southern belt of Darchula district has been stopped for the rainy season.

Seti-Mahakali Bus Transport Committee has,however, said it would continue its service up to the headquarters of Baitadi district even during the rainy season.

The Mahendranagar-Darchula road is black-topped up to Pokhara in Baitadi district but beyond this sector, more than 200 kilometres of the road is yet to be black-topped. It is risky to operate bus service in this part of the road in the rainy season due to the hazards posed by landslide and floods. Hence, the bus service in this section of the road will remain closed for about four months.

Consequently, Bajhang, Darchula and northern belt of Baitadi dstrict have been isolated from the rest of the country for the next four months. Although there is an air service of the RNAC to Bajhang from Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi once a week, these services are not regular, locals complain. The Gokuleswor airport in Darchula, however, has been lying closed for the last seven years.

Prices of goods have shot up suddenly in Gokuleswor bazaar after the bus service was halted for the rainy season.

Meanwhile, reoports from Sindhuli say, regular bus service from Bhiman bazaar of Kamalamai municipality to Dudhauli bazaar has been hampered by continuous rainfall over the last few days.

This road had been providing direct benefit to residents of about a dozen VDCs of Kamalakhunj area. The road which passes along the river Kamalamai has been damaged at several places due to many small streams originating from the Chure mountain range and fed by rain.

As there are no causeway bridges on many streams flowing from the Chure range, the road cannot be made permanent, said DDC vice-president, Dor Bahadur Lama. He added that people, who were in the habit of taking bus from their homes during the winter season, were compelled to think for three months in the rainy season that they were residents of remote areas.

The road is busy in winter with buses plying between Sindhulimadhi and Kathmandu and Bhiman bazaar to Dudhouli bazaar, but now the road is completely deserted.

Similarly, bus service in the 50-kilometre road from Lalbandi in Sarlahi district, which links about a dozen VDCs in the western belt of Sindhuli district, has also been disrupted.

DDC not informed about govt decision

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RUKUM, June 24 - There was confusion in Rukum district on Friday due to the failure of the government to inform the DDC about its decision made about two and a half months ago.

At its meeting held on Friday, Rukum DDC started its deliberation on "basket fund" and all the participating office chiefs and office-bearers ran away in consternation.

Apparently, the DDC was not informed by the government about its decision regarding the "basket fund" and Integrated Security and Development package in the areas affected by Maoists. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting on the 31st of Chaitra.

As the government had not informed the district about the dissolution of the basket fund the fund was still being held due to their ignorance about the status of the programme.

On Friday, the meeting was about to be held in the presence of Assistant Minister for Local Development Keshar Man Roka. When some members said the programme was already abolished, the DDC officials were surprised.

Then they contacted the National Planning Commission which informed them through a fax that the programme was already abolished. Then the meeting was postponed, according to DDC vice-president Tagendra Prakash Puri.

Minister Upadhyaya calls for party unity

BIRATNAGAR, June 24 (RSS)- Minister for Education and Sports Amod Prasad Upadhyaya has called upon all Nepali Congress workers to shun mutual bickering and move ahead unitedly against the Maoists who have been spearheading with an attitude of terror against democratic norms and values.

Addressing a gathering of NC party workers at Bardanga of Morang District-1 Saturday, Minister Upadhyaya expressed confidence that if we can make the general public understand the fact that the Maoists are trying to establish a rule more autocratic than the Rana rule and the Panchayat rule then their (Maoists) goal will never be fulfilled.

He also clarified that the government introduced the public security regulations following the rights given by the parliamentary act and staying within the parameters of the Public Security Act.

NC Morang district President Ashok Koirala, Morang DDC vice-chairman Tuluram Rajbansi and other speakers also expressed their views at the programme chaired by NC Bardanga committee chairman Shambhu Prasad Singh.

Earlier, Minister Upadhyaya inspected and accquired information about the underconstruction bridge over the Baksa river, sikriti-dining road, BP ashram building and the newly built irrigation embankment at Aapgachhi.

Transporters discuss problems

BUTWAL, June 24 (RSS) - The transport management office Lumbini organised an interaction programme on problems in the transport sector and its solution here Saturday.

Participants at the programme pointed out problems like running of automobiles without road permit, confusion in service routes for passenger jeep and buses, running of automobiles against the capacity of roads and lack of coordination between transport entrepreneurs.

Regular transportation strike, misbehaviour towards passengers, inefficient drivers, unhealthy competition, uncontrolled driving speed, drunken driving, use of old automobiles, road encroachment, stray animals on the road, running of Indian registered vehicles in Nepal were also some problems in the transport sector pointed out in the programme.

Participants also expressed concern over the increasing trend of using a single driver in long-distance routes, lack of regular monitoring of automobiles, unsystematic and irregular distribution of driving license.

Excessive bus fare, unnecessary bus-stops, absence of tickets for short-distance route, dilapidated condition of roads and bridges, and irregular distribution of travel permit for automobiles were also matters of concern for the transport sector.

Healthy competition, village to town bus service, controlling sale of alcoholic beverages, limiting travel permit pass for automobiles, construction of road-side pavement, road signals, criteria and time period for running of automobiles, effective regulations, insurance and publicity were some of the remedies pointed out by the participants in order to address the above problems.

Taking part in the interaction programme were mayor of Butwal municipality Bhoj Prasad Shrestha, president of Consumers Rights Protection Forum Rupandehi Narbu Lama, president of Western Nepal Bus Committee Krishna Neupane, DSP at Western Regional Traffic Police Office Bijaya Bikram Shaha, president of Rupandehi Business Association Motiraj Gyawali, CPN-UML district member Nedikesar Dhakal, NC Butwal president Ramprasad Khanal and deputy director of Department of Transport Management Dipak Subedi.