Ranipokhari to regain its lost glory

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KATHMANDU, April 5:After waiting for three decades, the 332 years old ancient pond of Ranipokhari is to regain its lost glory that was once shut off by the eyesore building and adjoining shopping mall which were demolished two weeks ago.

"The Kathamndu Metropolitan City is very soon developing a green garden on the southern edge of Ranipokhari", said Mayor Keshav Sthapit today.

"We will complete clearing the debris and start making a green garden next week on the area and will bar it with a low wall," he said adding "Still, we are certainly not spending a lot of money for the time being. We are planning a Greater Ranipokhari Garden."

He said the high iron bars on western and southern sides would be removed and let people walk freely around the area.

Till date, the pond is confined within high iron bars and two guards stay there to check people from coming there with suicidal tendency.

"I don’t think anybody may choose the dirty water of Ranipokhari to commit suicide. But for the time being, a sort of net will be fixed on the top of the water level along the surrounding wall so that some people may not attempt to jump into the water," he said.

KMC has not yet finalised any plan to purify or maintain the water level of the ancient pond.

Civil engineer at the Urban Development Through Local Efforts and water conservationist Prayag Joshi said the propaganda of Ranipokhari conservation would be meaningless if it did not hold enough water.

"Water must be there in Ranipokhari to complete the conservation work. The best way to revive Ranipokhari is rainwater harvesting.," he said.

According to him, water in the pond could easily be filled if the rainwater of Lazimpat, Keshar Mahal and Kingsway could be drained in. He said it could be done by systematically tapping the water from storm drain of the area and taking it to the pond through series of filter chambers built along the road.

"The pond may have local sources along with some other sources said to be brought from the underground sources of Bishnumati. Now, as hundreds of houses have been built around the pond, such sources may not be possible to reuse again."

But he strongly opposed the common practice of refilling such dried-up ponds from boring-wells. "Water of boring-wells is no solution. It is taking water from the source and again sending back to the same place of origin. This will only harm the natural water table and underground water sources."

Joshi said to keep the water fresh and kill the reaction of photosynthesis, artificial water fountains, boating or fish-farming is important.

Former senior planner Bishwombhar Lal Shrestha said that the pond should be made a part of Ranipokhari by closing the road in the middle.

He said, "For long-term conservation, the new buildings belonging to Tri-Chandra College and Saraswati Sadan should be demolished. They are of no architectural or historical value."

Padam Bahadur Chhetri, former Director General of Housing Department is of the opinion that the houses around the pond should either be demolished or kept as public places like art galleries or small cafes.

‘Move for Health’ the theme of WHD 2002

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KATHMANDU, April 5:Healthy living alone is not enough. Poverty, lack of health services contribute as much to the incidence of non-communicable diseases as they do to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. These, in turn, hinder development and help perpetrate the cycle of poverty, UN Secretary General said Friday in his message on World Health Day forwarded here by the United Nations Information Center.

Non-communicable diseases- such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular ailments—have become a major epidemic in all societies, rich and poor alike. This is due, in large part, to a corresponding epidemic of sedentary and unhealthy life-styles, changing diets and increased tobacco use, said the UN message faxed here.

A vast body of knowledge, experience and scientific evidence shows that regular physical activity provides people of all ages, male and female, with substantial physical, social and mental health gains and general well-being.

"Therefore, I hope that the move for health will be truly leading us towards healthy and active lifestyles, and help us make progress in our work for development worldwide," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in his message.

The theme for the World Health Day (WHD) 2002 is proclaimed as: "Move for Health."

Land being re-surveyed in west Kathmandu

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KATHMANDU, April 5: It is time for the residents of western sector of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and surrounding Village Development Committees to be alert as their fortune related with their land property is being rewritten.

"Map Section No. 6 Office of Kathmandu has recently resumed works on new plot map survey in the KMC ward Nos. 13, 14 and 15 in the presence of landowners," said Bamdev Deep, the survey officer.

Ward No. 13 consists of Purano Kalimati, Chhauni, Military Camp and Barrack, Tahachal, Baphal, National Museum, Chagal, Soltimod, Kalimati and Tankeshowr. Ward No. 14 includes Khadka Gaon, Kalankichowk, Baphal, Sunargaon, Nariwal Phant, Khasi Bazar, Rana Gaon, Godar Gaon, Machha Gate, Rabi Bhawan, Kuleshwor and the Balkhu area. Likewise, Kimidol, Shanti Nagar, Bhuikhel, Dallu and Chagal make ward No. 15.

Deep said the Section is conducting the land map survey with the cooperation of local ward offices.

Similarly, the section is also surveying the surrounding areas like the Sitapaila VDC, Gothatar VDC, Kirtipur Municipality, Madhyapur Municipality and so on.

In fact, the section started surveying from the end of last year but it was later discontinued as the government gripped the budget tight for security expenses. "Now we are conducting the survey in the area where we can find cooperation and incentives for the surveying staff," he said.

According to Deep, the survey section has provided the local ward offices and VDC offices details about their survey schedules and in the presence of the respective landowner, they will conduct land survey with modern technology they never had before.

"Once the survey is done, it will be like writing a history. One cannot omit or abuse it. So we expect the people who own the land to be present in the field to guide the surveyors and also to claim the boundary of their land while the surveying is being done." he said, adding the section is also launching a public announcement through miking about the plot survey and its importance in the concerned area.

"But people’s participation in this important project is not quite encouraging in the city," he said.

Chief Survey Officer at the Plot Survey Division Agnidhar Sharma said though the government had surveyed the three wards as early as 1964, it was not scientific and the plot map lacked fundamental information about the size and actual shape of each plot of land.

"Now, the survey follows trigonometric system that will help to bring about accurate shape, distance and location of each small plot of land. This will minimize complexities and doubts on plot boundaries and avoid legal debates," said Sharma.

He said the land owners must be present to bring about the accurate result and to be safe from future problems related with the size and shape of their land property.

National co-ordirector of the Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme Padma Sundar Joshi said the ward offices are helping the surveyors.

"We will then digitize those maps and use for other purposes too," he said.

Peace rally organised in city

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KATHMANDU, April 5: The Human Rights Solidarity for Peace-Nepal (HRSP-Nepal) organised a peace rally here today.

HRSP-Nepal was formed in January with the message of peace for Nepal. At the time of its establishment, 30 organisations came together as HRSP-Nepal and talked to women who had suffered due to the Maoist terrorists and the army.

The organisation provided the women with emotional and physical support, health care, security and rehabilitation.

"As part of the message of peace HRSP-Nepal has been organising various peace rallies in the capital", said the Secretary of HRSP-Nepal, Shova Gautam. This rally is the seventh organised by this association.

The association organises a peace rally every week on Friday as a non-violent appeal for peace. The rally currently has 132 organisations, 40 individuals and some foreigners as participants.

"The aim of this solitude rally is to send a message to the government and the Maoists to carry out negotiations and work together towards achieving peace," said a member of the working group of HRSP-Nepal and General Secretary of Informal Sector Service Centre, Dr Subodh Pyakurel.

"What a wise person does immediately, a fool finally does in the end", said Director of St. Xavier’s Social Service Centre, Rev. General William Robins. A message that should be thought by both the Maoists and the government.

‘Most wanted’ in India held in capital

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KATHMANDU, April 5:A ‘most wanted’ criminal in India has been arrested by the Nepal Police today on charges of killing two women in the capital.

Ramesh Singh Chouhan alias Dadaji (32) of Madhubani district of India, who was absconding after the murder of a woman in Kolkata seven years ago, has been arrested by the police in the Tarahi VDC, a bordering village of Saptari district in south-east Nepal.

Singh had murdered Shashi Goal at Maitidevi on January 15 and Nilam Agrawal at Dhalko on March 15 in Kathmandu.

The police has confiscated some ornaments, wrist watches and electronic equipment from Singh who had looted the goods after murdering the women.

According to police sources, the criminal, who was formally a worker in Annapurna Catering Service at Kamalpokhari had made a close link with the women as a kitchen worker before he committed crimes.

Copyright Act: A welcome step

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KATHMANDU, April 5:The new Copyright Act passed by the Parliament recently has been termed as a welcome step by the Nepal Copyright Protection Society.

A press release received from the society expresses a belief that the Act would protect the creators of literature, art, culture, music and science and technology. The society has also called for an effective enforcement of the Act.

The Act has the provision of punishment in maximum up to two hundred thousand rupees or two years jail term for the violation of the protected rights. But there is the provision of lesser punishment for the violation of the rights for the first time. However, the copyright holder is also entitled to realize the compensation from the person who violates the right.

The Act which replaces another Act made 36 years ago has provided the condition for the violation of copyright. Production of copies and sale or distribution of any creation or sound to which one is not entitled is deemed as a violation of copyright. Besides, breaching terms of the authentication letter made with the copyright holder to take economic profit or doing the same even without taking economic benefit is also deemed as violation of copyright.

Seven Maoists killed, army recover over Rs 2m in Kavre

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KATHMANDU, April 5:The Defence Ministry today said that security forces gunned down five Maoist rebels in the latest incidents of encounter in four districts on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Ministry said that two women rebels were killed in Manka area of Rukum, one rebel identified as Tikaram Sarki in Katari area of Udayapur, and the other one known as Ram Bahadur in Khadang area of Dolpa district. An unidentified Maoist was also shot dead in Gauriganj of Chitwan district.

While carrying out search operations, the security forces also seized a huge amount of Nepalese rupees, foreign currencies and gold from a Maoist hideout in Naldung area of Kavre district on Wednesday.

The Ministry said that the security forces recovered Rs. 16,75,400, US$ 1,060, Australian $ 450, Sterling Pound 230 and Japanese Yen 67,000 from the hideout.

The forces also confiscated about half a kilogram of gold and 119 sets of explosives from the same
area. The Ministry said that the rebels had looted the cash and valuables from various banks in the past. The Ministry added that the forces confiscated 431 explosives from Lamachaur of Kaski, 13 pipe bombs from Dhad Khola of Sindhupalchowk, guns from Sanu Bazaar of Lamjung, and other pipe bombs from Chipara area of Jumla district on Thursday.

Meanwhile, our reporter from Rautahat said that two rebels on Tuesday night died instantly after the bombs they were carrying went off suddenly before destroying a police post in Ranapur VDC. Police have identified the rebels as Sonam Singh Lama and Sano Dulal of the same VDC.

Another suspected Maoist area commander named Hari Poudel of Santapur VDC-4 sustained serious injuries in the bomb blasts, and he is receiving treatment at the Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital in Birgunj.

Security forces immediately took the injured rebel into custody. The rebels had rushed the injured to the hospital in an ambulance. Sonam’s mother said that the rebels had cremated the body of her son without their notice. The police post, located about 35-km north-west of Gaur, the district headquarters of Rautahat, was vacated for security reasons about two months ago.

The Ministry’s press statement said that doctors of the Birendra Military Hospital have been providing free-health service to the people of Rolpa in the district headquarters of Libang for the last couple of days.

Meanwhile, issuing a press statement here today, a dozen human right activists condemned the Maoists for destroying office documents and furniture of Liberation Academy of Grinso-Nepal, a NGO working in the field of human rights in Pratappur VDC of Kailali district.

7 teachers expelled for misconduct during SLC

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KATHMANDU, April 5: Seven teachers were expelled for their misconduct during the examination in Salyan and Dang districts whereas a school inspector is expelled from Morang district on the fourth day of School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination.

According to the DEO of Dang, three teachers each from Khalangga Centre and Pipalnetta Centre of Salyan and a teacher from Tulsi Boarding School of Dang have been expelled. The expelled teachers will not be employed as the invigilator in future exams, said the Chief of DEO, Rakesh Srivastav.

Similarly, the National News Agency (RSS) reported that the SLC examination inspection and monitoring team has expelled a school inspector from the Janata College examinations centre in Rangeli of Morang on the charge of assisting cheating in the SLC examinations held at the centre on Thursday.

The expelled inspector is Arjun Acharya, said the acting District Education Officer Tanka Gautam.

An unidentified group exploded a bomb in a School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations centre in Rupendehi district at the wee hour yesterday.

The bomb was planted on the compound wall of Shri Janata Secondary School of the district at 11 p.m. yesterday by a group of 12 to 15 unidentified persons. The security forces reached the school firing on the air to stop them from causing any more damage, according to a source in District Education Office (DEO).

The centre conducted today’s examinations without any intervention. 2,355 students of the district are appearing in the examination.

Meanwhile, our reporter from Damauli reported that the examination in a centre of Tanahun district was started an hour late in the lack of sufficient question papers. The Xerox copies of the question papers were distributed to run the examination, said an official.

The ‘A’ and ‘B’ centre in Aadikavi Bhanubhakta Multiple Campus in Damauli were sent the question paper of regular examinees instead of question papers for partial examinees which delayed the exam, said Hutmani Adhikari, the inspector of the centres appointed by DEO.

"The exams was held with the Xerox copies of the question papers," said Adhikari. "300 students were distributed such question papers."

An officer of the DEO said the office was surprised with mistake on sending question papers.

Lack of doctor halts post mortem

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MAHENDRANAGAR, April 5: The post-mortem on the body of Dan Bahadur Bista, a teacher of Mangalsen of Achham district, has not been performed after three days of his murder due to the absence of doctors in the district.

The locals of Oli Village Development Committee (VDC) allegedly murdered Bista, a teacher of Sodasha Secondary School in Mangalsen, on Wednesday night. He was brought to the district hospital for post-mortem on the same day but no post-mortem is performed yet as not a single doctor is present in the hospital.

Most officials and doctors had fled the district following the Maoists’ attack on the district headquarters here two months ago.

"We have somehow organising SLC examinations and when one problem is solved another emerges, now we have no doctor to perform a post-mortem," Krishna Prasad Jaisi, Chairman of the District Development Committee of Achham said.

Sher Bahadur Chand, a doctor working here had fled immediately after the Maoists’ attack and has never returned.

The news of Nepal Bandh has affected the public transport in the district and no doctor has been able to be flown to the area by the regional health directorate.

Students busy collecting water than preparing for exams

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DAILEKH, April 5:The students appearing this year’s SLC from this hill district in the mid-western region are busy in fetching water rather than sparing time for their examinations. This untoward situation emerged after Maoist rebels destroyed main water pipelines to Narayan Municipality a few days ago.

Manisha, a SLC examinee, was almost not allowed to entre the examination hall after she came there 20 minutes late. She was queuing in filling in her water pot on early morning Friday.

The water is brought to the municipality for almost 20,000 people from 18-km away. Around 3,000 plush people have thronged in the tiny hill station during the examination period.

A large number of denizens are seen to have gathered around natural spouts to fill up their water pots everyday morning. But it is also the reason that people have to fetch water during the daytime as the local administration has clamped down curfew at night hours.

Though technicians of the District Drinking Water Office repaired the pipelines next day, a group of rebels warned them of severe consequences if they repaired them and made off with the chopped off pipelines.

More than that, the students are bearing the brunt of blackout these days after the rebels pulled down transmission lines ahead of the SLC examinations. The rebels pulled down several transmission lines by felling trees on the way to Dailekh on Tuesday.

People of Myagdi deprived of health service

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MYAGDI, April 5:The locals of Myagdi have been deprived of basic health services in the district hospital for the last five years in the absence of doctors.

According to Ram Prasad Regmi, a non-gazetted official here at the District Hospital administrative unit, doctors appointed for the hospital have been staying away in the towns not showing up in the hospital located afar. Most of them are in deputation, said Regmi.

Shyam Sundar Das, a doctor, who was appointed recently showed up at the district hospital for about five days and soon sought deputation in other hospital. He is now serving as a temporary doctor at Narayani Regional Hospital.

Following the reluctance shown by the doctors to come to the remote areas, medical administrative staff are carrying out the work of a doctor, said the people.

The hospital assistance committe had earlier sought the help from INF Myagdi, District Development Committee (DDC), MP Narayan Singh Pun and Yam Maya Thapa, An American national D Thomson to acquire Ultrasonic machine and ECG machine for the hospital but in the absence of a doctor to use them efficiently , the machines are lying idle.

"There is not even a single person who can handle the X-ray machine in the Myagdi District Hospital, as a result, the machine has been operated by officials of a village health centre," our district correspondent quoted an official of the hospital as saying.

Crop diversification project to be launched in Banke

By Somnath Lamichane

NEPALGUNJ, April 5- A Crop Diversification Project will be launched with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the dry areas of Banke district from June 2003 with the objective of increasing production of crops.

Under the project, training, exhibition and farmers’ tours programmes will be organised, production seeds increased, seed mini kits, technical assistance and other facilities provided to the farmers for cultivation of vegetables, mustard, peanuts, lintel, ginger, potatoes, etc excluding paddy, wheat and fishery in the dry areas of the district, according to Banke District Agriculture Development Office (DADO).

The farmers will receive these facilities through 10 pocket areas developed in Betahani, Bankatawa, Hirmaniya, Mahadevpur, Naubasta, Narenapur, Saigaun and Kohalpur VDCs of Banke district.

Under the project, lintel and gram will be cultivated on 775 hectares of land in Narainapur, 500 hectares in Bantakawa, and vegetables on 55 hecatares of land in Kohalpur, 160 hecatares in Hirmaniya and 30 hectares in Saigaun, according to Chief of the DADO Ramesh Lal Karna.

Likewise, potatoes will be cultivated on 150 hectares of land in Bhawanipur, 100 hectares in Shamshergunj and 31 hectares in Naubasta.

Ten groups of farmers with 25 members cultivating lintel and gram will be formed in each pocket area while four groups of farmers will be formed in the vegetable pocket areas.

At present the Crop Diversification Project launched in the VDCs linked with roads and enjoying electricity and irrigation facilities will directly benefit the farmers of the rural areas, according to assistant project officer Rajendra Prasad Pradhan.

The main crops of Banke district are paddy, wheat, maize and lintels. Only 10 per cent of the total 57,252 hectares of of arable land in Banke district receives irrigation facility.

According to the DADO, paddy is cultivated on 35,000 hectares, wheat on 11,975 hectares, maize on 12,000 hectares, lintel on 12,500 hectares, peanuts on 190 hectares, vegetables on 2,375 hectares, potatoes on 1,800 hectares, oil seeds on 6,300 hectares and fisheries on 160 hectares of land in the district.

Altogether 113,000 metric tons of paddy, 23,000 metric tons of wheat, 30,000 metric tons of maize, 11,650 metric tons of peanuts, about 23,00 metric tons of vegetables, 23,000 metric tons of potatoes, 416 metric tons of fish and about 3,900 metric tons of oil seeds were produced in the district.

His Majesty’s Government has launched the Crop Diversification Project with the loan assistance of the ADB in Surkhet, Dailekh, Dang, Banke and Bardiya districts of the mid-western development region.

Likewise, the project has been implemented in Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Achham, Darchula, Doti, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts of the far-western development region.

The Crop Diversification Project is being launched with the objective of encouraging the production of subsidiary crops and marketing facilities and improving the living conditions of the poor and rural farmers in the district.

Under the project, a policy has been adopted to hand over one pocket area to the private sector in each district.

The project will give emphasis to market-oriented feasible subsidiary crops, mobilise the women and poor farmers and increase active participation of the private sector.

Ramkrishna Subedi, agriculture officer of Achham district said pocket areas for growing oranges, ginger and soya bean have been developed in Achham district in accordance with the main objective of the Crop Diversification Project.