Charging for parking space - business or service?

By Razen Manandhar

KATHMANDU - Every vehicle needs several square meters of space to cover. Generally, the responsibility to arrange that area falls on the owner. But here in Kathmandu, you don’t have to worry about it. The black-topped streets stretching from one direction to another will work for you.

The definition of city has changed along with the changing scenario in past few decades. However, thank God, the urban transportation is running in the same system which served the citizens twenty or forty years ago. Except one or two street widening, by the virtue of some donors, the government has not spent any significant amount to improve roads. While, even street blockade and vulgar postering can’t draw the government’s attention to rebuild roads in busy areas like Putali Sadak and Pako New Road, the local authorities, claiming to be local government too, never hesitate to collect money penny by penny from the citizens.

Roads are meant to be used by pedestrians or vehicle users for either walking or driving the vehicles. But the basic use has turned into some other purpose. In these days roads of the capital city, the most advanced city of the Kingdom, have become open and endless parking space.

One would wonder to find out that even in this 21st century, the over 200,000 private and government-owned vehicles are running in the capital city without a single proper public parking space. Neither Department of Road Management nor Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the two institutions that levy fee of bringing in vehicles in the city, shows interest to build one for the public’s benefit.

It is useless to discuss whose responsibility it is to build a public parking space because lack of a public parking space has become a means of earning for KMC these days. This has given rise to a new business – charging for parking space.

KMC first "invented" the idea that those countless vehicles lying by the side of the streets could pay you millions of ruppes. It first leased the public roads to a company which eventually went to the court. Another party came to the track but it also waved farewell because collecting money from the street proved much more taught than it is seen from the window panes.

KMC now levies parking charge on 2,161 meter-long city roads, especially around busy market areas. The streets of Pyukha, Anamnagar, Tridevi Marg, Kingsway, Sundhara, New Baneshwor, Kamal Pokhari and Mahankalsthan are under KMC’s control.

Now, all the so-called youths have only one "social work" to do — collecting money from the vehicles or motorcyclists being parked at their courtyard or even parts of the streets. They give the vehicle owners tickets but they do not have date, serial number or even the charges paid — that means the tickets are simply meaningless. And if you don’t need the ticket, the charge would be less.

Several such clubs operate pay parking areas near Dharma Path (New Road), Khichapokhari, Pako Pipal Bot, Exhibition Road, Tripureshor, Thapathali, Kantipath, Kamaladi, Tripureshowr, Teku and Ratnapark. No one knows where the money goes.

And, hardly any of such clubs utilize that easy money in social purposes. They seldom show this sum of money which could go as much as over a thousad per day, in annual balance.

Though everybody knows that neither KMC nor such local clubs have rights to levy money in the street unsystematically, their voice has never been heard.

They say that paying KMC or other clubs means they are encouraging the institutions to levy money forcefully out of public property. The roads and streets should be for all to use and charging extra for parking their vehicles should end, they argue.

They have reasons to oppose too. This is first public property and they have right to decide how the roads should be used. No institution, either government or private, can launch any income-geneating programmes by putting the public in problem.

An official at Revenue Department of KMC said that pay parking earns around Rs 300,000 per month. KMC’s transportation tax depot at Sinamangal alone collects a levy of Rs 24,000 per day on the average. But this money has not been used to build a parking space.

KMC and the clubs have invested nothing to turn the streets into parking places. Without investing, the earning goes in six digits every month. Being local government means providing services to the public not doing something wich can be termed like extorting.

Obviously the traffic flow has to suffer because of this. Vehicles coming and going in the "parking lane" of the street distub the running vehicles, specially in congested areas like Khichapokhari and Indrachock. Sevice-oriented organisations do not like to see the public wainting in vane in the streets.

Valley Traffic Police Office, also has to face immense problem due to this haphazard parking system. And the clash between the money-levying agencies and the traffic police is often.

Instead of allowing vehicles to be parked along busy roads, private parties should be encouraged to lease land and offer parking services. If the government bodies cannot give the citizens of the only metropolitan the right to park their vehicles in any restricted area, it should not at least levy money without any service.

‘Rice production should be increased’

Post Report

KATHMANDU, May 3 - Agriculture experts today discussed various aspects of the present status of rice farming in Nepal.

Sushil Pande, an agriculture economist, said that the yield of rice needs to be raised from the current value of 2.5 tonnes per hectare to 5.5 tonnes per hectare by the year 2020. He said, "This is a tremendous challenge for rice researchers of Nepal."

Being the staple food, rice covers the biggest volume in Nepali food variety. That is why the demand of this cereal crop is and has been ever increasing in the market. This crop alone contributes to about 40 percent of the total calorie intake for the consumers. Rice occupies about 50 percent of the total area under food crops of 3.2 million hactare and its contribution to the total food supply is more than half of the total quantity.

Pande added that given the importance of rice in the economy of Nepal, rapid increase in productitity of rice is critical to the future economic growth, food security and poverty alleviation in Nepal.

Dr Ren Wang, an international expert sressed on the importance of the cooperation between Nepal Agricuture Reserach Centre and International Rice Research Institute.

Caste discrimination still divides society

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RAUTAHAT, May 3 - Chandra Kala Biswokarma, resident of Chandranigahapur VDC-1, has never been able to cook food and feed her children on time in her life.

Being a person from the oppressed class (low caste), she is compelled to stand near the water source from early morning waiting for others to fill their water pitchers before her turn comes. Only then her turn comes and she is able to fetch water to prepare food for her children.

This is the way things are going on for the last 10 years. With tears in her eyes, she tells The Kathmandu Post that neighbours have kicked her pot on many occasions. She added that some people even spoke harsh words such as "Oh! I have seen the face of a Kami woman early in the morning. This is an ill omen for the whole day."

Chandra Kala, who has studied up to class eight in Sindhuli, married a man from Rautahat and came to Rautahat from Sindhuli. She is somewhat aware of untouchability prictised in the country through some newspapers. According to her the practice of despising the lower class people has been increasing in the society.

The oppressed class people are often exploited by high class people in Rautahat due to the practice of untouchability.

Kanchha Sarki, who migrated from Sarlahi district to Chandranigahapur, was not allowed to buy a plot of land near the village. Later he decided to construct his house, far from the village and near a forest. He alleged that all the affluent people of the village tried to evade him saying that an oppressed class man should live near a forest.

Our society needs oppressed class people in many ways, such as a ‘Damai, (one of the classes considered untouchable) is required for any auspicious occasions like marriage ceremony and bratbandha and a Biswokarma or a Kami is needed to manufacture agricultural tools. However, it is ironical that they are despised in our society. They are not allowed to touch water coming from the tap.

UML Rautahat District Committee member and woman leader Kalyani Khadka says that although untouchability is a punishable crime, it is still entrenched in the society.

Chief District Officer Anand Raj Pokhrel says discrimination on grounds of race and caste has sullied the society.

Seven die of measles and pneumonia

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KALIKOT, May 3 - Seven children aged below 16 years have died of measles and pneumonia in three Village Development Committees (VDCs), located in the north-east of Manma, headquarters of Kalikot district over the last two weeks.

Of them, three children died in Dhaulageha VDC, three in Thipu VDC and one in Jubidha VDC.

The disease is likely to affect more children, but people have been unable to bring their patients to the district headquarters from remote VDCs, according to district health authorities. Patients are undergoing treatment under the care of peons of the local health posts, according to guardians of the children. The health office has not said anything in this regard.

Although hundreds of people lose their lives as a result of such epidemics every year in the remote districts of Karnali zone, health offices have not taken necessary precaution to avert this situation.

The main cause of children’s death during the outbreak of measles and pneumonia these days is lack of treatment. There is shortage of technical manpower in almost all the health institutions of the district, including 19 sub-health posts, nine health posts and two health centres. Some health posts have remained closed for months due to shortage of employees and medicines, according to local people.

The diseases have spread in Dhaulageha, Khin, Thiyi, Ramnakot, Jubidha and Mumra VDCs. However, Vaccination Supervisor in the District Public Health Office Chakra Bahadur Khadka said the office had not received any information regarding the spread of the disease in these VDCs. On the other hand, Chairman of Jubidha VDC, Kul Bahadur Shahi, said they had sent information to the District Health Office seven days ago. There is not a single ward in the VDC in which children are not bed-ridden, he added.

Chairman of Dhaulageha VDC Bishnu Rhishi Upadhyaya said, "There were no health workers and technicians in the district for over a year. Even the regular vaccination programme has remained suspended for the last two years. It takes three days to walk up to the district headquarters. How can we walk such a long distance carrying children in our shoulders? Negligence on the part of the government is the main reason for the death of these children."

It is found that many children suffer from various diseases and epidemics like diarrhoea, viral influenza, Pneumonia and fever every year in the season when winter season ends and the summer season begins. This is also the time when there is famine. The whole Karnali zone is now in the grip of famine.

About three dozens of children had died of measles in the district about two months ago due to scarcity of medicines. Health offices had given the wrong information that the disease had not spread there.

It is suspected that children may have died of diarrhoea in other VDCs also in this district. The information has not been received in the district headquarters due to communication gap between the VDCs and the district headqurters, according to the government agencies.

Road built with voluntary labour

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RAJBIRAJ, Saptari, May 3 - Chairman of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP), Gajendra Narayan Singh, inaugurated Wednesday a 10 km long Kabir-Janata country road constructed by locals without the government assistance.

People from the remote Chhinnamasta, Kopabar Bari, Banainiya and Phakira VDCs and frontier Bardahi area will take advantage of the road.

Chairman of the road constriction committee, Surya Narayan Mandal, said that the local people provided their voluntary work on the road after they failed to receive assistance from any government agencies. The road also connects the famous Chhinnamasta religious site from the rest of the district. People, however, are seeking help from the government bodies for the construction of six culverts and 25 hume pipes in various places so that the road could be used even in the rainy season.

Addressing the function, NSP Chairman Singh said that the road would show a guideline to the government that has indulged in corruption and in defending its own chair.

He said all political parties should spare their time and energy for the well-being of the people, keeping their party interests aside.

Raj Parisad member Khusilal Mandal said that less than 25 per cent of Rs 50 million combined budget in the district was used in development programmes during this fiscal year.

Locke to perform in Capital

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KATHMANDU, May 3 - Kevin Locke, the famous native American flutist and hoop dancer, better known as Red Indian, will be performing a cultural show Love the Earth, Love Your Neighbour depicting a few of the rich cultural heritage of native America in the Capital.

"I’m here to promote cross-cultural relations between the American and the Nepali people," the celebrated folk artist said at a packed press conference organized by the American Centre.

Robert C. Kerr, Director, American Centre and Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Embassy introduced the artiste at the press conference.

The center is co-ordinating two shows scheduled for May 5 and 17, in collaboration with the Friends of KISV, an association of former students of Kanti Ishwari Sishu Vidyalya.

The proceeds from the shows will be utilized to run various environmental awareness programmes by the students’ alumni.

The shows will also feature performances by African American percussionist Emile Hassan Dyer, flutist Pamela Whitman, French cello player Franck Berned and eight Nepali artistes .