Local News [The Kathmandu Post (Nepal)]

Blue Book checking mpractical, say motorcyclists

Seema A Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Oct 10- Amul Pathak, 23 of Koteshwor said that carrying a "blue book" with you every time when you are riding a motorbike is very impractical. "Licence is in a card form whereas blue book is in a booklet form and if it is lost, we will have lots of problem again,"he added.

" This is another way to earn money, licence checking and asking money was not enough, police have now discovered another way to live their lives," said Raju Ghimire of Battisputali.

The Valley Traffic Police Office (VTPO) has detained more than 100 motorbikes after its announcement on Friday to compulsorily carry blue book while riding a motorbike. Most motorbikes were later released after their owners brought the blue book.

VTPO has been randomly checking the blue books since last Friday, in various parts of the Kathmandu Valley. Krishna Prasad Baral, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) at VTPO said that this is not a new rule that the VTPO has made. In fact, Vehicle and Transport Management Act, 2049 BS, requires all owners to carry their blue book (owner book) at all the time.

"We have just tried to enforce this Act strictly as the reported cases of bike stealing has increased these days, he added. "We have started checking blue book as about 10 bikes are reported to be lost from parking areas or even house premises every day from the valley," he further said.

According to VTPO records, 24 motorbikes in August and 22 in September were reported lost from parking areas and house permises. Most of them being reported to be lost from the Exibition Road.

"Those detained are claiming that they are not aware of this new action of the VTPO, but ignorance to law is no excuse and we are doing this to serve public and ensure the safety of their own vehicles," said the officials at the VTPO.

Baral refuted the allegations that this is another trick of the police to craft money in the time of Hindus’ great festival Dashain. "Any police officer found asking money from public, may be complained against at the VTPO office with their name and identification number. I will take action against such officers," Baral assured.

According to the data provided by the VTPO, a total of 200 bikes were arrested by the traffic police in five days from Friday to Wednesday and out of those 31 bikes are still under police custody with no inquiries until late afternoon Wednesday.

Some bikes have also simply changed the number plates of their vehicles without following the due process of registration after the government implemented the new system in number plates two years back, said an official at the Department of Transport Management office on condition of anonymity.

"They have just painted the plate with new numbers without registering the bike and so many bikes have not paid their dues for years," he added. The official contended that the checking of blue book will also reduce instances of stolen bikes as no one would like to buy a bike without first getting the bluebook. Even if the bike is financed by finance companies, then the companies have to inform VTPO through letter about the new bikes that they have paid for.

A similar exercise was done three years ago. Traffic police officers even raided some houses to check the blue book. "People were not concerned about getting their blue books previously, however, since we have started blue book checking, we have already received 27 complaints of lost blue books until late afternoon Wednesday," an official at VTPO said.

However, Subash Regmi, 26,of Barhabise whose bike was stolen one month ago said, " Nobody has to fall prey like me, it’s the only way to minimise the number of stolen bikes but the VTPO should do it in an effective manner," he added.

Women remain discontent over property Bill

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KATHMANDU, Oct 10 - The women’s pressure group, Mahila Dabab Samuha today staged a protest programme opposing the 11th Amendment in the Muluki Ain (Civil Code) which denies daughters’ right to keep paternal property after marriage.

The group staged a sit in programme in front of Singha Durbar, the Central Secretariat bringing to halt the traffic for more than half an hour.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Sahana Pradhan, chairperson of Nepal Communist Party (Marxist- Lenninist) said that the amendment in the Bill has revealed the ruling Nepali Congress party’s negative outlook towards women.

"This shows that ruling NC takes women as the second class citizens," she added.

Sashi Shrestha, a feminist leader said that the right to equality has been denied by this Bill. "We are not seeking the equal property right as a wife or a mother of some individuals but as a citizen of the country." She said adding, "this amendment is a complete deceit on the women and "this is not the first time that the ruling NC has cheated the public."

She also believed that the endorsement of the Bill would increase the exploitation of women. "The equal property right will give economic equality to women which will help reduce exploitation against the women in the society."

Meanwhile, United Leftist Women’s Group torched a copy of the Bill at Bhotahity later this evening as a protest against the incomplete amendments in the Bill.

Speaking at the protest programme, various women leaders challenged the government for their decision which would deny them from the right to the paternal property after marriage.

Radha Gyawali, chairperson of Nepal Women’s Association said that the present ruling NC is playing a game of deception with the women in the country and she believed that they would be able to stop the Upper House from passing the Bill through their protest programmes.

Strategy for disaster mitigation stressed

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KATHMANDU, Oct 10 - Natural calamities like floods, landslides, earthquakes and fires are common epidemic problem in Nepal and other developing nations engulfing each year hundreds of people and considerable amount of property and infrastructure.

Taking into consideration of the global scenario the United Nations has declared the first decade of the 21st century as a decade of "International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the first year of the ISDR decade observation has been dedicated to earthquake.

The earthquake, which can’t be predicted, stands as the biggest threat to Nepal taking into account the continuous ongoing formation of mountains and making the country one of the most vulnerable land in the earth.

Geological scientists, planners, bureaucrats and local bodies speaking at ISDR-2001 programme organised by Nepal Geological Society (NGS) today stressed the need to formulate an up-to-date strategy for mitigating the adverse impact of the natural disaster focussing exclusively on earthquake.

Similarly, experts urged the people to be cautious about the earthquake which at any time is bound to hit the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jagdish Chandra Pokharel, National Planning Commission Member, said that the UN’s declaration of ISDR decade has taken one step further to convey the message to mankind to act collectively and individually in case of natural calamities.

Whilst Bijay Bhattari, officiating secretary, Home Ministry, layed stress on the need of combined efforts of all the bodies to educate the general mass about the natural calamities and its remedies.

Pointing out the achievement Nepal has made on the study and steps taken towards the reduction of geological hazards, N.R. Sthapit, Director General of Department of Mines and Geology said, "Basic geo-scientific concepts and models have been applied in the specific studies of earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley".

Likewise, Prof. Dr. B. N. Upreti, Department of Geology at Tribhuvan University, said that earthquake is a normal phenomenon in the Himalayan range due to the pressure of Indian landmasses. " The Indian landmass itself is squeezing as it is exerting a tremendous pressure on the Himalayas, consequently the distance between Kathmandu and Banglore is narrowing by 2cm each year", adds Dr. Upreti.

According to Pratap Tater, the objective of the programme is to gather the experts to share opinions and ideas in order to develop mitigation and precautionary measures to combat the problem of natural disasters.

‘Picture Diary’ show opens

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KATHMANDU, Oct 10 – The ‘Picture Diary’ created by children under the age of 6-12 years from the five-development regions to compete at the Festival of Children’s Art (FCA) was inaugurated amidst a function here today at Sirjana Art Gallery.

According to K.K. Karmacharya, senior artist, the FCA is held every two years in Japan. In remembrance of International Literacy Day UNENCO, Federation of Japan and Mitsubishi Company are organising FCA programme for students throughout the Asian countries.

Nepal has been participating in the programme for the last eight years. In the FCA, each of the participants has to paint five paintings and the diary must be written in their respective native language.

Ten selected Picture Diaries from among the participants will be sent to Japan for participation in the FCA. And from among the selected ten participants one will again be chosen, who will be invited to participate in the International Children - Art Festival along with his/her guardian. The first one will also get Grand Prix Prize.

"As such kind of competition will give inspiration to young children, it should be organised every year," says Batsa Gopal Vaidya, a senior artist and visitor at the Gallery.

According to Karmacharya, the aim of the competition is to find out the hidden talent of young children of every country. Education and Sports Minister Amod Prasad Upadhyaya inaugurated the national exhibition of the ‘Picture Diary.’

SLC toppers to be honoured

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KATHMANDU, Oct 10 –Students who secured top 10 positions in the last School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams are to be honoured with the annual ‘Tuborg Excellence Award’ at a programme on Monday (Oct 14).

Leader of the main opposition, United Marxist Leninst (CPN-UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal has been invited as the chief guest of at the programme to be organized by Gorkha Brewery Pvt. Ltd.

The students who secured the first, second and third positions will be awarded Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. For the remaining students in the top ten list, Rs 10,000 each will be awarded

Gorkha Brewery has been extending awards to the students who have secured top ten positions in the SLC exams for the last ten years.

Cultural nite in the offing

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KATHMANDU, Oct 10 – The Himalayan Sherpa Culture Centre, for the second year, will organise Himali Cultural Nite on October 16 at the Royal Nepal Academy hall.

According to the organiser, the programme will be organised to conserve and develop the culture of the Sherpa community living in the Himalayan region in the north through the stage.

Participants will include popular comic artiste Shamde Sherpa and children from various schools in the Capital along with those from Sholukhumbu, Helambu and Taplejung.

Rolpa locals pin their hopes on peace talks

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LIBANG (Rolpa), Oct 10 - People of this Maoist insurgency hit mountain district are more concerned with peace than Dashain festival, which is scheduled to take place within a week.

The people who have been accustomed to gun fights between the rebel Maoists and government police for the last six years want the much awaited peace talks between the government and Maoists to conclude successfully. The only expectation of the people from this poverty-stricken district is that the government make sure for lasting peace.

Ram Singh, a local from Kotgaon village, bought a lot of food items and clothes to celebrate the festival last year. But this time, he is no more interested in making fun during Dashain. He simply bought 15 kgs of salt for the festival. "There is a tension in our village. So, I do not want to celebrate the festival with much fun and fair as I used to do in the past," he said.

It is the district from where the Maoists first declared People’s War nearly six years ago. This is the district where the largest number of people lost their lives in the name of insurgency and the counter-insurgency. Though they can contribute nothing to the ongoing peace process directly, they simply expect that the third round of peace ta;l, which is yet to be scheduled, bring ever lasting peace in rural areas. The previous two rounds of peace talks made no difference as far as peace and security is concerned.

Locals said the rebels try to prevent them from buying goods in market on the one hand and, the police also harass them by inquiring unnecessarily in the district headquarters. "Both the Maoists and police ask us the same questions whenever we travel to markets and the district headquarters," said a local from Mirul village, who wanted to be unnamed.

Police do not allow the locals in the district headquarters to open their stores after six p.m. and security has been beefed up even after the cease-fire announcement. Police ask an stranger about his name, address and aim of his visit to the district headquarters.

But security officials said they had been ordered to be on high alert to prevent the Maoists from holding any programmes - political or cultural - here during the festival. All the stores in Libang, which is the only area in the district under the government control, are full of consumer items waiting for customers. "But there are fewer buyers even during the festival compared to the previous years," said Dhruba Shrestha, a local businessman in Libang.

Some people, who claimed themselves to be the internal refugees due to the insurgency, have focused their attention toward the third round of peace talks. Sher Bahadur Oli, from Ranka village, who fled his home three years ago, said he would enjoy the festival with his family members if the proposed third round of talks succeeded in its goal to resolve the violence.

Referring to the actions resorted by the police some two years ago, former district development committee chairman, Man Bahadur Batha, was of the view that the insurgency should be resolved through peaceful means rather than through counter-insurgency.

The locals, who are aware of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, are more worried about the government’s possible retaliation against the Maoists should the peace overture derails from its goal. Batha stressed that both the government and Maoists should maintain restraint until the peace talks concluded.

Stage artistes to generate awareness

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MAHOTTARI, Oct 10 - Stage artistes have started entering the villages to oppose victimization of women on the charge of being the so-called witches.

The society of Mahottari is suffering from illiteracy, poverty, backwardness and groupism. An organisation of Janakpur named "Aakriti" staged its street drama at Bela Ekdara after showing it at Jaleswor. The drama contained messages aimed to improve the backward society.

President of Community Development Service Council Ram Adhar Kapar underlined the need for many such presentations and struggles to discourage the oppression against women at Bela Ekdara where a 61-year-old woman Malechhiya Devi was murdered recently on the charge of being a witch. Senior artiste of Aakriti, Upendra Nagbamsi, said his organisation, which was facing various problems due to the financial constraints, envisaged to stage various dramas in the villages of Mahottari district where the victimization of women was taking place in the name of being witches.Incidents in which women have been harassed on the charge of being a witch have come to light from nine villages of Mahottrari district so far.

Earlier, ABC Nepal, an organisation working under the woman pressure group since 1987 against AIDS and social aberration, also staged in an attractive way a drama carrying a message against the practice of accusing women as witches in Jaleswor on Tuesday. The drama was entitled "Jit kasko hunchha?" (Who will win?).

Meanwhile, two foreign women journalists and Renu Sharma of an organisation named Mahaila Adharshila gave financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to the family of Malechhiya at Bela Ekdara and Rs 1,000 to Muneswori Devi at Aurahi on Tuesday. Both of them were harassed on the charge of being witches.

Youth cycles backward, claims world record

BIRATNAGAR, Oct 10 (PR)- An 18-year-old youth from this eastern frontier city claimed to have set a world record on cycling backwards.

Santosh Niraula, a resident of Biratnagar-5, travelled the distance of 116 kilometres cycling backwards from Kakarbhita in Jhapa to Biratnagar for six hours and 19 minutes, one hour and 26 minutes earlier than his expectation. He started this journey at 7.37 a.m. and arrived here at Mahendra Morang Adarsa Multiple Campus at 1.56 p.m.

Niraula said he stopped for five times to quench his thirst during his journey. Two police vans escorted the cyclist until he left the East-West highway for Biratnagar.

He said he pulled the bicycle backward at the rate of about 30 km per hour and faced no hardships in the course of the journey. "People on roadside clapped their hands to welcome me," Santosh told The Kathmandu Post.

Niraula had been practicing backward cycling on the Biratnagar-Dharan road for a long time. Upon the completion of his mission, Niraula said he wanted to register his name in the Guinness Book of the World Records.

Earlier, US national named Steve Garden had set a world record travelling the distance of 109 km cycling backwards. Niraula’s world record breaking backward cycle journey was sponsored by the Birarnagar Municipality and Rum Pum chow-chow company.

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Dalits enter temple in Dhankuta

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DHARAN, Oct 10 - People of Dalit community including women entered the temple of Chhintang Devi on Saturday and declared that they had started the Dalit movement in Dhankuta district.

This is one of the holy shrines of the Hindus and entry into the temple was strictly prohibited to the Dalit community and also to grown-up women (after menstruation).

The temple is located in Chhintang VDC, 18 kilometres from Hile of Dhankuta district. People must walk for six hours in the remote area to reach this temple. Thousands of devotees walk to this temple to fulfil their wishes and offer sacrifices of animals to appease the goddess.

The two-fold restrictions to the entry of Dalit as well as women were overcome at the same time on Saturday when the Dalits and their women entered the temple.

Yamana Rai of Dharan-6 expressed her happiness when she came to know that even women had entered the temple along with the Dalit.

Last year, she had visited the temple without knowing that women were not allowed to enter the temple and had returned home with a heavy heart without entering the temple.

There is a signboard in front of the temple even today bearing the notice that women are not allowed to enter the temple. The conservative belief was that women’s entry in the temple would result in drought and the woman who entered the temple would have no children.

"The entry of Dalit and women inside the temple was not an easy task," said Gita Adhikari of HUDASEC. She told The Kathmandu Post that different NGOs were engaged in educating and empowering around 20 thousand Dalits in the district.

Dalits had expressed their determination for the first time in Dhankuta that they would start an agitation against untouchability at an interaction programme held in the second week of August this year.

Arjun Thapaliya, who has been working to promote the interest of the Dalit, said the entry of Dalits and women into Chhintang Devi temple marked the beginning of their movement.

The campaign to enter the temple of Chhintang Devi was led by Baldev Ram, a Dalit leader of Chamar movement in Saptari. Four people including Baldev had come to Dhankuta to help the Dalits. About 1,000 Dalits including 25 Dalit women entered the temple at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

They ate food at the temple complex at night and passed the night there, according to Thapaliya. This is the second incident in which the Dalits had entered the temple in eastern region by breaking the rules imposed on them by the conservative Hindus.

The first case in eastern Nepal was the entry of the people of Dom community in the famous Chhinnamasta Devi temple in Saptari district.

It was rumoured that people of untouchable caste would die soon if they entered the temple, but Mukti Lal Marik (Dom), who was the first of the Dalits to enter the temple on 12 December 2000, is still alive.

After the entry of Dalits into the temple of Chhintang Devi, no negative reaction has been found so far in Dhankuta district.

Teachers’ certificates suspected to be fake

DOLAKHA, Oct 10 (PR) - A total of 129 teachers have submitted Indian certificates while 24 teachers failed to submit their certificates to the District Education Office when the deadline for submitting the certificates expired.

These certificates have been presumed to be suspicious even at the initial stage.

Dolakha is a district lying close to the Himalayas as opposed to the Terai belt bordering India. Although many people living in the Terai area study in India, but it is not only suited but also impractical for the people of Dolakha to study in India. The number of Indian certificates was far more than what the officials had expected from teachers here.

" The teachers who hold Indian certificates are from hilly district of Dolakha itself rather than those from Terai area.

Therefore, there was increased suspicion due to the fact that local people were holding Indian certificates," according to an official of the District Education Office. In all 1,270 teachers are teaching in the public schools of Dolakha district.

The high number of certificates from India found even in this Himali district suggests that the fake certificates are more than what had been estimated.

The highest number of Indian certificates found in the district is from Bihar Intermediate Education Board (52) followed by the certificates from Bihar Sanskrit Board (21).

Intellectuals examine causes of road accidents

GHORAHI (Dang), Oct 10(PR) - Intellectuals of Dang district met together in a programme to discuss the increasing number of accidents in Dang district and to find out ways and means as to how these could be minimised.

The discussion was held in the wake of two recent accidents with wide ranging repercussions. Eleven people had died in an accident four days ago while two students were killed by a bus near Tulsipur about a week ago in another accident which led the destruction and damage of a large number of buses.

A special programme was organised here jointly by Nepal Press Union Dang branch and Dang District Police Office on Wednesday to discuss the causes of road accidents and find out ways and means to minimise them. Participants were drawn from all walks of life including representatives of transport organisations, journalists, police, local administration, advocates, PABSON, students, women, NGOs etc. As for the reasons of accidents, participants of the programme have come to the conclusion that the vehicles were not monitored regularly, blue books were not checked and renewed, licenses were being issued after receiving bribe, people lacked traffic awareness, drivers were not skilled, and buses were old.

At the programme, Superintendent of Police Gopal Bhandari said instead of levelling charges and counter-charges against each other all the responsible agencies should unitedly consider on how they could help in minimising the road accidents.

Girl rescued from Calcutta brothel

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SINDHULI, Oct 10 - Maiti Nepal rescued a 22-year-old girl of Jarayotar VDC-8, who was sold in Calcutta about six months ago by an agent.

Chuchchi, daughter of Nar Bahadur Sarki of Jarayotar VDC-8 was taken to Narayanghat from Kathmandu by a man named Nire Chhetri on the pretext of giving her employment. Then he made her unconscious with some drugs and sold her in Calcutta for Rs 22,000 (Indian Rs).

The Indian police rescued her on June 21 and sheltered her in SMM Home. This information was given to the family of Chuchchi by Calcutta-based Royal Nepal Consular Office through the District Administration Office.

Nar Bahadur Sarki, who was illiterate, had never ventured out of his village. As he was unable to go to Calcutta and bring back his daughter, he contacted different offices for help. Consequently, Maiti Nepal sent its Kakarbhitta Branch Chief Govind Ghimire to bring back Chuchchi from Calcutta.

According to Ghimire, the Indian police did not hand over the girl to him asking for various documents. During his fourth attempt, he could bring her back by furnishing various documents and also depositing Rs 50,000 with Calcutta Magistrate.

Chuchchi has been staying in Maiti Nepal at Kakarbhitta. Her family has not received the news that she has been brought back to Nepal. Ghimire needs to submit the receipt signed by Chuchchi’s family that they received her and similar certificates from DDC and District Administration Office to receive the money deposited with the Magistrate’s Office. Ghimire has called on Chuchchi’s guardian through Kantipur daily to immediately come and receive his daughter.