Their Majesties grace Yala

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LALITPUR, May 6 - Their Majesties King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Aishworya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah today graced the religious programme Golden Jubilee Yala, held on the eve of the 2545th Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.

His Majesty King Birendra also gave away letters of appreciation to the personnel and institutions for their long contribution to outgrowth of Buddhism in Nepal.

Venerable Sudarshan Mahasthavir on the occasion said that conservation of the long-waited temple of Mayadevi is starting from Monday, the holy full moon day of Baishakh, celebrated here as the birth anniversary, enlightenment as well as Nirvana day of Lord Buddha. "This is a historical achievement in the process of development of Lumbini," he said.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Omkar Prasad Shrestha said that the teaching of Lord Buddha should not be limited to rituals and be translated into daily life to attend what the Light of the Asia had granted two thousand years ago.

"The Lord Buddha targeted all the mankind for their emancipation. We should see it being applied in the daily lives of the people," he said.

He added that the teachings of Lord Buddha is exclusively important in the present context when a group of people are trying to crush other’s peace just to have it done what they think is right.

Mayor of Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City urged the government to continue the proposal to establish the Himalayan Kingdom as Peace Zone.

"In the long history of Buddhism, we can find many instances that the monarchs and the people worked together to establish peace in substitution of violence and political unrest," he said.

Buddhist scholar Prof Asharam Shakya said that the tradition of celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha started 50 years ago with the initiation of Taremam Sangh. Prof Shakya was one of the promoters of the association.

On the occasion Their Majesties also graced the exhibition of sculptures and paintings held on the same occasion.

Buildings dilapidated before handover

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GAIGHAT, May 6 - Some buildings constructed here about 20 years ago are yet to be approved and handed over to the concerned office, but they are already in a dilapidated condition before the handover.

The three buildings of Udayapur jail were constructed 20 years ago at Bomse Bazaar in Gaighat, headquarters of the district. Prisoners of the district have been lodged in the jail, but the walls of the sub-standard buildings have already cracked. Water leaks from the buildings during the rainy season and they are so weak that they may collapse at any time.

Technicians and contractors were involved in corruption while constructing the building. They have therefore been absconding before handing over the buildings, Jailor Chet Kumar Karki told The Kathmandu Post.

The then local administration had initiated legal action against contractor Krishna Bahadur Khadka and the concerned technician and the accused had fled to escape legal action.

Chief District Officer Dev Narayan Yadav said as he came to know about this corruption case involving the technician and the contractor, he was going to initiate necessary investigation against them.

Clothes, stationeries provided to poor children

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KATHMANDU, May 6 (PR) - Social workers from Germany and Holland, in association with a local organization, distributed clothes and stationeries to the children of laborers working in a stone factory and other poor children amidst a function here Sunday.

During the function organized by Partnership Society - Nepal (PS-Nepal), Susanne Lucker from Germany and Ines Von Rosentiel from Holland distributed clothes and stationery materials such as pens and copies to the children of laborers, who are unable to send their children to schools.

The European duo also contributed 400 kilograms of clothes to sick children at Kanti Children’s Hospital and other technical equipment to the hospital management. Speaking on the occasion, Lucker said that she is helping the deprived children of 52 countries worldwide.

Lucker said that she is doing such social activities on the occasion of 125th anniversary of Henkel KGaA, a Germany-based chemical company.

Lucker’s team also comprises photo journalists including Axel Kreutz, who works for Cologne News Corporation and other European TV channels. Kreutz is going to make a documentary on the status of Nepalese children, which will be broadcast from European channel including the BBC.

Dacoity, cattle-lifting declines

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MORANG, May 6 - Incidents of dacoity and cattle-lifting have declined significantly in the VDCs of Morang and Sunsari districts lying in the border areas after the army has been deployed in Biratnagar Customs point about a month ago.

People in many border VDCs of Morang and Sunsari were victims of Indian dacoits and cattle-lifters before the presence of Royal Nepal Army.

Vice-chairman of Amduwa VDC, Asarfi Lal Chaudhari, said no incidents of theft and dacoity had occurred in the border area over the last one month. Such incidents used to take place almost every day in the past. "We would keep watch all through the night", he added.

Chairman of the VDC Dhal Bahadur Karki however said cattle-lifting had not stopped altogether. He said about 20 to 30 cattle were stolen every day in the past, whereas only 5 to 7 cattle are stolen in a month now.

Karki said the cattle are taken to different points of India including Motitappu, Kharaiya, Phulka and Behdiya Kamal and the cattle owners visit these places and buy their cattle again and again as they are repeatedly stolen ."Sometimes the Indian nationals loot our money in India and chase us out of their village when we go to buy our cattle," he added.

According to the people in border areas, Indians come to Nepal during daytime and examine as to who owns good cattle and loot them at night.

Chief District Officer in Sunsari, Baman Prasad Neupane, also agreed that incidents of looting and theft had declined due to the presence of army.

He also informed that security teams had been constituted with the involvement of local people and police to check dacoity and theft in all the border VDCs. About 3 or 4 Indian nationals have been killed by the police in the past when they were committing dacoity or stealing cattle, he added.

Call to cooperate for HIV/AIDS control

BHAKTAPUR, May 6(RSS) - Nepal Red Cross Society Bhaktapur District Unit organised a day-long workshop on HIV/AIDS control for headmasters of different schools in the district here Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion district education officer Nayansingh Dhami said the disease is becoming an epidemic and pledged to provide cooperation as much as possible to the public awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS run by various government and non-government organisations.

Nepal Red Cross Society, HIV/AIDS programme chief Pitamber Aryal said some 20 million population of the world have already succumbed to the killer disease. He also shed light on the ways to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Nepal Red Cross Society, Bhaktapur district president Balmukunda Suwal requested all education institutions to assist the HIV/AIDS control public awareness programme running in the district.

Other speakers at the programme expressed the view that every sector of the society should give serious attention towards controlling the disease which has come across as the biggest epidemic of the 21st century.

Headmasters of 22 public and private schools in the district took part in the workshop.

‘The political scenario will clear out soon’

Narhari Acharya is an influential figure of the Nepali Congress (NC) with a scholarly bent of mind. He has been active in politics for more than three decades. Acharya talked to Sudha Shrestha of The Kathmandu Post on various issues including current crisis.

TKP: In a new political development, the CIAA sought clarifications from PM for his alleged involvement in the Lauda jet lease deal. The day before he was in a mood to resign and next day he changed his mind by saying that it didn’t fall under the jurisdiction of CIAA. How do you assess this development?

NA: The political scenario will clear out pretty soon. The PM is seeking consultations especially on legal and political ramifications of the issue. He is facing a dilemma in charting out a course of action on the basis of these consultations.

TKP: What is your position in the Nepali Congress Party which is now a divided house ?

NA: Differences tend to rise in the party over any issue, which is very normal. But this does not mean that there are permanent differences or division in the party. In my own case, I take a liberal stand. I may support PM Koirala in some instances while differing on other issues.

The dissident group led by Deuba is not showing flexibility in dealing with the issues confronting the party. The group is, infact,another party within the party. There is ego clash among the leaders, which is largely responsible for stalemate on all crucial issues.

TKP: Over the recent past, you’ve turned out to be vocal against the government of the Girja Prasad Koirala. Are you switching to the anti-Girija camp?

NA: At a recent meeting of the party central committee, I had presented my view that PM as leader of the committee should find a way out of the current political crisis. My attitude was that he should feel responsibility to resolve the crisis. As a member of CWC, I was only critically analyzing the political reality.

TKP: What are the factors contributing to the present political crisis?

NA: The main factor is the growing Maoist activity. Every party is building pressure on them to give up their violent path and condemning them in the severest of terms. But they are not coming together to build a united front over this particular issue.

The main opposition UML too has not been able to play the role of a credible and effective alternative to the ruling NC. The UML blames the government for the crisis saying that it has breached the rule of law. However, UML is also not abiding by their own commitments. They have only sought confrontation with the government instead of helping it resolve the crisis. Taking to street all the time does not solve the problem.

At present, their protest is focussed solely on one single person - Girija Prasad Koirala. If they seriously mean to challenge his government, they should form a united front and face elections.

TKP: Reports say that the RPP, ML and the Maoists are going for national consensus. Only the ruling NC and the main opposition seem to be left out. Why?

NA: NC and UML have not opposed consensus. Although other parties talk about national consensus, none of them are clear about it. RPP has no clear agenda and the Maoists are even less clear about it. They want a government with representation from all sides including NGOs and other organisations clearly exceeding the present constitution. This is neither practical nor theoretically or constitutionally correct approach. The Maoists have not spelled out their sentiments categorically. If they seek a remedy within constitutional means, we are willing to sit for talks to find a way out.

As for the UML, they are insisting on resignation of PM Koirala and taking to the streets instead of looking for a solution from the parliament. If they want to oust the PM they could have gone for a mid-term poll or table no-confidence motion.

TKP: How can there be clarity about the process ?

NA: The objective of every party should be clear. The agenda of Maoists is not clear. We are ready for talks and even for a debate to find a solution to the problem. But we don’t accept their argument that the present constitution is invalid. The present constitution is so flexible that there is a lot of scope for amendements. Relinquishing the constitution altogether is completely an absurd idea.

TKP: Has there been truce in NC lately?

NA: Yes, we all agree that the Maoist problem needs to be resolved and sitting for a dialogue is the only option. It is the responsibility of the government to maintain law and order. Even the report prepared by Deuba committee and the recommendation paper of the NC party have clearly taken a common stand.

The problem, however is that the Maoists are not showing sincerity about holding talks to find permanent solution to the problem. There cannot be an atmopshere for talks while violence is going on. They make calls for talks while continuing their terrorist activities. This is quite contradictory.

The government has already given positive signals about fulfilling 27 out of 40 demands put forward by the Maoists. Discussions could be held on 10 more demands which need amendments.

But we cannot concede to their three demands - declaring the country a republic, curtailing the powers of the consitutional monarch and declaring Nepal a secular state. If they really want a solution to the problem, they should seek remedies through constitutional means.

Private schools asked not to admit students

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JAJARKOT, May 6 - Proprietors of three private boarding schools in Rukum district are in a dilemma after they are warned by the All Nepal Free Students Union (Revolutionary), supporter of CPN (Maoists), and asked not to admit students.

These schools have already brought text books and education materials valued at about Rs 500,000 for their students.

Proprietor of Bijayaswori English Medium Boarding School Tej Bahadur Bhandari read out a letter signed by President of the students union (Revolutionary ) Gopal Bohara. The letter said the organisation had hoped that the proprietors of the schools would extend their full support to the programme carried out by the Revolutionary against the commercialization of education and that they would not admit students in their boarding schools in the academic session beginning Jestha 2058.

Books worth Rs 200,000 were brought for students of Rukum Musikot, books worth Rs 150,000 for students of Chaurjahari and education materials worth Rs 150,000 are lying unused.

Bijayeswori school has already constructed an 18-room school building along with a playground at a cost of 2 million rupees. The school had decided to provide schooling to poor and oppressed class students free of cost or provide life-supporting education free of cost to orphans whose parents were killed by Maoists or police, Principal of Musikot branch of the boarding Topendra Budha said.

Bijayeswori boarding school has been running in both Musikot and Chaurjahari. It may be recalled that the Maoist workers had set fire to the hostel of this boarding school in Rukum about two months ago.

Widow of policeman turned down

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RAJBIRAJ, May 6- The family of an Assistant Sub-Inspector killed in the Maoist attack on the Rukumkot police post last month is in dire straits of poverty and lack of even food to eat.

The widow of the late Dil Bahadur Singh is left alone to take care of the education and upbringing of three little daughters, when she doesn’t have either land, property or savings. The only support was the salary of her late husband, and with that too gone, she is now facing a long life of want, deprivation and social ostracization.

Unfortunately, Shova wasn’t even informed of the arrival of her husband’s dead body in the Kanchanpur police post the next day of the incident, thereby denying her last farewell. Moreover, she came to know of the incident only through the radio which instantly made her collapse into unconsciousness. Nobody else deigned to tell her anything of the disaster befallen on her.

The family now don’t even have their own roof over their heads as Dil Bahadur Singh had only recently sold the plot of land and house at Dharampur to erect another at Kanchanpur. With only the foundation of the new house built so far, the widow and the three daughters of the late policeman are renting a room near the bazar.

Ironically, the government claims of reasonably compensating the policemen laying their lives in the terrorist areas has proved a mockery in the case of Shova. For, all that she has received so far is the funeral expenses of Rs 25,000 plus the miscellaneous Rs 6000.

"I’ve travelled to Bardibas aready in the expectation of receiving the money of the Provident Fund, but times and again been asked to come back again," she laments, weeping, "Instead of handing whatever they’d dole out at home itself, I’ve been turned down even when I reached there myself."

Officials predict food crisis in Karnali

BANKE, May 6 (PR) - If one goes by the judgment of experienced food officials, the remote Karnali zone is hanging on the verge of yet another spell of catastrophic food crisis in the coming few months.

"The Himalyan districts of Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, Mugu and Kalikot will reel under food scarcity of an unprecedented nature if the government is not serious about taking immediate measures to tackle the crisis," said Chief of the Nepal Food Corporation unit at Nepalgunj, Rup Singh Bhandari, while talking to The Kathmandu Post.

"The meagre quota doled out to the region is far little to meet the demand," he said.

For instance, 7600 quintals out of the quota of 12000 quintals of food grains set apart for Jumla till the end of this fiscal year has already been sent to the district. The attempts to deliver the remaining amount of the quota food grains have obstructed due to the repair works going on at the Jumla airport. In turn, a food crisis has already surfaced in the district.

However, according to Bhandari, attempts are being made to send food to Jumla in a helicopter of a private airliner.

With more than 2 months still remaining for a fresh quota allowance to these districts and this fiscal’s quotas quickly being distributed, the remaining months are going to be pretty tough for the residents of low-yeilding land here.

For instance, 6484 quintals from among the 9750 quintals sanctioned for Humla have already been delivered to the district headquarters, leaving little for future demands. Similarly, the districts of Mugu and Dolpa have already received more than 70 percent of their assigned quotas.

Meanwhile, the Food Management Committee in Kalikot has demanded a raise in the alloted quota to put off the impending food crisis. However, other districts are yet to follow suit, sources said.

The government had raised the food quota for Karnali by 50 % two months ago, but those quotas are hardly likely to be sufficient as demand far outstrips the government supply of subsidised foodgrains here.

Wishes of freedom fighter to come true

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BHADRAPUR, May 6 - An organisation named "Devi Prasad Upreti Nijanand Ashram", at a programme held at Birtamod on Saturday expressed its commitment to act in accordance with the wishes of social worker and the famous donor late Devi Prasad Upreti expressed by him in his will a week before his expiry.

Upreti who is recognized as one of the greatest donors of eastern Nepal expired on 11th Asar 2049 B.S. He had prepared his will a week before his death.

In the will, he has expressed his wishes that farmers and workers should be provided with employment opportunity and their skill should be developed by carrying out income-generating activities. He has wished that appropriate programme for educational development be carried out, appropriate programme on science and technical education be formulated and implemented at his native place, works be carried out for religious and cultural upliftment without any political bias and a library be established.

More than 5 bighas of land has been set aside at Durgapur of Ghailadubba VDC-1 to carry out all these activities.

As the will has advised to sell the land and collect other donations, slightly more than 10 katthas of land has been sold and Rs 600,000 has already been acquired to run these programmes. More land will be sold to carry out the above-mentioned programmes and fulfil his wishes, according to the organisation.

The programme was chaired by chairman of the organisation and eldest son of late Upreti, Engineer Mitra Prasad Upreti who also expressed his commitment to gradually fulfil his father’s wishes.

Late Devi Prasad Upreti, who was a freedom fighter during the revolution of 1950-51, has donated about 855 bighas of land in Jhapa district and about 320 ropanis of land in Tehrathum district to different educational institutions, temples and guthis apart from donating hundreds of thousands of rupees in cash.

A host of intellectuals who spoke on the occasion including vice-chairman of Nijanand Ashram Krishna Prasad Upreti, litterateur Janak Prasad Humagain, Ganga Prasad Upreti, Sher Bahaur Ingnam, former MP Dilli Prasad Sitaula, Dr Hrishikesh Upadhyaya, Data Ram sharma, Uma Nath Oli, Saroj Oli, Prem Sitaula and Hari Charan Shivakoti highlighted the contribution of late Upreti.

The speakers also urged the government to formulate concrete policy aimed at protecting the public land donated by such liberal donors and the Ashram fulfil late Upreti’s wishes by helping to uplift the society.