Pokhara’s fading beauty

By Birodh Pandey

POKHARA- The panoramic view of glorious mountains that stand firmly before you will submerge you in nostalgic experience. But once you look down at the valley that nestles on the lap of magnificent beauty, you will see the proclaimed coordination of the valley forgetting the snow-capped fishtail. Scenes of the mountains are breath-taking from the Pokhara Valley but the Valley itself is not in a good shape any more. Its beauty has been eroded by rapid urbanisation and faulty developmental practices by the local and the government bodies.

Every time I visit my hometown, I keep my fingers crossed at the thought that nothing such imprudent activity has existed here that would engulf its beauty. However, to my dismay, at the gateway of the city - the Seti Bridge- I see heaps of municipal waste waiting to be dumped into the white waters of the holy Seti river. Had the Seti been a surface river like the Bagmati, it would have shown signs of scars of unethical practices. Nevertheless, she has hidden her face by only flowing deep through the gorge of the Valley.

Few hundred metres west to the bridge, you can see meat shops and adjacent to it stands the most unmanaged buspark probably in the country. Imagine the scene - dumping site, unmanaged meat shops and the buspark, all within few metres at the gateway of the city. And what would be a tourist’s first impression on the city? Will they be able to eat meat without any hesitation after they have seen where the butcher’s shop lies ?

Phewa lake no longer tempted me to swim in its water. Until few years I used to swim in the lake but not any longer after seeing urban drainage being directly dumped into the lake. It is an irony how the municipality came up with an idea to ruin the property that has earned Pokhara fame and played a major role in promoting the financial status of the valley. What Pokhara is today is because of mountains and lakes. Had it not been for its lakes and mountains, Pokhara is not home to any historically famous architects or places like Kathmandu and other towns.

Pokharelis express surprise at the municipal decision to pour drainage water into the lake,on the one hand, and ,on the other, raising their voice against such activities. If this trend continues, hardly any tourist will visit Pokhara for sightseeing. Even in this case, they can still find alternatives in Nagarkot and Dhulikhel – both close to the Capital. The typical beauty the valley possesses is the reflection of mountains on the lake waters and that is what has lured many visitors. What is lacking in hotel entrepreneurs of Pokhara is the sense of responsibility and belongingness. To add to the wrong drainage system of the valley, the hotels are also helping to deteriorate the lake by discharging their waste. Shame on all that are involved in this cynical act of destroying the beauty of nature after obtaining much of benefit from it.

There are hardly any good roads left in Pokhara. Roads are not maintained in time and what Pokhara has now is only dusty tracks. Some roads have big pot holes and one has to be careful while walking in the street. It seems the government has shifted its Road Department from Pokhara. It makes me think over the motto of our municipality: "Our Responsibility – Clean Beautiful Pokhara." I have come to the conclusion that they must have framed the phrase a decade ago when Pokhara was a picturesque city.

I have witnessed the growth of this place from a small town to a new city. The progress was definitely triggered by its natural beauties.

The travellers from the Terai and other parts of hills en route to Kathmandu escaped the Valley for the fear of malaria. Nevertheless, within decades, Pokhara saw its face lift up. With the pace of time, however, the valley has seen its natural beauty dissolving into the heat of urbanisation. God bless Pokhara and help it to restore its beauty!

Over 200 teachers hold fake certificates in Makawanpur

Post Report

HETAUDA, Nov 24 - A total of 211 teachers involved in public schools of Makawanpur district have been found to have possessed academic certificates from various Indian institutions, according to the District Education Office.

There are a total of 1,718 teachers in primary, middle and high school level in the district. Sources at the Education Office said the majority of Indian certificates lack their authenticity.

District Education Officer Sadananda Jha said that of the total teachers, 25 teachers are yet to submit their academic certificates to his office within the stipulated date. As decided by the government, all the District Education Offices from across the country have started scrutinising original certificates of all the teachers engaged in the government-funded schools.

The government took this decision to scrutinise the teachers’ certificates after it became public that many teachers engaged in teaching profession hold fake academic degrees.

A source close to the Academic Certificate Investigation Committee, who did not wish to be identified, said many of the Indian certificates were fake. The three-member probe committee is chaired by Chief District Officer and District Education Officer and District Attorney are its members.

The source said some of the teachers holding fake certificates have already resigned from their positions while others are thinking about to quit their jobs to escape from punishment before the Probe Committee makes public its finding.

Likewise, 40 senior teachers in the district, who have already completed their service period, have tendered their resignations to the Education Office after the 20th session of the Parliament passed a Bill on the Seventh Amendment of Education Act, barring the teachers from getting pension and medical allowance facilities.

However, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has instructed the Education Ministry not to accept such resignations until the findings are over. People holding such positions with the help of fake academic certificates are punished by law with up to six years of imprisonment along with a fine of life-time earning from the job.

Forest guards, timber smugglers exchange fire

Post Report

RAUTAHAT, Nov 24 - Forest security guards and wood smugglers exchanged fire for about three hours at Brindaban range post area of Bathan jungle, the District Forest Office here said Saturday. The forest officials suspect that some of the wood smugglers were injured in the firing.

Assistant forest officer Rakesh Karna said that the forest guards led by Jamadar Nim Bahadur Gurung opened fire at the smugglers, who were found to have cut down sal trees in the lush forest. The smugglers are believed to have entered the forest from neighbouring district of Sarlahi. Some of the logs have been confiscated from the clash site, Karna said.

About three months ago, a group of smugglers had also felled 45 sal trees in the area. The Ministry of Forest had formed a two member probe committee in connection with the massive felling of the trees.

The Probe Committee discovered that the trees were cut down in connivance with the forest employees.

Following the committee recommendations, 15 forest employees were suspended from their jobs.. Smugglers from Sarlahi district fell valuable sal trees and ferry to Indian markets on boats.

Jamdar Gurung said smugglers enter the jungle on the pretext of fishing in a nearby river and start felling trees at night. Forest guards are facing hard time since the inception of Maoist insurgency as they are not supplied with arms fearing that the arms may fall into the hands of rebel Maoists.