Itahari bans meat,fish

ITAHARI, March 3(RSS)- The Itahari municipality has imposed a total ban in the sale of meat and fish and its consumption in Itahari from today to fend off the contraction of an unknown disease that spread in Siligudi, India.

The decision to this effect was taken by the emergency meeting convened by the municipality Friday.

The municipality issued a public notice stating that one who flouts the order of the municipality will be subjected to a fine of Rs. 15,000.

It also appealed to all not to sell and consume meat and fish until a next notice is issued and launch a clean-up programme in their locality.

No one should use the unhygenic colours in the food item and chemical to ripen the fruits, the municipality said and cautioned that stern action would be initiated against those who ignore its order.

Intellectuals, businessmen and representatives from various Non-Governmental Organisations attended the meeting chaired by mayor of Itahari municipality Sarwadhwaj Sanwa.

Forest personnel suspended

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BIRGUNJ, March 3 - The District Forest Office, Parsa, has initiated action against a forest ranger and three other security guards for not being able to account for the timber of 40 trees felled recently.

District Forest Officer, Mohan Dhungel told The Kathmandu Post, Friday, that the forest employees at Haraiya Range Post, Parsa have already been suspended as a preliminary action against them. He didn’t, however, name them.

A saw mill owner said that the disappearance of the trees was a verification of the often made allegations that the forest employees are themselves involved in the destruction of forests. "Otherwise, how can it be believed that 40 trees are lifted overnight without the notice of the armed security persons?"

Others allege that the order to suspend the officials, decided only after massive public protest, was only a way to divert the attention of the people from the many cases of malpractice in which the top officials themselves are involved.

Over 5,000 drug addicts in Pokhara

POKHARA, March 3(RSS)- A study conducted at all the 18 wards of Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City put the number of drug addicts in the town at 5,545.

This was disclosed at the inauguration of a three-day trainers’ training programme organized under the joint auspices of the Ministry of Home Narcotics Control Division and the Centre for Prevention of Drug Abuse.

The training aimed at raising public awareness against drug abuse.

Of the 5,545 drug addicts, 284 consumed T.D. Jessic, Nitrojepan and smack while 333 smoked marijuana, according to the findings of the study.

A single person was found to take in many drugs like T.D. Jessic, marijuana, cannabis, hemp, brown sugar, sleeping tablets and also smoked cigarettes.

Of these drugs, T.D. Jessic and Nitrojepam are said to be in wide use and the same syringe is shared by the drug-takers in taking in the drug through injection.

Eighty percent of the drug addicts are also found to be HIV-positive, according to experts.

Statistics reveal that most of the drug users are school children of the 11-12 years age as well as youths of 25 years or above. Besides, the children from rich and well-to-do families, adolescents and children belonging to different ethnic communities have been drawn into the habit of drug abuse.

The fallout of growing drug abuse in the town has been that family life has been broken and the educational institutions have transformed into the haven of the druggists, it was pointed out at the training.

The main reasons for increase in drug abuse in the town is because of the lack of proper care for and control of children, lack of understanding of the psychology of the children by parents, illiteracy of the parents, peer group influences, easy availability of drinks, cigarettes, tobacco and drugs in the local market and the rapidly expanding television culture.

Mayor of Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City Krishna Thapa, while inaugurating the training, stressed tight control in drug trafficking and stern legal action against those involved in this illegal trade.

Chief District Officer Narendra Poudel, regional education director Krishna Prasad Khanal, Deputy Superintendent of Police Durga Kumar Rai, vice-president of the centre Kunja Raj Thapa and secretary Gita Poudel also expressed their views at the programme presided over by centre’s president Ramesh Raj Poudel.

Taking part in the training are 20 persons including health workers, professors, police, social workers and lawyers.

The parliament and parliamentarian as seen and read

By Damakant Jayshi

When I used to study in school in India, we had to study civics, a subject telling us about rights and duties of a citizen, about the three wings of the government – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary in the Westminster model of cabinet. Or what we popularly call the parliamentary system of governance. It was something of an awe to me. As I was a very avid reader of newspapers, I knew and understand many of the terms like no-confidence motion, Zero Hour, whip, filibustering, adjournment motion, floor crossing and the like.

But the newspapers also informed me how the lawmakers of different parties behaved inside and outside the House. The more I read, the more I felt detested. The school-boyish awe gave way to disenchantment. Disrupting the House under party whip, slogan shouting, crowding the Well of the House and the like presented a different, realistic picture of the parliament and parliamentarians. Something that does not find mention in school books. But it was still through the newspapers, leaving the scope always open for some doubt. Is it all true? Do the members of parliament (MPs) always behave as reported in the papers?

Then came the televised stage when one could see the members arguing, er, shouting. The debates on the motions of no confidence during the present Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s 13-day and 13-moth rules were really fascinating. Some orators like Indrajit Gupta, Somnath Chatterjee, Sushma Swaraj, P A Sangma, et. all, left an indelible mark on those who were fortunate enough to watch the debate. So, there indeed was this lively atmosphere maintained, though rarely.

But now in Nepal as a reporter I saw it all in this Winter Session. One thing struck me immediately. Is there some super-natural element working overtime? Otherwise, how could the lawmakers display diametrically opposite conduct inside and outside the parliament? In fact, even inside the august hall of the parliament one could see the members acting differently. May be the budding actors should be made to attend the parliament as a practical course on how to change one’s response and with what effortless ease!

The very MPs, from opposite camps, who are so cordial to each other and greet each other with such camaraderie that it will indeed make you believe that they belong to the same party and may be the same faction in the party! Even inside the House they can be seen greeting each other and shaking hands with one another.

But all this lasts until the Speaker’s gavel calls for the members’ attention. You will not see a better display of sworn enemies who simply go for nothing less than the jugular. The smiling faces are replaced by stony ones and the hands that shook each other not so while ago do not hesitate to strike if the situation demands so.

The "highlight" of this 19th Session was on 19th February when we were "privileged" to witness that our lawmakers and ministers have strength enough to easily defend themselves from at least individual attackers. So, beware. Think twice before going at them, however angry you may be for their forgotten promises. A lawmaker from the ruling Nepali Congress had all wisdom when he was remarking "we need to be physically fit to protect ourselves". There is an urgent need to amend the Constitution on the criteria for the election of the MPs. ‘Physically fit and strong enough to protect oneself in the House’ must be immediately included along with the existing criteria.

To come back to the 19th, it reminded me of what happened in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly some years ago. The fighting scene with members throwing at each other microphones and chairs also finds a place in Gulzar’s film Hu Tu Tu. The scene was repeated in Nepal in September 1998.

Although the scene of this Winter Session was not as severe, still it was enough to leave a bitter taste. What was indeed amazing was that both the ruling and opposition MPs sharing jokes on the fisticuffs with each other.

As for the disruption of the parliament, it still continues. Long and inconclusive meetings are being held in the Speaker’s chamber. During all this time, other members sit in groups either in the canteen or on the House lawns discussing. And what do they discuss? No, they do not indulge in idle gossip. They discuss the very issues that they are loath to do inside the parliament. It is no less than mini parliaments, with the lawmakers pitching in seriously.

It is not that they do not realize what they are doing but they indeed are helpless. Why and how is not very difficult to guess.

Syangja faces HIV/AIDS threat

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SYANGJA, March 3- The 41-year old former Indian soldier Dol Bahadur Ale has been the latest victim of HIV/AIDS, which has already claimed 22 lives in Syangja, according to the District AIDS Co-ordination Section.

He resigned from the Indian army as his health began to deteriorate after he was contacted with the fatal disease through sex workers.

Ale says that he had tested positive for HIV/AIDS at a hospital in Delhi, but had had been lying to his family that he was suffering from TB.

The wife of an Indian soldier had died two months earlier due to the same disease.

According to the latest statistics, there are at present more than 1000 patients of HIV/AIDS in Syangja, where the literacy rate is sixty-eight per cent.

The virus is believed to have been spread here mainly by the Indian armymen, Singaporean policemen and Mumbai-returned women and girls, along with others who have been to foreign lands for employment.

However, being threatened by the potential HIV/AIDS menace in this vulnerable district, all the 60 VDCs and 2 municipalities here have allocated budgets to create public awareness in a bid to combat the HIV/AIDS hazard.

Cattle infertility disclosed

SIRAHA, March 3(RSS)- About 40 per cent of cattle in Siraha District are suffering from infertility as a result of malnourishment.

This was disclosed by the district livestock development officer Udaya Chandra Thakur at a day-long free livestock service camp organised by the district Livestock Services Centre at local Bariyatpatti VDC on Thursday.

Reliance of local farmers on natural grass for pasture and for their cattle instead of cultivating grass themselves means that the cattle suffer from malnutrition due to the lack of green grass and they ultimately become infertile and unproductive, it was informed at the day-long animal service camp.

Similarly, it was also disclosed that 90 per cent of the cattle in the district are suffering from parasites.

The District Livestock Services Centre has been implementing various programmes like the Animal Feed Development Programme, Farmers’ Training And Awareness Campaigns in the district for mitigating the problem of infertility of livestock.