Maoists hold top level meet in Rolpa

By Yagya Bikram Shahi & Kashiram Dangi

LIBANG, Rolpa, Sept 5 – The rebel Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists)is holding its politburo meeting in the remote village of Mirul in this district, party sources said here Wednesday.

"Comrade Prachanda" is chairing this crucial meeting of the party, the sources said. The meeting has a special significance, as this is the first high-level meeting of the party after their first round dialogue with the government.

The sources said that leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and former leftist lawmaker and team leader of the three-member dialogue committee, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, are reportedly taking part in the heavily guarded politburo meeting. The venue of the meeting is located about 45 km north from this district headquarters.

The meeting has been organised here in connection with the proposed second round dialogue between the government and the Maoists. The latter has proposed this Maoist-controlled remote district in mid-west Nepal as the venue for the next meeting but the government is yet to respond to their proposal. Both the sides are supposed to hold the second round of peace talks probably on September 14.

Chief District Officer Hari Krishna Upadhya, however, said that he has not yet received any instruction from the government, when asked about the venue of the peace talks.

Maoist dialogue committee leader Mahara had said that both the sides would formally put forth their agendas during the second round of meeting. The first round of talks was held at Godavari Village Resort in Lalitpur, about 14 km south of the Capital on August 31.

Meanwhile, the local administration has put its security personnel on high alert in view of the 13th district conference of the Maoist-aligned All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (ANNISU)-Revolutionary, which is taking place on September 10.

A meeting of the district security council decided Monday to allow the Union to organise their conference peacefully. Chief of the local administration, police officials, Royal Nepal Army officials and officials from the National Investigation Department were present in Monday’s meeting to take stock of the situation.

Another source said that the army men have also been put on high alert for the conference.

According to an eyewitness, senior Maoist leaders had entered Holeri in Rolpa via Dang district a week ago. This is the same village where rebels had attacked a police outpost and abducted around 70 policemen in July.

The eyewitness said that the Maoist leaders were escorted by their armed rebels to Mirul village, where they are reportedly holding an important meeting before the second round of peace talks is held.

Although the details of the meeting has not been made public, sources said that guerrillas and Maoist political commissars from various districts have gathered in the village, where Maoists have a strong hold.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahesh Bikram Shah said that policemen have been deployed at entry points leading to the district headquarters in order to keep surveillance of those entering the area.

Locals said that the ANNISU-Revolutionary cadres have issued a circular asking all the villagers to participate in the conference. A woman at Mijhing VDC-7, located about five hours trek from the district headquarters, said, "They have told us to attend the meeting at any cost. Otherwise they would levy a fine if we defy their orders."

Amidst the proposed second round of talks between the government and the rebels, locals are giving peace a top priority. Rolpa District Development Committee chairman Amrit Bahadur Gharti said that people want reconciliation. He added that he was optimistic about the peaceful resolution to the six-year-old insurgency, which has already claimed more than 1,800 lives.

Food production to fall by 25 pc in eastern Terai

By Nityananda Timsina

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 - Floods and landslides have wrecked havoc in many parts of the country this monsoon whereas thousands of farmers in eastern Terai are worried over the lack of rain, which will ultimately affect the food production.

As the eastern region received a record of low rainfall during this monsoon, the production of crops is estimated to plunge by over 25 per cent this year, a study said.

The study jointly conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operative and Nepal Agricultural Research Council NARC) says at least 25 Village Development Committees in Morang, 36 in Jhapa, 21 in Ilam, seven in Taplejung and six in Siraha have been seriously affected by drought.

The report further states that an estimated 30-40 percent of the total paddy production in Ilam, 20-30 percent in Jhapa and Taplejung and 25-30 percent in Panchthar is expected to decrease this year.

Ghana Shyam Singh, Director of Eastern Regional Agriculture Centre, said that five districts- Morang, Jhapa, Sunsari, Siraha and Saptari in the Terai and four hill districts-Dhankuta, Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung-have been badly affected by the draught.

According to Narayan Prasad Regmi, spokesperson at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry had dispatched a team of four officials from the Department of Agriculture and Nepal Agricultural Research Council to report on the situation of draught in Eastern Terai.

Even as the indicators provided by Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) give a rosy picture, farmers in the eastern Terai fear that the agricultural output will tumble down to 25-30 percent or less for the first time. With no hope of even a cyclical up-turn in the agricultural output, farmers had let their cattle graze the paddy saplings after they found no signs of rain. They say that they will have barely enough food to earn hard cash for Dashain festival.

"I have never experienced a draught in Jhapa on this scale," said Kul Prasad Giri, farmer of Kakarvitta, Jhapa.

Several of these villages across the eastern Terai foothills, which have been held as the country’s economic centre of gravity, went dry during the peak cultivation season and the production is bound to fall sharply, say agronomists.

"Farmers in these hills are now taking up the production of alternate crops like beans and vegetables while in the Terai, farmers have now been directed to cultivate Masuri Dal, wheat and potato to cope with the situation of food insecurity," director Singh said.

Jhapa and Morang have a history of high yields of grain to support not only the farmers in the Terai and adjacent food-scarce hills but also are among the main sources of food for other parts of the country," said Chet Nath Adhikari, planning Officer at the Nepal Food Corporation. "But at present, draught suggests that these districts are not in position to fulfil the country’s expectations."

The preliminary monthly climatic summary compiled by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology reveals that a dismal 206.1mm of rainfall has been recorded in the month of July this year in Morang with the precipitation further declining in August. This region had recorded 570.3 mm of rainfall during the same season last year.

According to the Hydrology and Meteorology station at Chandragadi, Jhapa, 979 mm of rainfall was recorded in August 2000 in Jhapa whereas the precipitation this August has come down to nearly a single digit figures.

Spokesperson Regmi said the report on the draught situation is ready and the government is planning various measures to help the region cope with the problem.

However, the officials at the NFC say the granaries are full this year and there is a surplus of over 29 thousand metric tons of grains.

Statistical information on Nepalese agriculture compiled by the Agricultural Promotion and Statistics Division of the Ministry shows that of the total 40,30,100 metric tons of paddy produced in the country in the fiscal year 1999-2000, eastern region accounted for 13,38,221 tons.

The report has suggested the government to provide the farmers of the draught-hit region with 75 per cent subsidy on purchase of seeds and transportation, which is estimated to cost around 3 million Rupees.

The farmers, however, say that the government releases the subsidy only after the expiry of the planting season. They also demanded for deep tube wells and Shallow tube wells to solve their problems, at least, temporarily in the wake of draught season.

PAC to check choppers’ market price

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 - The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today declared that the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) had followed financial regulations in the process to purchase two helicopters but was paying an inflated price for them.

PAC today decided to check the market price and the specification of these two helicopters that is in the process of being purchased by RNA. On Thursday, PAC will be consulting with military experts on the market price and specification of these two crafts.

"They appear to have followed the process but the price seem to be much more than acceptable," said lawmaker Budhiman Tamang.

PAC is investigating into possible irregularities and kickbacks in the deal since a separate quotation for purchase of a helicopter by the Home Ministry was almost half the price. The helicopter proposed by the ministry for the Armed Police Force was quoted as Rs. 112,000,000 only compared to twice the amount quoted for RNA.

RNA officials said contract has already been signed between RNA and the Russian Kazan Helicopters through the Asian Airlines Helicopters Pvt. Ltd. based in Kathmandu to purchase two Russian-built MI-17 helicopters.

RNA now needs to open a Letter of Credit (LC) within one week as per the contract.

Most of the RNA officers contacted by The Kathmandu Post struck to their claim that the purchase of two night vision capable MI-17 helicopters was made in the "most transparent" manner ever. The helicopters are presently being fitted night vision navigation equipment by the Israelis and are slated to arrive in the country soon.

A high-ranking army official familiar with the deal said that at least three different companies - Uday Udan, Kazan Helicopters and an Indian company backed by a Nepali lawmaker, had applied for the third bid the RNA had announced. Immediately after the army’s technical evaluation team dropped the Indian deal citing improper engine specifications, RNA held separate private meetings with the two Russian companies to decrease the price quoted in their bid. Finally, the deal was struck with Kazan Helicopters backed by its local agent, Asian Airways, for US dollars 2.5 million for each helicopter. The official claimed that a single brand new similar helicopter would cost around US dollars 5 million each.

However, the helicopter the army is purchasing is not totally new. Though the airframe is newly made, four of its parts including the engine have been over-hauled once. According to the officer, RNA went ahead with the deal as per the suggestion of their technical evaluation team.

"Both the brand new helicopter as well as the one we have opted for fly 1,500 hours until the next overhaul as good as new," the army official said. "Plus we can opt to change only the four parts next time as the airframes are still brand new."

A recent issue of Military Technology magazine states that the same Kazan company announced the shipment of 40 MI-17 helicopters for US dollars 170 million contract, i.e US dollars 4.25 million for each helicopter. However, it could not be confirmed if the arriving RNA helicopter has the same "combat configuration" as its Indian counterparts.

But apart from night vision navigation, the new RNA MI-17, army officials said, would have radar equipment, parachute holders, better visibility for the pilot and "damper" that would minimize the shaking in the heavy Russian utility than the regular other MI-17s.

Meanwhile, PAC investigating into the deteriorating financial situation of Nepal Bank Limited (NBL) today decided to seek the help of Nepal Rastriya Bank (NRB) Governor Tilak Rawal to seek details from the bank. PAC had formed a sub committee last year to look into the matter after it was revealed that out of its total investment 31.63 per cent of loans are in defaulted category, majority of which has been defaulted for years. Out of the total Rs. 22 billion disbursed the bank categories only 68.37 per cent as good or recoverable loan.

Governor Rawal said that if the international banking norms were to be strictly followed, then NBL and the Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB), the country’s oldest commercial banks, would have to be completely shut down.

Squatter mentality could defeat land reforms: Experts

By Tilak Pokharel

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 – While announcing the radical land reforms last month, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba promised to give priority to several marginalized groups, including landless squatters (sukumbasis), in any eventual land redistribution scheme. But do the squatters want to own land?

The simple answer is: yes, they do want the free handouts. But more than build a house to live or farm their way to a livelihood, most landless squatters would rather prefer to sell off the land for a handsome price and remain squatters again.

This may be difficult to believe, but past experience has shown it to be true. The figures speak for themselves. According to data made available by the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management, the official number of registered landless squatters now is 22,650 and number of unmanaged households is 21,633.

But the government itself admits that since 1990, when the high level Commission to Solve Landless Squatters Problem (the Commission was recently dissolved) was formed, some 250,000 out of a then estimated 500,000 landless squatters have received land. But still those who have yet to receive any land continue to rise. Their number is estimated to be much higher than the Ministry provided statistics.

According to Dhanendra Raj Sharma, a member of the recently dissolved Commission, the body built 1,800 houses in Rautahat and Sarlahi districts for the landless squatters. "But now not even a single landless squatter dwells there," he says. "All were sold or rented to others."

Those "squatters" in Sarlahi and Rautahat were only following past precedents. According to a senior officer in the Biratnagar Land Revenue Office, many so-called squatters in the Terai who got free land after the 1964 land reforms simply sold all their land. "They remained squatters again," says the officer.

The process of sukumbasization was also aided by unscrupulous politicians who often cultivated such squatters as vote banks. Experts charge that politicians, both local and national, are loathe to act against potential vote banks, preferring to pander to them rather than seize them by the horns.

Such history has compelled many experts to see the land-less problem through the prism of scepticism. . "Most of the people whom we now call sukumbasis are simply greedy people out to get some government land. Real sukumbasis do not stay in one place, they keep moving on. It is extremely difficult to find real sukumbasis these days," says Sharma, the member of the dissolved Commission.

Experts argue that it is for these and many other reasons that simple re-distribution of land to squatters do not really work. What is needed is a scientific approach. Says Tirtha Prasad Ligal, member-secretary of the recently dissolved Commission, "Merely giving away land to them no longer solves this problem. Since it is already a deep-rooted problem, it needs concrete strategy and implementation to solve."

Present government officials agree. It is exactly to control such malpractice, they say, that the government is barring the sales of such re-distributed land for 15 years. "Once a sukumbasi gets land, s/he cannot sell it for 15 years," says Joint Secretary at the Ministry, Bharatmani Sharma Risal, "This law bars any sukumbasi to sell the land they get as landless." No such provision existed in the 1964 land reform measures.

Left parties work to build consensus

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 – An eight-member joint committee of the left parties today began the task of building a national consensus amongst themselves aimed at forming a working alliance.

The committee was formed on Monday after ten left parties including the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) agreed in principle to form a leftist alliance.

The committee, which held its first meeting today, was constituted to fish out the various issues in which the leftists could work in harmony. The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday.

The meeting comes as the first step towards the formation of the working unity. "The committee will identify areas in which the left parties can move forward jointly," former Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari of the CPN-UML at the onset of the committee’s meeting today said. Adhikari is one of the committee members.

Other committee members are Trilochan Dhakal, Politburo member of the CPN – Marxist Leninist (CPN-ML), Hemanta BC, Central Committee member of CPN - United, Krishna Das Shrestha, President of CPN – Marxist Leninist Maoist (CPN-MLM), Lok Narayan Subedi, Central Committee member of CPN – Marxist, Amick Sherchan, President of United People’s Front, Member of Parliament Pari Thapa from the National People’s front and Sunil Prajapati, central committee member of Nepal Worker’s and Peasant’s Party are the members of the committee.

The representatives from the eight parties put in their views upon the different issues of contention between the leftists and the government for building a national consensus, informed a participant at the meeting.

He said that that committee members gave their respective views on land reforms measures, government-Maoist talks, the election system and the present Constitution, among others.

"The committee would prepare a draft of issues and the stand required within the next few days and submit it to the different party leaders for discussion," Adhikari had earlier said.

Meanwhile, commenting upon the latest developments, Bamdev Gautam, General Secretary of CPN-ML said, "The committee will seek to converge the opinion of all leftists before moving forward in a united manner. A lot of homework is still needed."

Gautam also flayed the CPN-UML for its indifference over the proposed merger of the two parties, namely CPN-ML and CPN-UML. "Though UML had agreed to call the third round of UML-ML unity talks soon, it has not been done so far," he alleged.

The UML had, during the second round of talks with the ML recently, agreed to call the third round of talks and also to react upon the proposal placed by the ML then.

Natural disasters claim 364 in 5 months: Report

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 – Various natural disasters and epidemics have claimed a total of 364 lives and damaged property worth 264 million 570 thousand and 884 rupees in the country in nearly five months since the start of the Nepali New Year 2058 in mid-April, the Home Ministry said today.

While the floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains have taken 167 lives, various epidemics have killed 154 people since mid-April this year, according to a statement made available to The Kathmandu Post by the Ministry spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pande. Similarly, fires have claimed 12 lives, windstorm and hailstorm 2 lives, and thunderbolts 29 lives.

Besides killing 364 people, the floods and landslides have also left 43 people missing and 34 people injured. The monsoon phenomenon has affected at least 3,000 families, led to the loss of 151 animals, and destroyed 1,174 houses and 23 cattlesheds throughout the country.

The total property loss due to floods and landslides has been estimated at Rs 145, 185, 720.

Natural disasters like floods and landslides, fires, hailstorm, windstorm and epidemics have also left a total of 43 people missing, 75 injured, led to the loss of 254 animals, destroyed 2,634 houses and 75 cattlesheds while affecting 10,364 families across the country, said the data obtained from the Ministry’s Department of Narcotics Control and Disaster Management.

According to the statement, various epidemics affected 468 families. Likewise, fires affected 505 families, killed 48 people, destroyed 491 houses and 23 cattlesheds, and led to the loss of property loss worth Rs 76,222,0330. Similarly last month’s earthquake measuring 5-plus in the Richter scale left 2 people injured, affected 105 families, destroyed 130 houses and led to the property loss worth Rs 31,930,000, according to the statement.

The quake was epicentered in western Nepal’s Gorkha district, but also affected parts of Dhading and Rasuwa.