It does not taste good anymore

Damakant Jayshi

The journalists covering the parliament have   become persona non grata as far as the parliament’s canteen is concerned since a Nepali tabloid had the temerity to question the quality (or rather lack of it) of the food offered there at an exorbitant rate. The tabloid in question cheekily reported that the reason behind the illness of Speaker Taranath Ranabhat was none other than the food of the parliamentary canteen. (The Speaker was in hospital recently for a few days.)

Whether food was responsible or not to deprive the Lower House of its chief is a matter of investigation and perhaps we could well ask the CIA to investigate! But it was enough to raise the heckles of B L Sharma who ruled that journalists are a strict "no, no" in his august canteen. I did not believe the insinuation when I first heard about it, but now I really wonder at the hasty reaction of the canteen walla. I still feel it was highly unnecessary.

But I do have a mixed reaction to our banishment from the canteen. One, it has been a relief that we no more have to buy the food and beverage in the canteen whose quality and rate leaves much to be desired. But what I and other journalists will sorely miss is the no-holds-barred debates and discussions, both inter-party and intra-party rounds, some of which turn out to be quite enlightening and have given birth to quite a few news stories.

It was fun watching the camaraderie displayed by the MPs who inside the House are hostile due to their party affiliations. The food dished out by the canteen could thus be forgotten while we swallowed them down!

Alas! no such incentive is at hand when we have food or snacks at sundry other restaurants scattered throughout the Valley. If you order a cold drink, you are likely to be greeted with a sheepish smile! And now, I am sure, most customers know the meaning of the smile. The cold drink is "hot"! The reason? "The fridge has just been switched on". Probably, these restaurants are paying something extra to the Nepal Electricity Authority, or else why should they try to save electricity. Or are they trying to save units of power in national interest? Another case for the famed CIA?

Well, the matter does not end with the "hot" cold drink. Just as our reporter wrote a news some months back that she and her friend were offered Nepali ‘dal-bhat’ in a Mexican restaurant, similarly two of my friends and me were offered two different dishes with the same gravy. When enquired, the waiter said that that day the particular gravy was to be the readymade stuff. Which means whatever dishes you ordered (the ones with gravy, of course) you would have the unique privilege of having the same taste! Perhaps a lesson here for our politicians on how to achieve national unity.

Should one mention here the slow service despite the fewer clients in these places nowadays? And what should one say about the dirty table cloth, soiled sofa covers and not-so-properly-washed plates? Besides that, some of the items on the menu are not really found and others too are on their way to becoming extinct. All this is happening at a time when the economy of the hotels, restaurants and eateries is really down and needs as many clients as possible to remain afloat.

Eating out is becoming less and less of fun now. Instead of blaming so many various factors for the dwindling turnover, the people concerned could well keep their house in order. 

Rolpa district council meet held despite Maoist threats

By Kashi Ram Dangi

LIBANG, April 16: The Sixth District Council meeting held in Rolpa, one of the most affected districts in the Mid-Western Development Region due to the Maoists’ insurgency, concluded here successfully although Maoist rebels tried to disturb it.

Most of the representatives were present in the council despite Maoists’ threats. A Member of the Lower House, Prakash Jwala, inaugurated the council.

The participants of the council expressed their anger over three members of parliament – Lekhnath Acharya, Surendra Hamal and Balaram Gharti – for not attending the council despite sending invitations.

The DDC invited ministers along with them to participate at the council but all of them did not turn up due to security reasons, according to Hari Prasad Oli.

The Chairperson of the District Development Committee (DDC), Amrit Bahadur Gharti presented a 309 million rupees budget for the coming fiscal year at the council chaired by the eldest representative and Chairperson of Newang Village Development Committee (VDC), Shovakar Rijal.

Most of the local administrative bodies have become inactive due to Maoist dominance and have been unable to spend the development budget. The government started a basket fund programme but the programme failed due to security concerns and due to a lacking of timely release of the money, according to a DDC member.

The representatives participating in the council protested the government decision to cut off the development budget of VDCs. "We are left stranded lacking an appropriate budget" said a representative. "We are pressed between the Maoists and the carelessness of the government."

More than half of the local representatives have either fled or gone under-ground due to the Maoists’ insurgency in the last five years. Only half of the representatives were present at the council.

The council, originally scheduled for January, was postponed due to the state of emergency. But the DDC held it after three months because of continuous pressure from the local representatives who believed the council getting together could make them active.

Some representatives, like Nar Bahadur Oli of Pachhawada VDC sent letters saying that they couldn’t attend the council due to threats from the Maoists. The Maoists have destroyed VDC buildings in many places and forced representatives to resign in recent months.

Financial problems hit Parasi campus

By Narayan Sharma

NAWALPARASI, April 16:The only multiple college of Nawalparasi district is on the look out for an alternative source of income after the college has suffered heavily due to financial shortcomings.

Palhi Multiple Campus, established 12 years ago at Ramgram Municipality in Parasi, the headquarters of the district, has not been able to pay salaries to 11 professors since the last seven months.

The college continued its services as the understanding professors including three part-time employees, continued teaching despite salary problems.

The former campus Chief Yogendra Bhagat is serving sentence since the last five months after he was found guilty of misusing his authority in selling campus’ land to illegally earn about a million rupees. The authority has not yet recovered the misused money from Bhagat.

The campus, running faculties in the intermediate levels of Arts, Management and Education along with bachelor’s level in Arts has only about 100 students, according to Campus Chief Kailash Thakur.

An all-party discussion was held by locals to save the only campus serving 18 Village Development Committees (VDCs) and a municipality on Monday here. The meet decided on various issues to financially strengthen the established campus.

The meet decided to ask for a hundred rupees on each new passport issued. Besides, the meet also decided to ask the VDCs, municipality and local businessmen to donate more to the campus.

IT experts demand more investment

RSS

BIRATNAGAR, April 16:Registrar of Eastern Regional University Dr Krishna Prasad Sharma inaugurated a day-long information technology workshop on "Opportunities and Possibilities in Information Technology" organised by the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), Eastern Region Office here on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sharma pointed out the need for development of information technology for creation of employment opportunities in the country.

Working papers presented by six experts were discussed at the programme organised with the objective of familiarising the general public about the returns of the investment made in the information technology sector.

CAN, Eastern Region Vice-chairman Bijaya Shrestha presided the workshop which was a part of East Region Trade, Industry and Information Technology (IT) Fair being organised in Sahid Stadium in Biratnagar.

The fair, the first IT fair in the region, was inaugurated by Minister for Water Resources Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar on April 14.

The Trade, Industry and IT Fair has been organised with the objective of promoting and expanding trade and industry as well as IT in the eastern development region.

The fair, jointly organised by the Rilson-Nepal in collaboration with the Nepal Football Fan Club of Biratnagar, brings together computer enthusiasts and people involved in computer business in the region.

The trade fair also aims at bringing all people in cyber business under a single umbrella and spreading public awareness of computer technology.

Out of a total of 51 stalls at the exhibition, 35 are dedicated to IT, the computer sector and the latest cyber technology and computer products.

The exhibition runs through April 22.

Displaced families live under flood threat

By Pravakar Ghimire

BANDARJHULA, Chitwan, April 16:More than 336 encroachers’ families are living in temporary huts built on the banks of the Ambuwa River after they were displaced from Bandarjhula, an area that falls under the Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP).

More than a thousand families were displaced from Bandarjhula two months ago by security forces. They were living in the RCNP area since the last ten years.

While most of the displaced families either went to their previous house or found alternatives for themselves, about a quarter of them had no option than to live on the riverbank.

"We are living in huts in the middle of a barren bank," said Bhim Kumari Malla, showing her hut made with tall grasses. "I don’t know where we will go in the rainy season when the river starts flooding."

Some of the children of these families have started laboring rather than attending school. "We don’t have enough to eat, how can we study?" asked Man Bahadur Biswokarma. Biswokarma was studying in class four but left school after his family was displaced and started picking up stones on the river to earn.

"I go with 6 of my friends to pick pebbles," said Biswokarma. "More than half of my friends have dropped the school."

Some members of the displaced families work as house-servants. Shree Krishna Mahato said he started working in a house as a servant to earn a living for his four-member family.

The families blame political leaders for their misery. Politicians added to the problems by promising them lands during the election campaign. "The only concern of the families here is about the habitat," said Mahato. "Where will we go when the rainy season starts?"

An officer of RCNP claimed that the government should look after them. "Our work is to keep the park area safe," said the official. "It’s the government’s duty to provide them with an alternative place to live in, not ours." The locals fear destruction of the forest as the squatters are living around it.