Kanchenjunga area being expanded

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KATHMANDU, March 19 - The boundary of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA), named as the Gift of Nature by the Government in April 1997, is being expanded, which will make the whole belt of the North Eastern Nepal a protected area for high altitude flora and fauna.

The 1650-square-kilometre conservation area which is named after Mt Kanchenjunga (8586 mt) metre lies in the eastern boundary of Nepal.

Afte inclusion of small boundary Milke Hill between Kanchenjunga Conservation Area and Sagarmatha National Park, three areas of wildlife conservation, including that of Makalu Barun Conservation Area will be developed as one big protected land of rich natural bio-diversity.

Addressing an interaction programme, Dr Tirth Man Maskey, the director-general of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) said, "We are chaning the whole North-West mountains into a belt of conservation areas."

Conservation area has become relatively easy in these days. But conservation work is possible only if the locals are aware and cooperative, he said.

Besides, steps are being taken to develop the alpine area of Nepal, India and China into a three-country peace park.

Chandra P Gurung of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal Programme said that WWF has had meetings with Indian counterparts on this issue.

In the past thirty years, local people’s attitude toward wildlife conservation and community forest management has completely changed. "After thirty years, the local people of Kanchenjunga area want to expand the conservation area. It is a good sign of people’s awareness toward conservation."

WWF is providing technical and financial assistance to develop Kanchenjunga mountain complex. With KCA, WWF has been conducting Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project (KCAP) since 1998 March to mobilise the locals of the conservation and uplift their living standard for conservation of the local biodiversity.

Tourism and conservation expert Karna Shakya said instead of attracting tourists in the area, named Gift to the Earth by the Government, attention should be payed to make policy of allowing only a few number of foreign tourists in the virgin land.

"It is not difficult to develop a tourist destination but the real difficulty lies in protecting the area from contamination followed by development," he said.

He urged the locals of Taplejung to attract domestic tourists with some tokens of originality.

District Development Committee Chairman Vijaya Raj Thewe urged the government to expand the territory of Kanchenjunga Conservation Area including six more Village Development Committees of Kalikhola, Surimkhim, Khewang, Mankhe, Sawa and Papung.

Police destroy opium

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BIRGUNJ, March 19 - Police destroyed today a large chunk of opium planted in several villages of this frontier district. Opium is used as raw material for preparing heroin, a powerful addictive drug.

More than two dozen police personnel were mobilised to destroy the opium planted on more than three bighas of land in the Sisiyani, Bairiya Birta, Nagardaha and Ganhariya VDCs, Superintendent of Police Arjun Jung Shahi said.

Police were mobilised in these VDCs based on reliable information about the opium planted along with vegetables.

This is the first time that police have destroyed the opium farms in the district. Earlier, hemp planted on around 500 bighas of land was destroyed in several VDCs during this fiscal year.

Porters face hard times in Jumla

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JUMLA, March 19 - Porters earning their daily wages by carrying various goods to different places complain that they have been deprived of their wages by tractors.

As Khalanga, the headquarters of Karnali zone, was not linked by road, three big tractors were airlifted here by helicopter about 11 months ago.

The tractors are transporting goods belonging to businessmen. They carry various goods, such as pipes, cement, iron rods corrugated sheet, timber, stones and other materials to different areas, such as Khalanga Bazaar, Campus Road and Drinking Water Office. They have thus snatched their jobs, porters complain.

Dhan Singh, resident of Chandannath VDC-2 said he had been sustaining his family with the income he earned by working as a porter and carrying goods from airport to Khalanga Bazaar. He said the tractors had deprived him of his job.

Another porter from the same VDC, Manmati Kulali said there were 12 members in her family. Of them, six people were working regularly as porters to make both ends meet, she said.

There are more than 50 people like Manmati who have been adversely affected in earning their livelihood and they say that they will file an application with the VDC office.

Businesswoman Dambar Kumari Khadka said they have to pay almost equal wages, no matter whether they transport goods through tractors or porters. Businessmen prefer tractors to porters because they can transport goods at a single time through tractors.

According to Chandannath VDC Chairman Tirtha Raj Bharati, stone plates were laid on the bazaar area by spending hundreds of thousands of rupees, but most of the stone plates have broken after the tractors were brought to the market. Consequently, the market-place will be muddy during the rainy season. The contractors who are using the tractors must pay compensation for the damages.

Drinking water pipes have been broken in the areas between the airport to Tundikhel and the road is covered with mud.

Engineer in the District Drinking Water Office, Ganesh Kumar Thapa, has been maintaining that the drinking water pipes were not covered adequately and in accordance with the estimate causing the damage to the pipes.

Johnson & Johnson support to Bal Mandir

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KATHMANDU, March 19- Multinational company, Johnson & Johnson Monday as per their pledge has begun to donate two rupees on the sale of each of its Facial Wash and Shampoo to the Bal Mandir ( Nepal Children Organisation) effective from Jan 2001.

The company today announced that it would donate Rs 2 from the sale of each PH 5.5 Shampoo and PH 5.5 Facial Wash to the Bal Mandir effective from Jan 2001. Gautam Das Gupta, regional manager of the Johnson & Johnson Company, Nepal said Monday.

The company handed over a cheque for Rs 15,752 to Rita Sigh Vaidya, President of Bal Mandir, as the collection for the month of January and February 2001, at a function held here today.

"After having firmly established in Nepal and evaluating all charitable organisations, we found that our products match children," said Gupta talking to The Kathmandu Post.

"Johnson & Johnson Company is the first multinational company to involve in the charitable organisation, " said Ranjit Acharya, marketing manager of Prisma Advertising Agency, the chief advertising agency for Johnson & Johnson Company.

Asked if the company has special preference towards Bal Mandir, Gupta said, "we want those orphans who are the most under-privileged to establish themselves in the future."

"Of around 14,000 under-privileged children, Nepal Children Organisation houses 450 orphans and run 28 schools all over the country mostly through donations," said Bam Bahadur Kunwar, Office Secretary, Nepal Children Organization.

Speaking at a meeting today, Ganesh Bhakta Shrestha, general secretary of Nepal Children Organisation said that Bal Mandir is committed to make use of the donation by spending on the children’s welfare. He also praised film artists like Hari Bamsha Acharya, Madan Krishna Shrestha, actress Niruta Singh for their generous contribution towards Bal Mandir ever since its inception.

Of the estimated turnover of Rs 10 crores a year, Johnson &Johnson Nepal, will contribute an estimated Rs 140,000 towards Bal Mandir for health, sanitation and education of the orphans. It was informed today.

Two die of mysterious disease

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ROLPA, March 19 - The mysterious disease, which has victimized people in different parts of the country, has struck this district also.

Resident of Jugar VDC-2, Jhupe Oli, died on Friday while dozens of others have been affected by the disease, according to a local teacher, Indra Bahadur Basnet.

Oli suddenly fell ill on March 13 and was taken to the Area Health Post at Nerpa, but as there were no employees, he died after failing to receive treatment.

A few days before the death of 50-year-old Oli, a woman belonging to Jugar VDC-4 also died of the same disease.

Initial symptoms of the disease are diarrhoea, cholera and ordinary fever. Later, the patient dies after he is unable to discharge urine and excreta.

Call to promote media efficiency

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DAMAULI, March 19 - Minister for Information and Communications, Shiva Raj Joshi, has said that the state-owned media should also become more efficient in order to keep up with the development in the field of information and communication.

He stressed on the need of state-owned media to compete with the private sector media.

"Private sector has made a quantum leap in information and communications sector due to the government’s liberal policy on it. We should also be prepared for competing with them," said Joshi while inaugurating a three-day basic training programme for the state-owned radio reporters here today.

Joshi said that private communications media have been moving ahead in terms of both quantity and quality, which he said was a strong aspect of the democratic system.

Meanwhile, addressing a function organised by the Nepali Congress Tanahu District Working Committee, Joshi said that the Prime Minister should not resign in any way just because that the oppositions, including the main Opposition -CPN-UML - stalled Parliament. He added that the discussions being held in Kathmandu among the Nepali Congress party cadre from all the districts since Sunday would find a way out of the present stalemate in Parliament.

Minister Joshi said that the opposition’s main strategy is to abrogate the ordinance issued to form the Armed Police Force rather than the PM’s resignati

Earlier, former state minister Amar Raj Kaini, former chairman of Tanhu District Development Committee, Ram Chandra Pokharel, and representatives from other political parties also addressed the three-day radio training programme, chaired by Radio Nepal’s Executive Director, Sailendra Raj Sharma.

Trails in high mountain open

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DUNAI, Dolpa, March 19 - The trails in high mountains of this remote mid-west district, which had been blocked for a month due to heavy snowfall have now opened for movement after the snow started melting. But the trail over the Kagmara mountain that connects Kaigaon village and Phoksundo has not opened due to the heavy layer of snow.

Postal services stalled in many VDCs of the district for over a month have now resumed following the melting of the snow over Maure and Balagra mountains. Dunai, the district headquarters, has now been connected with the rest of other remote VDCs, particularly with the Upper Dolpa region.

Movement from the Dho, Chharka, Tinje, Mukot, Saldang, Bhijel and Phoksundo VDCs had remained disconnected following the heavy snowfall over many the high mountains during this year’s winter.

Chairman of the Saldang VDC, Pyama Tarke Budha, said that after the snow started melting, local people recently cleared the snow along the trails with the help of yaks. The snow on major trails leading to Dho, Tinje, Saldang and Phoksundo VDCs, all situated to the Upper Dolpa, have been cleared for movement.

However, movement from Kaigaon village to Phoksundo VDC has still remained blocked due to the snow on Kagmara mountain, said Devi Prasad Budhathoki, a local from Kaigaon village.

Locals from Sarmi, Narku, Kalika, Laha and Rimi VDCs have started collecting indigenous mushrooms, major source of income to the locals, following melting of the snow. The mushrooms sprout after the snow starts melting on the high mountains.