Maoists come under fire for targeting development

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KATHMANDU, April 2:A day after several groups of Maoists went on a bridge- destroying spree in the mid-western  Terai district of Bardia, damaging at least three bridges, and bringing the movement of traffic from Banke to Bardia to a grinding halt, parliamentarians on Tuesday strongly condemned the Maoists’ move and called on the rebels to stop their violent and anti-development acts.

According to reports from Bardia and Banke, traffic movement along the Bardia-Nepalgunj highway came to a complete standstill after the rebels bombed a section of the 116-metre-long bridge over the Mankhola. Police said the mid-night explosions made a four-foot wide gap on the bridge, making it virtually impossible for vehicles to move on. The bridge is located 15 kilometers west of Nepalgunj.

The rebels also bombed parts of the Bhada bridge near Gulariaya, the district headquarters, and another smaller bridge of the Babai irrigation project in the same district. Another report from Baitadi said the rebels have destroyed 45 village development committee (VDC) offices, 20 of them badly, over the last three weeks in the far-western hill district. Prior to this, the rebels have torched hundreds of VDC offices across the country.

Besides coming down heavily on the rebels for targeting hundreds of VDC offices and few hydropower and drinking water facilities around the country, the lawmakers, most of them opposition, criticised the government for failing to ensure law and order situation.

While calling on the rebels to stop such "barbaric and irresponsible anti-development acts", they demanded that the government soon start reconstructing the VDC offices and hydropower and drinking water and hydropower facilities.

"What are the Maoists up to? Their violent anti-development acts make no sense," said a visibly infuriated Pashupati Chaulagain, a main opposition CPN-UML lawmaker from Dolakha. Echoing the sentiments of several other ruling and opposition lawmakers, he demanded that the Maoists’ anti-developmental activities be checked and reconstruction of VDC offices be started.

In the Upper House, a few ruling party lawmakers demanded the resignation of the ministers, who have failed to provide adequate security to the sites and sectors under their respective jurisdictions.

Ganga Datt Joshi of the ruling Nepali Congress demanded that the ministers for Water Resources, Education, Labour and Transport Management, and Home affairs quit from their posts.

Before it were just industries, the backbone of national economy, and government property. Now, the lawmakers expressed deep concerns Tuesday afternoon that the Maoist rebels, waging a violent warfare for the past six years or so, seem to be out to destroy the development infrastructures around the country—something that makes everyone’s—both Maoists’ and non-Maoists’—life easier and better, if not prosperous.

The rebels have literally gone on a vandalism spree in recent days, targeting mainly development facilities. A few days ago, they chopped off drinking water pipelines in the remote eastern hill district of Okhaldhunga, leaving the residents of its district headquarters high and dry, and forcing them to go for other sources of drinking water.

They destroyed the power plant of the 12-megawatt Jhimruk Hydroelectricity Project in Pyuthan district earlier this week and attacked the Modikhola hydel project. Prior to this, they attacked a small hydro plant in remote Bhojpur district in the eastern hills.

The rebels have also damaged the offices of several road development projects in Surkhet, Jajarkot and Pyuthan districts. Meanwhile, a fresh report from Dolakha said that an ambulance carrying an injured accident victim could not make it to the capital city Tuesday evening after the rebels felled a huge tree and blocked the highway. The ambulance later returned to Charikot, the district headquarters.

MP Singh’s family members abducted

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KATHMANDU, April 2:Prem Bahadur Singh, a CPN-UML lawmaker from the remote mid-western hill district of Kalikot, informed the House of Representatives Tuesday that a group of Maoist rebels abducted six members of his family last night and demanded their immediate release.

"The Maoists will have to face serious results for this action," Singh warned in the House of Representatives Tuesday, strongly condemning the Maoist move to kidnap and torture innocent people. According to him, the abducted were his sister-in-law and her three children under the age of 10 including a six-month-old.

Yet another evening of rainfall and hailstorm

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KATHMANDU, April 2:Yet another evening-time storm with intermittent rains and hailstones lashed through the Kathmandu Valley Tuesday disrupting normal life, and damaging vegetable and paddy crops in the countryside.

People were seen rushing for cover in the capital city as the storm lashed the city and its vicinity starting at around 5 p.m. It lasted for about three hours. The weather-effect also disturbed the traffic for a brief while.

Outside the city, a farmer living near the Manahara river said, the hailstones damaged such crops as wheat, potato and other vegetables. "Rains came as a boon for us, but sort-of regular hailstones are continuing to damage our crops," Ram Prasad, a farmer from the Manahara river belt said Tuesday evening.

Bijay Baidya, Chief of Meteorological Forecasting Division, at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said the hailstorm and rainfall were the result of a local effect, but stopped short of making a forecast as to how long it would last. "It is very difficult to forecast weather effects like these," Baidya told The Kathmandu Post. "But one thing is for sure: the weather (pattern) clears at night and throughout the day tomorrow."

According to him, the country got more rains and hailstones at the beginning of spring season this year than in previous years.

Directives: Despair or dream comes true

By Damaru Lal Bhandari

KATHMANDU, April 2:The much-awaited set of directives spelling out the emergency powers under Article 115 (7) of the Constitution are in the advance stage of being enforced awaiting the mandatory Royal approval.

Initial claims suggest that the directives to curb the abuse of emergency have been drawn up to impress even the die-hard critic of the government with the exception of the die-hard rebels.

But as always, it will be the enforcement of the same which will decide whether or not directives in question will benefit those who are wrongly caught in the whirlwind of arbitrary arrests and detention and those who have not yet tripped into the hands of the security personnel.

Granted that the government has formed a high level cell headed by an incumbent minister, which will look into the grievances of those who fall into the hands of the security agencies in some way or the other.

Ergo what remains yet to be seen is whether or not it will work at the pace at which people get caught and tortured by security forces coming under enhanced pressure and workload.

This becomes all the more a serious concern at a time when the law enacted to compensate the victims of state oppression and torture is yet to go into force in all fairness.

Meanwhile, the way the things are unfolding members of the electorate who do not have access to mainstream political parties or whose voice is not heard in the din are getting entangled in the countrywide web. This renders their continued freedom an unpredictable phenomenon.

In fact, the point being laboured is: Will the cell in question take up the abuses of human rights the day the near and dear ones of the detainees approach or will there still be the need to make telephonic calls from the corridors of power?

Moreover, what will be the mechanism for sifting bad guys from good ones at a time when intelligence mechanism has failed to impress to any appreciable degree? Herein lies the efficacy of the cell in general and directives in particular.

Next, of course, is the freedom of the press. Or to be more precise, the access to right information for the purpose of dissemination. As of now, the news related to casualties in the fight against the rebels are being dispensed by Ministry of Defence even as murders committed by rebels go unreported.

Moreover, the circumstances related to the incidents are at best sketchy and something which cannot be ascertained and published. Will the members of the press accompanying the security forces in their campaign against terror or will they still be kept away?

Both the government and the security forces would be gaining in popularity just in the event newspapers reporters are allowed to move into those areas where the army and police decide to conduct house-to-house searches in the interest of free flow of information.

In fact, the whole exercise would culminate in the members of the electorate getting a true picture of the operations or for that manner the true picture of the disturbance in the Maoist hotbeds.

This would assuredly set in every element of transparency in the entire exercises even as enhanced public support would be a foregone conclusion if at all the operations conducted are free from excesses. However, apprehensions to the effect that directives may yet turn out to be a libertarian’s despair and security personnel’s dream comes true are still in place.

First day of SLC exams concludes peacefully

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KATHMANDU, April 2:Despite the mounting Maoist terror and violence, the first day of this year’s SLC examinations concluded peacefully, according to reports received here from across the country.

It became possible only after the Maoists postponed their five-day nation-wide strike just a day before the SLC examinations due to the strong pressures exerted by the people from different walks of life.

But each and every student had to line up in a queue for security checking before they entered the exam halls. The government had deployed a large number of security personnel to each of the examination centres to provide safety to the examinees.

Most of the students appearing the exams could not believe themselves that they had already appeared in today’s Nepali paper.

In spite of the announcement of the Maoist calling off their bandh on the eve of the exams, they had little knowledge about it because they were too busy in giving a final touch to their preparations.

The students were more worried about the security rather than their exams. "When I reached the examination hall, I was so nervous seeing a number of army personnel," said Sabnam Gurung of Gyanodaya Secondary High School.

"I came to know only after reaching the examination center that we were going to have a exam. We were instructed one week earlier by our teachers that we have to go to our centres at any cost," Gurung added.

"We were really confused whether the exam will push through or not? Only after reaching the centre we came to know that the exam is going to take place, "a group of students from Padmodaya High School said.

The students were seen much worried about the probability of the one-year loss of their academic carrier if bandh was not called off. Meanwhile, All the teachers have expressed their happiness over the rescheduling of the Nepal bandh programme.

Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs in a press statement has requested all the entrepreneurs to continue plying the public vehicles for the commuters. The vehicle movement was lesser today comparing to the normal day in some part of the country due to the late announcement of the cancellation of bandh, release further added.

However, the reports from various districts stated that a number of students missed their exams because of the availability of very few vehicles in the streets.

There are around 253,000 student sitting in exams this year to pull through their iron-gate but many of them worried over the uncertainty that still looms large during their nine-day examination period.

Kathmandu district has the highest number of students numbering 20,150 appearing in the exams in 51 centres.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports Yuba Raj Pandey said setting up of the centres were decided solely by the SCL Exams Co-ordination Committee in all the districts and they are authorised to take immediate and appropriate measures to ensure that the exams are conducted successfully.

"It’s for the Committee to see to it that the exams are conducted peacefully and it is also responsible in taking care of all the students," he said.

"SLC exam has never been thwarted till now but we are confident that it will go smoothly when we see at the government’s security arrangements," said one of the teachers at Gyanodaya who refused to tell his name. "We are instructed by the government to take an immediate and appropriate measure to ensure the integrity and security of exams," he added.

In the meantime it was reported that the Maoists rebels attacked the District Education Office of Thaludada, Dailekh by planting pressure cooker bombs today which caused minor damage to the building.

Govt to take elderly’s plight to the world assembly

By Tashi Dolma Thinley

KATHMANDU, April 2:Lack of social security and health insurance and the preference to live in a nuclear family are  gradually forcing Nepali elders to take refuge in the government-run shelters.

And while the population of the aged is demographically increasing, the cause of concern for the experts is the fact that in Nepal, family is the only supporting institution. But, with the people in the modern society preferring to live in a nuclear family, the plight of these 60-plus citizens is becoming more and more worrisome.

This is more evident in the findings that a family size in Nepal is decreasing with five members in a family in 2001. This percentage was 5.6 members in 1991 and 5.8 members in 1981.

In Nepal, one out of 17 persons is now 60 years or older and it is projected that by 2050, one out of five will be 60 years or older.

According to data provided by Nepal Participatory Action Network (NEPAN), the number of persons aged 60 years or older in the year 2001 was 1,347,868, which is 6.3 per cent of the total population. Whereas, this figure in 1991 was 923,232, which is 5.8 per cent of the total population.

The number of persons aged 60 years or older is estimated to be around 629 million throughout the world. According to the United Nations report, in 2000, 62 percent of those aged 60 years or older lived in less developed regions and by 2050, this number is projected to increase by 80 percent.

With the number of older people growing, their social security and well being are crucially at stake while a lot of things need to be done, experts say.

The main problem of the elderly people in Nepal is of social security, says Yuvraj Luitel of NEPAN. "Elderly people are still considered a burden in our society, they are deprived of dignity and their contribution to the society is highly neglected," he said.

Luitel suggests the ways in which the government can help the old people live independently and socially secure. "The old people today do not have income, health insurance or any organisational support," he said.

According to the UN estimates, majority of the older persons is women (81men per 100 women), because life expectancy is greater for women than men. But, in Nepal, the women’s natural tendency to live longer than men have been eliminated.

In the year 2001, males account to 652,355 of the total population compared to 695,518 females. A study conducted by Prem Singh Basnet of NEPAN states that life time deprivation, lack of education, poor health and nutrition, low status, discrimination and restriction on mobility has all been cited as the reasons for women having lower expectancy rate after 60 years of age.

Now that the problem of this elderly population has come to light, a draft paper is being prepared to analyse the actual situation of 60-plus people in the country.

The government has assigned a task force led by Luitel of NEPAN to draft a Nepal Country Paper on Nepal’s elderly population. This would not only help the government formulate policies in the future, it would also be presented during the upcoming "Second World Assembly on Ageing" to be held in Spain from April 8 to 12. Sushila Swar, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare is leading a three-member delegation to the Assembly.

The draft, as prepared by the task force, says that Nepal would share with other nations the oriental system of family, kinship and neighbourhood, which can be the most sensitive and effective way to care for the elderly people. The delegation would also suggest to hold special session on elderly people like on women and children held every five years and not after every 20 years.

"As ageing is a regular process, the government should formulate new ways for the total development of its citizens," says Rabi Bahadur Bista, secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare. "Opening up new old-age homes is not the solution, as nobody wants to live in these shelters." Bista is of the view that the government should instead concentrate on giving young people the opportunity to become independent before becoming old.

10 Maoists, 3 civilians killed

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KATHMANDU, April 2:The Defence Ministry today said that security forces gunned down nine Maoists in separate incidents of encounter in Rolpa and Sindhupalchowk districts over the last 24 hours. While, two civilians were also killed in army action in Sindhupalchowk and Makawanpur districts.

Seven Maoists were shot dead in Rolpa while two others in Bahunepati Bazaar of Bansbari VDC of Sindhupalchowk district. According to the Ministry, the security forces recovered six unidentified bodies of the rebels in Gajul and Siuri areas of Rolpa district yesterday.

Our reporter in Sindhupalchowk, quoting the security officials, said that army men in plain clothes shot dead two armed rebels in Bahunepati bazaar on Sunday.

Local security officials said the rebels were shot dead after the latter demanded money from the employees of Indrawati Hydropower Project. The rebels first stopped the employees travelling in a vehicle and demanded donation.

When the employees refused to meet their demands, the rebels took out their pistols and aimed at their heads. The security personnel travelling in the same vehicle in plain clothes shot at the rebels instantly.

However, one civilian was also shot dead during the army action, locals said. The deceased civilian has been identified as Pushpalal Shrestha of the same bazaar. Police handed over the body to the family for his last rites.

In yet another incident, security forces looking after a petrol depot in Amlekhgunj in Makawanpur and Parsa Wildlife Reserve shot a woman dead for attempting to intrude into prohibited area on Monday evening. The Ministry claimed that a group of unidentified persons approached close to the sensitive area making noises despite the warning of the sentries to halt.

The Ministry said that five Maoists involved in bombing various industrial estates and government facilities in the Kathmandu Valley were taken into custody from Kathmandu on Monday.

In Kaski, one unidentified Maoist died instantly when a bomb he was carrying exploded suddenly in Rupakot area. The Ministry said a group of rebels were heading towards a government office with a view to destroying it with bombs.

The security forces yesterday confiscated a large amount of foodstuff looted by the rebels in Tandrang area of Gorkha district and distributed it to local people.

Meanwhile our reporter in Gorkha said that a group of Maoists beat up a VDC chairman to death on Monday evening. Ram Prasad Dhakal, chairman of Jhujel VDC, was beaten to death near his house. Dhakal had just returned to his home from Kathmandu on Monday morning, locals said.

Govt to develop Upper Tamakoshi

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KATHMANDU, April 2:Water Resources Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhedar has informed the House of Representative that the government was considering developing the 250-megawatts Upper Tamakosi hydroelectric project. To this end, he said, the government was looking into proposals of a Chinese company and NORAD, the Norwegian development agency.

"They are keen to develop the project," he said. "And they are in the process of conducting detailed studies."

Located at the foot of Gaurishankar Himal in northern Dolakha district, a pre-feasibility study carried out by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, have concluded the project to be the cheapest one. The NEA has put its development cost at US $ 1,100 per kilowatt.