VDC offices reopen in Bhadrapur

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BHADRAPUR, Jhapa, June 27- Officials of various Village Development Committees (VDC) in the western part of this eastern plain district have decided to open their offices that were forcibly locked up by the underground Maoists last week, according to reports received here on Monday.

Topgachhi VDC Chairman and central member of the VDC Federation, Padam Poudel, said more than 10 VDCs jointly decided to resume their daily administration keeping in mind the public pressure. He said that other VDCs would also follow the step.

Poudel said the Maoists move to close VDC offices and schools were found to be against public interest. Other VDC chairmen also said they received no threats from Maoists after the opening of their offices. It may be recalled that 17 VDCs had been locked up by the rebels as a part of their political campaign in the eastern part of the country.

Landslide in Chankhu VDC widens 25 families abandon their homes

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CHARIKOT, Dolakha, June 27 - The approximately one kilometre wide landslide that swept away 11 people, including seven children, from three households in the remote Chankhu VDC on Friday has expanded further, authorities here said after making an on-the-site inspection five days later of the incident on Tuesday.

Officials said that 25 other families have abandoned their houses and they are taking refuge to their relatives for fear of the falling debris.

Locals said that the landslide also swept away 22 cattle and around 200 ropanis of arable land.

Of the total victims perished in the huge landslide, locals could recover only two bodies from the mud till Tuesday and the remaining nine others still are missing.

Locals said another neighbour, Nepte Gurung’s entire family was perished in the natural disaster.

A six member rescue team led by Chief District Officer, Dipak Kumar Joshi, and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bijaya Kumar Joshi, inspected the landslide site by helicopter today. Locals accused the district level authorities of making inspection too late.

Authorities said they came to know about the landslide four days later when some locals informed them about it.

The team provided Rs 5,000 to Ring Bahadur Gurung and Rs 2,000 to Bishnu Bahadur Gurung to carry out the last rites of their deceased family members.

Ring Bahadur lost his four family members while his neighbour, Bishnu Bahadur lost his two daughters in the natural disaster.

A rescue team member told The Kathamdnu Post that they also provided 11 families with tents and Rs 500 to each of the 18 other landslide victims as immediate relief from the District Natural Disaster Relief Fund.

Locals complained that the relief assistance provided by the authorities to them was insufficient.

Chameliya hydel project on final stage

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DARCHULA, June 27 - Basic infrastructure development of the 30 megawatts capacity Chameliya hydel project, the largest ever in the Far-Western Region, is on the final stage, the project officials said.

The three billion rupee power project, to be built under the joint investment of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), state monopoly for power generation and distribution, and the government is situated in between the Sheri and Shikhar Village Development Committees of this north-west mountain district.

The project has so far invested Rs 130 million for the basic infrastructure that includes 21 km long linkroad from Gokuleshwor to the dam site at Bitule.

Project Chief Keshav Raj Bhatta said that the linkroad would be completed within the third week of July.

Bhatta said that a tender for its powerhouse construction would have called by the end of January, 2002. The Korean company, Hondai Engineering, has already signed an agreement with the NEA for the investment of the project.

The power to be generated from the project will be connected at Attariya, Kailali-based national power grid through a 127 km long transmission lines.

Water of the Chaulani river will be diverted toward the semi-underground power-house site at Balanch through a four km long tunnel.

Administrative Officer, Keshav Prasad Rupakheti, said the project will have to acquire around 300 ropanies of land in Sheri and Shikhar VDCs.

Rupakheti, however, did not specifically mention how much amount would it require for settling the compensation issue. He also said that a total of 40 families will be affected by the project and they will have to be relocated to other areas.

Project Chief Bhatta said that majority of the VDCs of Darchula and Baitadi districts will be provided with electricity after the completion of the project.

TU gate irks local people

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KIRTIPUR (Kathmandu), June 27 - The long hassle between Nepal’s first university Tribhuwan University (TU) and the local authorities of the city which houses it came to an apparent front as both the university as well as the locals came neck-to-neck today for their rights.

A group of around eighty locals pulled down two pillars of a gate under construction and an old wooden shade belonging to the university on Tuesday, claiming that the university was trying to close the old route to the city that runs through the university road.

The locals said that they dismantled the pillars because TU was constructing the gate with a view to depriving the locals from using the old road. "We want to keep the old road to Kathmandu open. It is our right to use this old road," they said.

Different student unions today held a meeting to "retaliate the action of the locals". They said the locals were going too far to disturb the university environment and the students.

Free Students’ Union, All Nepal National Free Students’ Union, Nepal Students’ Union and All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (Revolutionary) have condemned this act and warned the locals not to execute such "illegal and irresponsible steps" in future.

The unions also demanded TU to look into the matter and take action to punish the people involved in the incident .

Principal of University Campus (TU), Prof Dr Shekhar Gurung blamed Kirtipur Municipality for the act.

He said this is an irresponsible act of a responsible local authority like Kirtipur Municipality. "Tribhuvan University is a decoration for the municipality. So it should conserve the university and its environment. But it is crossing all limits to pull down the pillars without prior information," he said.

TU is holding a meeting Monday in which Gurung intends to invite the mayor of the municipality, also.

However, Kirtipur Mayor Hira Kaji Maharjan denied the municipality’s involvement in pulling down the pillars. "We are shocked to know that the country’s biggest academic institution blamed representatives of the municipality only running after guess work," a press release, signed by the mayor states.

The release ,however, stresses that building a gate with the intention to block the main road to the city is illegal.

Salyani khukuri may become extinct

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SALYAN, June 27 - Khukuri, which serves as the symbol of bravery of the Nepalis in the history of the world, is likely to become extinct in the near future.

This has been attested by the fact that there has been a drastic decline in the production of the popular Salyani khukuri (khukuri made in Salyan). It is being produced currently in a very limited scale although locals used to produce khukuri worth about Rs 90,000 per month until recently.

"The importance of Salyani khukuri has not diminished in any way, but we are facing problems due to acts of terrorism created by the Maoists and the need to procure government licence to export this item," said a local khukuri producer, Ganesh Bahadur.

Moreover, the khukuri producers are also encountering the problem of coal. The government does not allow us to cut down even the stumps of trees in the forest, he added.

Only eight to ten families of Salyan are engaged in producing khukuri. They do not own land. Their main source of income is to produce and sell khukuri, fish, chulesi(for cutting vegetables) and sickles. When the government started banning the production of these items, they complain that their only source of income and means of livelihood was at stake.

They say that they were compelled to run this occupation not as a business but as a means of earning their livelihood due to lack of fund. This is the reason why their occupation of khukuri-making has been weaker day by day.

"We have not been able to work unitedly. Our problem has been further aggravated by the fact that even khukuris produced by us have remained unsold. We receive order from outside, but the government has put a ban on the export. What can we do with our limited customers like police, army and employees," Bishnu B.K. said.

"As the administration has banned the production of khukuri for the public, it has deprived us of our means of livelihood. Either the government should allow us to continue our occupation or we should be given alternative job", they complain.

Five killed, hundreds affected by Gastro-enteritis

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SYANGJA, June 27 - Five people have died following the outbreak of gastro-enteritis over the last 15 days in different parts of Syangja district.

The outbreak of gastro-enteritis in the district has been attributed to polluted drinking water and unhygienic food.

According to chairman of Rapakot VDC Khadanand Poudel, five people have died in Rapakot and Arjun Chaupari VDCs and hundreds of others have been affected by the disease.

As there is shortage of ‘jivan jal’, glucose, other necessary medicines and environment at the local health posts and hospital, patients have been admitted to Western Regional hospital in Pokhara.

Many patients have already returned home after treatment while there are still a large number of other people who are undergoing treatment in a critical condition, chairman Poudel told The Kathmandu Post.

Hundreds of people in Khilung, Deurali, Dhapuk, Shimal Bhanjyang and Sworek VDCs have been affected and due to lack of medicine they are fighting desperately for their life in the absence of medical treatment, Nepali Congress district president and vice-chairman of Khilung VDC Khagendra Raj Regmi said.

Many patients are still in Khilung health post but they have not received treatment due to lack of medicines and equipment.

Eight patients admitted to the local Waling health centre are undergoing treatment. The disease has also been spreading in this area, chief of the health centre, Dr Ram Bahadur K.C. said.

Local people’s representatives from the affected VDCs have requested the local administration to send medical teams along with necessary equipment and medicines to contain the disease which has been spreading due to polluted water, people’s lack of knowledge, habit of consuming rotten and unwholesome food, but the health workers’ teams have not been sent to the affected area by Wednesday.

Many people lost their lives last year in different VDCs of Syangja including Chisapani, Chinnebas, Mankamana, Oraste and Shrikrishna Gandaki.

Home Ministry asks for two choppers

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KATHMANDU, June 27 - The Home Ministry has asked the Finance Ministry to allocate Rs. 590 million to purchase two helicopters for the Nepal Police, Home Secretary Shree Kant Regmi said yesterday.

The Ministry has asked for Rs. 570 million to purchase a Russian-built MI-17 to ship cargo and transport personnel and a smaller craft with capacity to transport nine people. In the proposal the Ministry has also asked for additional Rs. 20 million to be used as maintenance costs.

Regmi said the Ministry has already spent Rs. 620 million chartering helicopters from private airline operators to airlift personnel and supplies to remote moutainous regions since the Maoist rebels waged a guerrilla war in 1996.

Since the rebels began the "people’s war" from the hills of central and mid-western Nepal, over 1,600 people have been killed. There has also been heavy casualties on the police side and in the recent months, the rebels have launched daring attacks on police outposts.

In the past 10 months of this fiscal year alone, the government has spent Rs. 240 million to hire the helicopter.

"We have been assured that the Finance Ministry will allocate the budget for the two crafts in this upcoming fiscal year," Regmi said at the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee meeting today.

The Ministry has actually sought four helicopters — two MI-17, one nine-seater and one five seater. The Home Ministry has been demanding the aircraft to be used not only to transport the security personnel but also to assist during the times of natural calamities like flood, landslide and earthquake to rush in relief materials and personnel.

The 40,000 plus police force has no helicopter in its possession. The Royal Nepal Army has at least four helicopters on its fleet besides two aircraft.

Indian ambassador inspects programmes

KATHMANDU, June 27(RSS) - Indian ambassador Deb Mukharji inspected the Mahila Ashram and various training programmes being organised by the Nepal Charkha Pracharak Gandhi Smarak Mahaguthi, Manohara today.

The Nepal Charkha Pracharak Gandhi Smarak Mahaguthi, the first social institution in Nepal, was set up by the late Tulsi Meher Shrestha 74 years ago.

Speaking on the occasion, the Indian ambassador assured that India would provide all possible assistance to the Nepal Charkha Pracharak Gandhi Smarak Mahaguthi which has been involved in publicizing the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and upliftment of the women.

Chairman of the Mahaguthi Bhadrakali Mishra said that the founder of the Mahaguthi the late Tulsi Meher Shrestha had dedicated himself to implementing the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi in Nepal and serving the poor people as well as women.

Member of the Mahaguthi and member of the Rajparishad standing committee Bhadra Kumari Ghale urged India to take interest in the activities of the Mahaguthi and to provide all possible assistance to it. The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi can play a vital role in guiding the world plagued by violence and struggles, she added.

Vice-chairman of the Mahaguthi Ramnarayan Shrestha said that the Mahila Ashram had been making efforts to develop morality, discipline and high ideals among the people.

The Mahila Ashram organises training programmes on cutting and sewing, cloth weaving and handicrafts, and provides the disabled women shelter, and food and education to their children.