Stage show on quake mitigation planned

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KATHMANDU, April 1:School children will soon be able to enjoy the stage show to be held in different schools of Kirtipur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu in the near future,states the Aakhyan Theatre Group at a press meet here today.

A drama titled Lau ayo ayo will be performed at over 32 schools beginning the first of Baishakh. This play is going to be basically a street drama on how to prepare in case of any likely earthquake in the future.

The organisers of this production Lutheran World Federation-Nepal (LFW-Nepal) aims to give children basic information on what an earthquake is, how to prepare in case of possible earthquake and the steps to take during the earthquake.

Speaking on the occasion, LFW-Nepal Representative, Gopal Dhakal said, "As part of our objective on emergency management, these productions will enable the school children to have a practical approach towards an important subject like earthquakes."

The members of the Aakhyan Theatre Group will be acting out the plays to children between the age group of 9 and 15. They plan to cover schools located in congested areas and more prone to earthquakes.

The group during the stage show at schools will be applying the concept of ‘still picture’ that will enable the children to be a part of the stage providing an enjoyable approach to learning.

With onset of dry season, Kathmanduites face water scarcity

By Chandika Dawadi

KATHMANDU, April 1:With the onset of dry season, complaints about the scarcity of drinking water have begun to pour in at the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC), the sole authority of water supply to the Kathmandu residents.

There is a demand of over 170 million litres of drinking water every day in the Kathmandu Valley alone but the NWSC can provide only 90 million litres. When monsoon starts, the Corporation can increase its capacity to 120 million litres which is still insufficient to quench the thirst of the Kathmanduites.

"The city dwellers are forced to drink and use stinking water supply. Sometime the water supply contains unidentified elements of different colours," say the Kathmandu Valley residents.

Deputy Manager of NWSC, Dr Chandreshwar Shah says that the problem will be solved after the Melamchi project is completed. "Only Melamchi can quench the thirst of city inhabitants but it has remained somewhat undecided and has become a political propaganda," says Dr Shah.

The rapid growth of population and urbanisation are also creating the scarcity of drinking water. The NWSC has 115,000 customers and the number is increasing every year in the Kathmandu Valley. The NWSC, however, has 38 percent leakage which helps to increase the scarcity of drinking water.Another problem the NWSC has to face is the misuse of water. " The pipes of NWSC are around one hundred-year-old. Some are broken and leakage is high. It needs a huge budget to maintain it properly," states Dr Shah. "Unless people are conscious about the scarcity of drinking water in Kathmandu, the misuse can not be checked," he adds.

As the number of consumers keeps on increasing despite limited supply, the NWSC has to depend on both surface and underground water. The Corporation pumps up around 40 million litres of water daily from various underground sources. But geologists express concern about the increasing dependence on underground water. "When we pump up more than 20 million litres of water daily from underground in different locations, the soil composition underneath will be affected and the land mass will show cracks," says Dinesh Chandra Pyakurel, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.

The NWSC and private sectors pump up nearly 70 million litres of water from the ground, which is beyond the capacity of land. Consequently, the stone taps and ponds of Valley are gradually drying up," says Pyakurel.

People often question about the purification of drinking water in the Valley. "The water purification system of the NWSC is still traditional and unscientific. The entangled pipes and the pipes linked with safety tank make the water polluted," says underground water specialist Dr. Dibya Ratna Kansakar.

The NWSC has 10 tankers for immediate supply but only 3 tankers work properly. Despite this, it has never been a matter of concern to the concerned authority.

The weak management of NWSC is another serious problem, often raised by junior officers. "The Corporation has to collect nearly 300 million rupees revenue but the office is unable to collect it. Three years ago, the NWSC had published a name list of the people who had not paid NWSC tariff but it could not be collected because of political pressure," says an NWSC officer.

Israel to fight back terrorism: envoy

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KATHMANDU, April 1:Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Avi Nir today said that Israel would accelerate its action against terrorism, being activated by the Palestinian authority.

"Definitely, we will have to take stronger steps against the series of terrorism that aims to kill innocent Jews," he said talking with journalists at his office.

The ambassador said that it is the responsibility of every democratic country to defend its citizens. "This is exactly what the government of Israel is doing. Today, Israel is actually exercising its most basic security doctrine, which is the doctrine of self-defense."

He said the Palestinian authority almost killed every possibility to achieve a cease-fire and to go back to the negotiation table.

"The responsibility lies totally and solely upon the shoulders of Yasser Arafat, who is directing this terror campaign."

Avi claimed that Arafat is encouraging the terrorists but made it clear that Israel does not want to hurt it but only to isolate him.

"The Palestinian authority has not learned the lesson from the events of September 11. On the contrary, it decided to take sides with those who are using terror rather than fighting terror."

He also criticised the United Nations for keeping silent even though dozens of inhuman attacks occur almost every day in Israel.

Since March 14, the date of the arrival of General Zinni, there have been 38 terrorist attacks in which more than 70 Israelis were killed and Israel’s retaliation to the terrorists is drawing the world concern on the possible bigger calamity in the Middle East these days.

Bar refutes allegations over lawyer

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KATHMANDU, April 1:Ram Krishna Nirala, advocate of Supreme Court, has said in a statement today that a news item published about him in the Spacetime Daily three days ago is false and illusory.

The allegation of the news that Nirala had realised payment by making a false bill is contradictory to the facts published in the same news item." As a legal advisor of the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), I have done nothing against the interest of RNAC and against the code of conduct of law practitioners," states Nirala in the statement.

Similarly, a statement received today from the Supreme Court Bar Association said the Bar has expressed regret over the act of the Spacetime since it did not publish corrigendum despite assurance of the editor of the daily. It is said in the statement that the facts related to the case do not prove the allegation and the news item itself is self- contradictory.

Although the fee of a lawyer is a matter to be determined mutually by the client and the lawyer himself, the news item is seen as an effort of character assassination, the statement has further stated.

Meanwhile, a press statement received from the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said the situation creating conflict and disbelief between the press and the legal practitioner over a news item published in Spacetime Daily has drawn serious attention of the Federation.

Six rebels shot dead in three districts 
Maoists continue terror spree

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KATHMANDU, April 1:Security force on Sunday gunned down at least six Maoists in separate incidents of encounter in three districts, confiscated about 24 kilogram of gold from Pokhara Sub-Metropolis and cash amount in Sindhuplachowk district, the Defence Ministry said here today.

Issuing a press statement, the Ministry said that three Maoists were shot dead in Melamchi area of Sindhupalchowk, two in Risang area of Jajarkot and one in Charihang area of Dolakha districts yesterday.

The Ministry added that the security forces seized NRs. 28,279 and Irs. 8,305 while raiding a house in Melamchi.

Meanwhile, the Ministry confirmed that Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) Bharat Dhakal died while undergoing treatment at hospital. Two suspected Maoists shot him with pistols in his rented house at Gongabu yesterday.

The security forces also arrested some Maoists and their senior leader from Kathmandu on charges of creating terror and destroying public property in the Valley. But the Ministry did not mention the names of the leader and other arrested persons.

The Ministry added that the rebels in Okhaldhunga destroyed reservoirs and pipelines for drinking water to its district headquarters yesterday. A large number of locals and students appearing for the SLC examinations have suffered from water crisis.

Property around 10 million rupees was damaged after the rebels on Sunday night attacked in several government facilities in Bardiya district. Police said that the rebels destroyed two rooms of the Babai Irrigation Project and set two vehicles and three motorbikes on fire. The fire damaged property around Rs. 7 million, according to officials of the project. The rebels also bombed a building of Gulariya customs office. An Indian vehicle was also set on fire.

In Rupeandehi, a group of rebels looted Rs. 30,000 in cash from a branch office of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in Amuwa VDC on broad daylight of Monday. NEA manager in Bhairahawa, Sendu Yadav said the rebels also destroyed a vehicle and a motorbike belonging to the NEA by setting them on fire.

Police said that the Maoist guerrillas have already set eight of the 31 VDC offices on fire. Security officials said that a policeman was injured yesterday in an exchange of fire with the rebels in Rajapur. The injured policeman, identified as Sanat Budha , was airlifted to Nepalgunj for treatment.

Our reporter in Nawalparasi said that a group of rebels set ablaze a cooperative located at Tribhuvantar in Agyeuli VDC and looted Rs. 55,000 in cash from there on broad day-light Monday. Board members of the cooperative were holding meeting when six rebels stormed into the office and set it on fire.

In Sindhuli, underground Maoists destroyed seven VDC offices, according to police. Ranibas VDC chairman said that the rebels set his office building on fire and also destroyed a post office. Likewise, the rebels on Saturday night bombed an office of Amalachaur VDC in Baglung. The VDC officials said that property worth 300,000 rupees was destroyed on the fire.

Meanwhile, our reporter in Nepalgunj said that local people today took out a peace rally in protest of the Maoist-called five-day bandh beginning tomorrow. The rally, organised by the Banke District Development Committee, also appealed the Maoists to call off their strikes, which would directly affect the future of over 2,50,000 students appearing for this year’s SLC examinations.

A report from Surkhet stated that almost all the bus services from Surkhet to various rural areas have come to a standstill from Monday due to security reasons. Police said the rebels blocked the Chhinchu-Jajarkot highway by felling big trees and digging trenches at several places.

24 kgs gold seized in Pokhara

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POKHARA, April 1:Security forces seized around 24 kilograms of gold ornaments from a rented room of a brother of Maoist commander here on Thursday night.

The security forces raided the room of Meghnath Sharma, the brother of Devendra Poudel a.k.a "Sunil," at Pokhara Sub-Metropolis-8 and confiscated the gold ornaments.

The security officials suspect that the rebels had looted the gold from a state-owned bank while attacking the district headquarters of Syangja on November 23 last year.

Military source revealed that Meghnath’s wife Tej Kumari Poudel had already bought a half ropani of land in Pokhara for 1 million rupees during the second week of March.

Both the husband and wife have been taken into custody for necessary investigation. They were arrested after they bought such an expensive piece of land out of disproportionate to their known sources of income.

Military sources said that price of the confiscated gold stands at around 1,75,00,000 rupees. The gold ornament, other cash and valuables confiscated from various districts of the western region were displayed before media men and local representatives at the Bijayapur-based army barracks on Monday.

Earlier, the security forces had confiscated four kilograms of gold ornament from the house of Dev Bahadur Gurung, a politburo member of the Maoist organisation.

Freed Kamaiyas yet to receive promised timber

By Sudarshan Rijal

DANG, April 1: Although the government has started giving away the promised cash assistance of Rs. 10,000 per family to the freed Kamaiyas, around 133 Kamaiya families in this district are yet to receive the promised timber.

The government was supposed to provide timber to these homeless Kamaiyas to settle down. But, in the lack of timber, majority of the Kamaiya families in the district has been unable to construct their houses. This has forced them to take refuge in the houses of the landowners.

According to Govinda Sharma, the acting officer at the District Land Reform Office, the Kamaiya families have started receiving Rs. 8,000 each from today, as the first instalment of the promised amount of Rs. 10,000. "However, the case of the promised timber is still undecided," he said.

In the case of timber, the Department of Forest has directed the District Timber Supply Committee (DTSC) to provide each Kamaiya family with 75 cubic feet of timber, whereas DTSC has decided to provide only 35 cubic feet of timber. The sources at DTSC say that it is not in the condition even to avail the decided 35 cubic feet of timber, as it does not have the adequate stock to meet the demand.

"As DTSC is running out of stock, an order seeking permission to cut down the trees has been sent to the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation but we have not yet received the approval," said Jeevan Kumar Thakur, chief of the District Forest Office.

Even as the Ministry has given the signals to cut down the tress for timber, supplying them to the Kamaiyas is still a difficult task, says Thakur, as it involves extra cost and none has come up claiming to sponsor the transportation cost of timber as yet.

However, Sharma of the District Land Reform Office says that a request in regards to the transportation and supply of the timber shall be made to the Ministry of Forest itself or to any non-governmental organisations if DTSC is to provide timber to the Kamaiya families.

The government has provided land at Lalmantya VDC of the district to rehabilitate the "freed Kamaiya families" in the district.

Landless families benefit from herbal farming

By Bijaya Prasad Mishra

SIRAHA, April 1:Herbal farming, that is in practice in a community forest of Lal Pur village of Siraha district, for the past few years, has been a boon to around 26 landless families and also to the consumers of the forest.

As to the good fortune brought by herbal farming in the Gagankhola Community Forest, in Lalpur village, the poor villagers no more need to work hard as the labourers for their landlords while the rest of villagers are also enjoying the facility of clean drinking water.

"Life in the past was hard. Despite the whole day toil earlier, it was difficult even to fill the tummy, not to talk of other needs," says Tetari Devi Raya. "Along with this new profession of herbal farming, children are going to school and life is running smooth,"

Same sort of version is echoed by Shuva Narayan Paasman and many others in the village in regards to this new profession in the village, that is so popular among the villagers. "For the landless people like us, ‘herbal farming’ in the community forest has become a boon," says Paasman.

Herbal farming in the forest started in 1997 at the initiation of Save The Children U.S. so as to raise the standard of economically crippled families in the village which is now getting momentum.

Thirteen hectares of the community forest that covers a total of 64 hectares of land is allocated for herbal farming and as to the revenue, the farmers have to pay off one fourth of the share of their product.

Sambala Herbal and Cosmetic Industries Pvt. Ltd, in Kathmandu has established a processing unit of the herbs near the community forest and has been marketing the products to different parts of the country as well as in India.

"The product of the herbals that is processed through the machine here is used as an ingredient in manufacturing chocolates, soap, perfume, incense, pesticides and many other items," says Dhruba Lamichhane at Sambala Herbal. As stated by Lamichhane, the herbal farming has bright perspective in the domestic as well as internal market.

With herbal farming gaining popularity in the area, other fifteen families in the village are learnt to have started trying this new profession in seven hectare of their farm that is deprived of irrigation facility.

"Out of the revenue collected from the herbal farming in the forest and the with the assistance of Australian Embassy, we are enjoying the facility of clean drinking water," said Ram Swarup Mahato, the Chairman of the Consumer Forest Committee.

The District Land Conservation Office (DLCO) at Lahan says that six more hectare of land in the community forest is allocated for herbal farming and some 42 families of the farmers in the village are assigned with the responsibility.

The land flooded by Gaagan rivulet was turned into the community forest following plantation in the joint initiation of the locals and the DLCO in 1988. The District Forest Office handed over the artificial forest to the villagers as ‘the community forest’ in 1996.