UML peace march to oppose Maoists

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LIWANG (Rolpa), March 10 - The CPN (UML), the main opposition party, has said that the party will continue its peace march to oppose the Maoists.

This view was expressed by leader of the UML, K.P. Oli, at a press conference held at the concluding programme of "Rapti Peace March" organised by the UML district committee in Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan and Dang district of Rapti zone.

"We have succeeded in our ideological war with the armed Maoists who are engaged in violent activities," he said.

The five party opposition parties including UML which is saying that the mid-term parliamentary election may be announced any time, have been demanding resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, claiming that he had been involved in corruption in Lauda Air deal.

"On the one hand, the government is involved in corruption while on the other, the extreme leftists are engaged in maligning the communists, " Oli added.

He also pointed out that the CPN (UML) would continue to subscribe to the view that talks must be held between the government and the Maoists in an attempt to resolve the Maoist problem.

Standing Committee member Yuv Raj Gyawali, speaking at the press conference organised to highlight objectives of Rapti peace march, remarked that the peace march would help his party to grow further and urged the party workers to play an active role in opposing the Maoists.

UML District Committee secretary Kumar Dashoudi said peace march had built pressure in favour of talks between the government and the underground Maoist party.

Complaint against irregularities filed

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JUMLA, March 10 - A complaint has been filed at the District Administration Office against a Non-Governmental Organisation demanding investigation on financial irregularities, according to a report.

The District Office of the Nepali Congress youth-wing, Nepal Tarun Dal, said that Dal’s district president, Govinda Shahi, lodged the complaint against the NGO, Swabalamban Bikas Kendra (Self-Help Development Centre), at the District Administration.

Shahi claimed in his statement that NGO’s project chief purchased stationary and construction material from the Nepalgunj-based Himali Cargo Agency, a commercial firm, on quotation basis.

The NGO has been carrying out various development programmes in the district from the Canadian assistance over the last five years.

The complaint also claimed that the NGO invaded taxes of thousands of rupees to the national exchequer while purchasing such goods. Shahi also accused the project chief of purchasing low quality construction material for its development projects.

The press as seen from Press Council

By Rudra Prasad Sharma

KATHMANDU- I have been keeping a close eye in the journalism sector of the country for the last six years. When I joined Press Council Nepal, journalism in the country was at its threshold. It was just on the way of establishing itself as the fourth estate of the country defying the mundane attributions associated to it.

It was at a point where efforts had to be made consciously to put off the Panchyati customs. And journalism was still trying to be a separate entity, free from political influence, and sector capable of surviving even without the government’s assistance.

New media houses were emerging challenging the monopoly of government in the dissemination of information. Following the establishment of Kantipur Publications, other newspapers like the now obsolete Shri Sagarmatha, Everest Herald, Lokpatra were also in the scene.

I was there, in the Press Council working in a team to oversee and assess all those developments so as to sketch a better future of Nepalese journalism. I was overwhelmed by the enormous power media was gaining. More interesting were the controversies that arose due to jurisdiction of the media over the business of the House, which only made me realise how our infant democracy and media created confusion amongst all those inside and outside the House.

The Press Council, the apex body to provide guidelines to the journalism sector of the country, was virtually in a slumber during the Panchayat regime and it had suddenly come out of its sleep after the restoration of democracy.

Openness in every walk of life was emerging and the post movement governments were committed to transparency, journalism was being heeded with more importance. The Press Council was also ready to gear ahead with new zeal. All the successive governments mentioned budget allocation for Press Council in the budgets.

The present Finance Minister Ram Saran Mahat had missed to mention the budget allocation for press council in one of his budget speech. He called a press conference the next day to mention about the allocation.

Besides, the charm of the then Press Council was also upheld as it had got a capable and honorable personality as its chairman - the well known late Gopal Das Shrestha a. k. a. Gopal Dai. Had not the soft spoken Gopal Dai passed away, or not encountered with disease so early, the ‘Communication Village’ envisaged by Gopal Dai and later announced by the government would already have been in place. Gopal Dai envisaged the master plan of ‘Communication Village’ seven years back and made all those concerned join hands. And today seven years later, the ball is hanging as a paper tiger.

For me, it was quite an experience being there - reaching office at 6 o’clock in the morning was something I had never thought I would do. But I did it, for the simple reason that I enjoyed every moment. I used to read probably all the newspapers (all dailies, weeklies, fortnightly, monthly so on and so forth) published from all the districts of the Kingdom.

After I left Press Council, I was to experience the same what I had seen from there. My experiences taught me that the holy notion called " professionalism" was quite expensive for a working journalist. It was more difficult for a freelancer. I enjoyed varieties in journalism working as a freelancer.

When I was a student of three separate disciplines: English literature, education and law I had an opportunity to study the ABC ( Accuracy, Balance and Credibility) of journalism.

My well-wishers who were really concerned would ask me "why don’t you search for a better job instead of journalism?

Despite all this I am working in journalism for the past six years and I still enjoy it but feel that journalists need to be more responsible. Their one act or the other eventually affects the people and the country and democracy.

And recently there was this comment from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala that the press is going to the hands of "tycoons". Whatever the PM wanted to convey, it is a very crucial comment.

The press, which I had seen from the Press Council has come a long way. It is indeed one of the most flourishing sectors after the restoration of democracy, where something or the other new is always coming. Press has no restrictions as before but it holds a lot of responsibility. A lot of water, sorry drain, has flown down the Bagmati, and my wish to see the Communication Village as envisaged by Gopal Dai still remains a dream.

Cosmic Air aircraft escapes accident

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BIRATNAGAR, March 10 - An aircraft belonging to Cosmic Air luckily escaped accident in Biratnagar airport on Saturday.

The aircraft arrived at the local airport at 9:30 a.m. this morning carrying 5 passengers from Kathmandu. As it was landing, its nose almost hit the ground at the runway.

According to the branch office of Cosmic Air, this situation arose because the crew members were unaware of the actual weight which the aircraft was carrying.

An employee of the branch told The Kathmandu Post that employees of the airline in Kathmandu airport forgot to prepare the load sheet (description of cargo) containing the weight of 129 kg. Crew members, therefore, did not know the real weight loaded in the aircraft.

The aircraft with total take off capacity of 12,700 kg had taken off with 12,148 kg weight. The problem was created because they forgot to mention 129 kg weight of the newspapers, Kantipur and Gorkhapatra, in the load sheet.

As the nose of the aircraft inclined more than necessary during the landing process, the crew members made a safe landing after downing fuel and using power, he added.

However, passengers inside the aircraft did not have in inkling of what had transpired.

The aircraft immediately returned to Kathmandu with regular passengers.

Deep Shrestha bags 3 Hits Awards

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KATHMANDU, March 10 – The comeback of singer Deep Shrestha after a gap of more than seven years in music is certainly flashy.

When the curtains rolled down at Hits FM Music Awards this evening, Shrestha not only bagged three of the four categories he was nominated in but also proved his dominance and popularity despite the production of equally good new numbers in Nepali music.

Shrestha, won Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Male Vocal Performance awards for his album Drishti. "It is a moment when one obviously is overwhelmed with joy," said Shrestha, better known now for his melancholic numbers but as a pop sensation in the late seventies.

He, however, lost to Ram Krishna Dhakal sung Jindagi Ma Dherai Kura in the ‘Song of the Year’ category. Chhetra Pratap Adhikari is the composer cum lyricist of the song. Adhikari had orginally written the song for late Narayan Gopal, which was later given to late Gopal Yonzan. However, after Yonzan’s demise, the song was to be sung by late Aruna Lama.

Television personality Reema Gurung was awarded Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song Najarko Doshi, whereas the husband and wife duo of Uday and Manila Sotang was once again bagged Best Vocal Collaboration for their song Manko Bandhlai. The duo had also taken the award last year.

Pop sensation Nabin K. Bhattarai maintained his dominance in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his song Shayad. He has been continuously winning in the category since the award was established.

Likewise, Kunti Moktan bagged the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance with her song Nisthuri Mayalu.

In the category of Best Song for a Motion Picture Soundtrack, the unbeatable song Lahanale Jurayo Ki from Darpan Chayya snatched the award. The Ranjit Gajmere song beat the likes of other hot favourite numbers like Ek Number Ko Pakhey, Kata Kata, Tala Tala and Maya Nai Maya Cha.

Madhyanha, the Pokhara-based band more famous for their Jindagi Ko Ke Bharosha, this time was awarded as the Best Performance by a Group or Duo with Vocal for their song, Anautho Byatha.

Despite many hopes on Pramod Upadhayaya and Mr. Cool to win the Best New Artist category, Eli Sherpa won the award.

Senior singer, lyricist and musician Nati Kaji was honoured with the Life Time Achievement Award today. Kaji has composed over 1,200 songs and has sung around a hundred of them.

Award today. Kaji has composed over 1200 songs and has sung around a hundred of them.

CJ asks lawmen to change their mindset

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KATHMANDU, March 10 - Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya today stressed the need for the people working in the judiciary to change their traditional mindset.

"There is a need of psychological change in our orthodox attitude," said Upadhyaya who is also the Chairman of the Judicial Council.

Upadhyaya stressed the need of coordination between the Discipline committees of Judicial Council and Nepal Bar Association while speaking at a programme organised by the Judicial Council Secretariat on enhancing the skills of the chief judges and judges of the Appellate Courts.

The Chief Justice even stressed the need for judicial training to other people working in the judiciary besides judges. "For this purpose we need a Judicial Academy," said Upadhyaya.

Speaking on the occasion Supreme Court Justice and the Council member Laxman Prasad Aryal said; "An unskilled judge can not be a free and independent judge. Only skilled judges can be free and independent."

Aryal stressed the importance of skill development in this modern globalised age. He even stressed the need for a change in the traditional bureaucratic attitude.

During the occasion Judicial Council’s Acting Secretary Kashi Raj Dahal stressed the need for continuing education and various training programmes for those in the judiciary after the completion of the formal education. Dahal stressed the need for the council to move ahead and carry various research programmes.

President of Nepal Bar Association Sindhu Nath Pyakurel said that the Appellate Courts should be allowed to look after all sorts of writ petitions. He even stressed that the Judicial Council should be transparent.

During the programme, Supreme Court Justices Laxman Prasad Aryal and Kedar Nath Upadhyaya presented working papers.