Rabies cases on the rise

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 (PR) - Due to the involvement of non-technical practitioners in injecting anti-rabies vaccine to four-footed animals, especially dogs, the cases of rabies is rising at an alarming proportion, veterinary doctors say.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA), Nepal, organised a one-day free veterinary health check-up and vaccine campaign programme to over two hundred four-footed animals for controlling the spread of rabies.

Dr Govinda Tandon, Chairman of SPCA Nepal, says, "The awareness progammes, voluntary vaccination services, educating people,including school children, about rabies, its precautions and first-aid services are some of the most important measures that should be brought into practice.

He said the government should immediately implement the Veterinary Health Act and strictly check all the inhumane acts against animals and exercise the punishment given by the law.

Ramesh Sharma(name changed), 40,a government inspector and a local resident of Pashupati Gaushala, said, "There are more than two hundred stray dogs,and cows disturbing the smooth flow of transport and even the Kathmandu Municipality is facing difficulty to control its increasing number."

He further said, the concerned authorities should now come forward with new plans like sterilisation instead of killing them by giving poison.

Similarly, Pradeep Shrestha,a local, says, "After I came to know how deadly the disease could be, I became very conscious about the health of my children as they enjoy playing with dogs. And every parent who has pets at home should take precaution.

Dr Shree Ram Adhikary, Secretary General of SPCA Nepal, says, "Rabies is an infectious disease and it can be infected if animal saliva or blood comes in contact with open wound of human beings.

Dr Adikary further adds that anti-rabies vaccines, pre- bite and post-bite vaccines for animals, made in the country, can be affordable but those for human beings cost more than Rs 25 thousand, depending on its exported quality.

Promotion of Ayurvedic medicines stressed

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 (RSS) - Health Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari inaugurated the week-long programme organised by the Nepal Ayurvedic Doctors’ Association here yesterday to mark Dhanwantari Jayanti and National Health Day. According to the programme, free ayurvedic health camps will be conducted on November 8, 9 and 10.

At the programme, Minister Bhandari gave away the Ayurvedic Encouragement Award instituted by Nepal Ayurvedic Doctors’ Association to reporter of the National News Agency, RSS, Ekaraj Pathak and the Ayurvedic Research Programme Award to president of the Ayurvedic Medical Council Prof. Dr. Lokendra Man Singh.

Each of the awards given to persons making distinguished contributions in publicity and research on the ayurvedic system carries a purse of Rs l0,000 and a citation.

The Minister called upon ayurvedic doctors to give specific suggestions to the government for the development of this system of medicine alongside the allopathic system.

He said that the experts in this field should extend cooperation to the government on the type of medicinal herbs to be grown and nurtured at specific locations.

Minister of State for Health Mohan Bahadur Basnet said that considering the importance and indispensability of the ayurvedic system of medicine in our country, precious medicinal herbs scattered across the countryside should be processed and the necessary manpower used for this product.

Health Ministry Secretary Mahendra Nath Aryal said that ayurvedic doctors themselves should strive for the institutional promotion of this system of medicine.

President of Ayurvedic Doctors’ Association of Nepal Dr. Chandra Raj Sapkota said that the Health Ministry should ensure the participation of experts in this field in framing policy for the proper management of medicinal herbs found within the country.

ML committee decides to break away from party

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KATHMANDU, Nov 8 – Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), District Committee-Lalitpur has revolted against its party and decided to break away from the party.

"Since the CPN-ML at the central level is making its effort to join its breakaway main opposition CPN-UML, we being faithful to the communist movement and revolutionary have decided to break away from CPN-ML," states a press release undersigned by Thakkar Sharma, secretary of CPN-ML’s Lalitpur District Committee.

The release further adds that the "revolutionaries" have formed Janabadi Ekata Manch (Democratic Unity Forum) in co-ordination with Surendra Mohan Sharma Bajagain. There are 17 members in the Forum, including Sharma, Govinda Subba, Bikas KC, Radha Timilsina, Shyam Ghimire and Shyam Yadav.

The forum is going to form district committees and central co-ordination committee soon, states the release.

Earlier, one faction of CPN-ML’s student wing led by Krishna KC had left the mother organisation, citing similar reasons and joined Maoist-aligned student wing.

‘Municipalities are powerless’

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KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - Chairman of Municipal Association of Nepal (MUAN) today said that municipalities are powerless though the Local Self-Governance Act 1999 has given them immense power.

"The government has talked about decentralization and local governance them many times but the municipalities have not yet got their rights to manage and develop the cities as they desire," he said.

He was addressng a programme organised to present the paper of water optimisation pilot project today. It was submitted to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works and MUAN by Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

A new project to pacify the thirsty Kathmanduites are on offing with the joint venture of FCM and MUAN.

The FCM working with AMEC and Nepalconsult is recommending a small pilot project in one municipality in the Valley to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of an integrated approach to water and sanitation management.

Improving water supply, waste water and rain water collection and management, and solid waste management services to a defined group of citizens in the area is one of the objectives of the pilot projects.

Special baskets for domestic waste management

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KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - Kathmandu Metropolitan City ward No 5 Office and Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme (KVMP) are distributing special baskets to the housewives of the locality so that they could manage domestic waste at homes, an officer said.

Public Liaison Officer of KVMP Soni Shrestha said the ward office started distributing the baskets in the area for composting waste matters after the Dashain festival.

"We want to see people’s participation in this campaign. Consequently, we provide the baskets on the condition that the housewives pay 50 percent of the cost of the basket," she said.

According to her, the price of the basket is Rs 500 and each of the users need to pay Rs 250 to get the basket.

The basket is designed in such a way that one can pour kitchen waste and other bio-degradable garbage from the top and the manure comes out from the bottom after a few days.

Meanwhile, school children are learning the skills to reuse the recycled solid waste in ward No 5. Kathmandu Metropolitan City trainers today trained over 50 members of the Nature Clubs of Tangal Secondary School.

Hari Bahadur Shrestha, Environment Science teacher, said the club members learned about solid waste management, leadership and planning skills in the training.

"It is quite helpful for the students," he said. KMC has formed 17 Nature Clubs in various schools with the participation of students of 7 and 8 standards.

Maoists stage funeral rally

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KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - Sister organisations of underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) today staged a funeral rally of "murdered" Maoist leader Comrade Gaurav alias Hari Khanal.

Maoists claim that Khanal was seriously injured following the attack by workers of main opposition CPN-UML in Chapakot village of Syangja district on October 30. He died Wednesday evening while undergoing treatment in Norvic Hospital, Thapathali.

The rally was called by the sister organisations of the Maoist party, including its student wing - All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union - Revolutionary (ANNISU-R).

Speaking at the funeral function organised at Pashupati Aryaghat, president of ANNISU-R Devendra Parajuli said his organisation and the whole Maoist party is ready to take necessary measures against those involved in Khanal’s murder.

The function was also addressed by president of another Maoist-aligned organisation, Newa Khala, Dilip Maharjan and other leaders. The funeral rally started from the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.

During the Chapakot incident, UML’s leader Gupta Bahadur BK and another Maoist leader M S Gaire were also killed.

ICIMOD unveils programmes to mark Int’l Year of Mountains

KATHMANDU, Nov 8 (PR) - The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) disclosed its various activities and events to be carried out to observe the International Year of Mountains (IYM) 2002 amidst a press conference held here today.

"This celebration will give an opportunity to highlight the sustainable mountain development," said Dr Uday R. Sharma, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation. "Government has already set up high level national committee to celebrate the function and is preparing to form an executive committee."

Speaking at the function Winston Rudder, Resident Representative of Food and Agriculture Organization said that the main objective of IYM is to insure well being of mountain community, increase awareness of mountain, promote cultural heritage and promote peace and security.

ICIMOD will mainly focus its celebration on the eco region of the mountain areas of seven countries- Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan that are also known as Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

In the celebration year 2002, ICIMOD will mainly highlight the contributions of mountain resources like water, forest, biodiversity, culture and others, which is very essential to the people living in the area as well to those living in the nearby place.

To celebrate the IYM 2002, ICIMOD has brought out two main programmes like Celebrating Mountain Women (CMW) on May 28-31 and the Asia High Summit 2002 on 6-10 May of the coming year 2002.

Constitution Day observed nationwide

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KATHMANDU, Nov 8 - The twelfth Constitutional Day was observed on Thursday throughout the country highlighting various aspects of the Constitution, which was promulgated by late King Birendra following the popular movement in 1990, according to our correspondents from various districts.

Our correspondent from Bhairahawa said that a talk programme was held to mark the 12th constitution day.

Addressing the function, Minister of State for Local Development, Duryodhan Singh Chaudhary, said that the Maoist rebels should shun from violence and abide by the present constitution that provides room to all the political ideologies.

On the occasion, Sidharthnagar Industry and Commerce Association and a group of local contractors jointly provided two sets of televisions to the prisoners of the district prison.

In Jajarkot, Chief District Officer, Rishikesh Niraula, said that a Maoist platoon member, Kamal Bahadur Nepali, a resident of Paink VDC, surrendered to the administration, denouncing the Maoist violence, on the constitution day.

Likewise, the local administration today set free a Maoist cadre, Dal Bahadur Singh from the same VDC, who was convicted for setting a house of a former assistant minister on fire in 1996, from jail, waiving off the reminder of his four years and seven months of prison sentence. He was sentenced for 10 years.

Addressing a function in Phungling, the district headquarters of far-eastern Taplejung district, lawmakers Til Kumar Meyangbo and Om Ojha pointed out the need for reviewing the present constitution except for the constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy, the unchangeable articles as specifically stated by the constitution of 1990.

Marking the same occasion, various speakers in Dhadhing district said though Nepal’s constitution is believed to be one of the best in the world, there was some flaws in its implementation because of the incompetence of the people in power.

The programme was organised by the District Development Committee.

In Lamjung, a local Laxmi Narayan Library honoured a student of Suryodaya high school, Drubha Adhikari, with cash prize and letter of citation for his innovative experiment on radio transmission technology. Adhikari displayed his radio experiment to the participants marking the constitution day.

In Sunsari, district judge Kamal Chandra Nepal, said that the people would no longer believe in the constitution if politicians did not act in accordance with the letters and spirit of the constitution.

A rally participated in by party cadres and students moved around various parts of Inaruwa city to mark the day.

The twelfth constitution day was also marked in Makawanpur, Dang, Dolakha, Udayapur, Parbat and Kapilvastu where various political leaders, legal experts and human rights activists highlighted the significant aspects of the constitution and pointed out the need for its revision.