Global Youths meet in city

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 26:Third Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) being observed in Nepal from 26 to 28 April is expected to be participated in by youths from nearly 150 countries.

GYSD is being celebrated in Nepal this year with the theme " Role and Responsibility of Peace Keeping and HIV-AIDS Presentation". A national seminar will be organized in the city and many constructive activities will be carried out in Bhaktpur, Kaski, Ilam, Dang, Kanchanpur and Kailali districts.

According to a press release issued here today from the Nepal Volunteers’ Association, the youths forum has been working towards the implementation of community services, AIDS control, healthy environment and in the fight against homelessness and hunger. GYSD was launched in the US in the year 2000 and is coordinated by Global Youth Action Network.

GYSD is a public education campaign that highlights the contributions made by youths the whole year to their community through voluntery services." The United Nations can never succeed alone and volunteers are the most valued partners and GYSD celebrates the efforts of the youngest of them," said United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in a message on the occasion of GYSD.

Steven A. Culberston, President and CEO of Youth Service America has said," With terrorism placed at the forefront of the global issue, young volunteers from different geographic, socio-economic, ethnic and religious background are organisiging service,projects,public awareness campaigns and forums that tackle some of the society’s most intractable problems while promoting dialogue and tolerance.

Nineteen district HQs deprived of telephone service

By Krishna Adhikary RSS

KATHMANDU, April 26:Nineteen district headquarters have no telephone connection right now as a result of damages caused to telephone towers and exchanges by the Maoist terrorists.

Over 5,000 telephone lines are reported to have been disrupted owing to the Maoist’s destructive activities targeting to destroy development infrastructures. It is after all the general people who are compelled to put up with inconveniences arising out of the lack of telephone services.

Telecommunication equipment amounting to several million rupees have been destroyed by the terrorists and revenue of about Rs. 20 million is lost every month, according to the Nepal Telecommunication Corporation (NTC).

At present, Solukhumbu, Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Dhading, Rasuwa, Palpa, Darchula, Baitadi, Lamjung, Arghakhanchi, Jumla, Dailekh, Achham, Gulmi, Bajura, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Kalikot and Rukum districts have remained isolated after telephone lines were destroyed in these districts.

According to NTC, telephone exchanges have come to a complete halt at Mangalsen (Achham), Bijuwar (Pyuthan), Sauraha (Chitwan), Lamki (Kailali), Rajapur (Bardiya) and Dailekh while telephone lines are out of order at Salleri, Namche, Diktel, Okhaldhunga, Gaighat, Dhading, Rasuwa and Tamghas due to a damage in spur links.

Although local telephone lines have been in operation in Rasuwa, Darchula, Baitadi, Jumla, Kalikot, Besisahar and Sandhikharka, they have been deprived from having a two-way communication with the people outside the district.

NTC has so far, suffered a loss of around Rs 300 million after Maoist rebels destroyed 83 microwave stations and telecommunication towers. NTC had 190 microwave stations and 600 marts stations.

Due to the Maoist’s assault, 1984 exchange lines, 467 marts lines and 2,451 VHF lines have been rendered useless as of February 22.

Repeater stations at Chitrestan (Udaypur), Dandapakhar (Sindhupalchowk), Neupane Chaur (Nuwakot), Mangalsen (Achham), Patale (Solu), Udipur (Lamjung), Bujumdanda and Resunga (Gulmi), Ghetma (Rukum), Sindure (Pyuthan), Kumpur (Dhading), Bhaisedanda (Taplejung), Runma, Bhalukharka and Ghodepani (Myagdi) and Simara and Methapla (Jumla) have been destroyed by the terrorists.

In addition, other stations at Bharlagna (Kalikot), Paledhar (Dadeldhura), Mirtauchatara (Bajura), Balshikhar (Dharchula), Kedar and Wantlekha (Bajhang), Deuralikhani (Baglung). Ratmata (Rolpa), Khandanda (Arghakhanchi), Chhimkeshwari (Tanahu), Sallabhir (Jajarkot), Charchale and Bhimgadha (Sindhuli), Saunepani (Salyan) and Kalapani (Kabhre) have also been destroyed by the Maoist terrorists.

"NTC is making efforts to provide telecommunication services at the district headquarters and other rural areas where telecommunication services have remained defunct via satellite as early as possible," NTC General Manager Raghuwar Lal Shrestha said.

"Though it seems to be a little bit costlier and requires some time, this is the only alternative right now," he added.

The continuous attack being made on such telecommunication infrastructures will definitely cause difficulty in the implementation of the government’s special rural telecommunication programme.

It is to be noted that the government had set a target of providing at least two telephone lines each to 3,913 VDCs in the country through V-SAT and W.LL. system by the end of FY 2062/63.

General Manager Shrestha is of the opinion that the government’s programme cannot be implemented in a full-fledged manner unless law and order situation improves in the country.

Nirmala Rai who is making a living by opening a retail outlet in Kathmandu is worried at not being able to make a contact and get information about their family members living in Salleri of Solukhumbu district.

The telephone lines disrupted after clashes took places between security personnel and the Moaist terrorists in Solukhumbu in the month of Mansir have not been repaired yet.

Sukman Gurung, 70, a resident of Lamjung Gaunda has no way out but to rush to Kathmandu to make a telephone call to his son who is working abroad.

"Telephones are essential services which the Maoists also need. I don’t understand why they are destroying such development infrastructures," he laments.

Destruction of telecommunication infrastructures have been increasing during the state of emergency.

Needless to say that the country has to make a huge investment in order to re-build such telecommunication infrastructure.

NTC requires a lot of time and investment to re-build the telephone exchanges destroyed by the Maoist terrorists, Rupak Haldar, Deputy General Manager looking after the maintenance department says.

"Currently, NTC is spending about Rs. 70 million a year for protection of its repeater stations and the expenses will undoubtedly increase in the days to come", he added.

Dr Shrestha passes away

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 26:Senior orthopedist and founder president of Matribhoomi Sevak Sangh and Hindu Vidhyapeeth, Dr Bihari Lal Shrestha, 61, passed away on Thursday, said a press release issued here today.

Dr Shrestha, who served as the chief of the Orthopedics Department at Bir Hospital, Patan Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on different occasions, passed away while undergoing treatment at Royal Free Hospital, London.

Late Shrestha was suffering from lever disease for the last seven years. Shrestha was honoured with various awards including the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu.

Mahottari hospital lacks resources to treat Kala-azar patients

By Rabindra Uprety

MAHOTTARI, April 26:Mahottari District Hospital in Jaleshwor, which has been treating kala-azar patients almost double its capacity, is having financial problem in providing food to the patients.

The hospital is soon running out of food stock, which has created fear among the health workers at the hospital that lack of food supply could even claim the lives of these patients.

The hospital is presently treating 50 patients of kala-azar, double its 25-bed capacity, and most of them are from the poor families who cannot even buy medicines, the hospital source said.

"We cannot reject the new patients, but the problem is the patients could loose resistance power if they are not provided enough food," said Dr. Ram Lakhan Shah, medical superintendent of the hospital.

Due to the lack of budget, the hospital has already stopped supplying regular diets like fruits, eggs and milk to its in-patients, Shah said. This diet provided by the hospital is just half the required diet.

And the hospital officials are worried what would happen to these patients when the hospital runs out of the stock.

Even the hospital has not received the allocated budget of Rs. 229,000 given to provide accommodation to the patients, according to Nir Bikram Karki, accountant of the hospital. "We have received Rs. 150,000 only and that too is about to be used."

Though the hospital has repeatedly asked the government to release the remaining amount, the latter is yet to respond, said Karki.

Almost 400,000 people of 72 Village Development Committees of the district are presently affected by the disease, which has been seen here for past eight years, according to Dr. Shah.

"If a serious campaign is  not launched in the district soon, the disease will have a terrible impact in the district in the years to come," Dr. Shah said. "All the NGOs, INGOs, politicians and the intellectuals should work jointly in combating the disease before the situation goes out of hand."

Lack of doctors affects post-mortem

Post Report

GORKHA, April 26:The dead body of Lilaman Pariyar, a resident of Narprang VDC - 1, has been lying in a hospital at the district headquarters since the last three days pending a post-mortem due to lack of doctors.

The hospital is without doctors and eighteen people waiting at the hospital to take delivery of the body are paranoid with a delay in the post-mortem of the body.

The district has a provision for six doctors but none of them are available in the district. Five doctors have not been present for years while Dr. Bikash Lamichhane deployed in the district has been absent from a month.

According to district health officer Maiya Ranjitkar, her office had informed the Ministry of Health and other regional health bodies about the lack of doctors and the corpse lying at the hospital. Retroactively, they directed the health office to take the body to the hospital in Damauli, headquarters of Tanahu district, but this was not possible due to the non-availability of an ambulance, she added.

Attempts to solve the problem of the decaying corpse was also taken seriously by the district health office, the local DDC and the police office, but they too were not successful to bring a doctor to the hospital.

The corpse of 64-year-old Pariyar was carried to the district headquarters at a distance that took 12 whole hours to travel.

Pariyar got sick after being kicked by Madan Pariyar in the stomach over a petty dispute. Pariyar was the member of a marriage procession of his kin that was heading from Dhawa of Gorkha district to Salyantar VDC of Dhading district. He died on the way to hospital at the district headquarters after he could not be treated at the local Arughat Health Post.

7 policemen injured in jeep accident

Post Report

HETAUDA, April 26:Seven policemen along with Sub-Inspector Dinesh Aryal sustained injuries in a jeep accident at Churaimai VDC on Birgunj-Hetauda road in Makwanpur district, 8 km south of Hetauda, today afternoon. Two critically injured policemen are airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment while the rest are undergoing treatment at Hetauda Hospital, said the sources at the police.

The jeep was carrying the patrolling police team to Hetauda bazaar from Churemai site. The cause behind the accident is attributed to the slippery road due to the heavy rainfall that occured in Hetauda from the early morning on Friday. Two seriously injured in the accident are Prem Balun and Surya Moktan.

Buddhiman Gurung, Rajendra Thapa, Nanda Kishore Mahato and the driver Kare Singh were also injured when the jeep of registration number Ba 1 Yan 1024 met the accident.

In another accident, two people sustained serious injuries when the bicycle with three people fell into Samari rivulet, near a bridge. The cyclists were heading from Bhainse to Hetauda.

The two injured - Bishal Gahatrah and Surendra Ghataki of Hetauda - in the accident are undergoing treatment at Hetauda Hospital.

Senior officers found absent in Lumbini Sugar Factory

RSS

NAWALPARASI, April 26:Sixty-eight employees including the General Manager and 16 senior officers of the state-owned Lumbini Sugar Factory Ltd. were found absent from the office since a very long time during a surprise check here today.

None of the senior officers including General Manager Biswa Bahadur Amatya were found in their office during a surprise check carried out by the District Administration Office at the factory located at Sunawal of Nawalparasi district.

The surprise check was carried out following an information received to the office that more than 500 employees of the factory were outside their office premises during the so-called Nepal bandh programme.

Work at the factory, the largest in the country, began smoothly after the Chief District Officer (CDO) Madhav Raj Adhikari gave assurances for departmental action against the employees obstructing work and remaining absent without any notice.

The factory employs around 1,200 employees.

Marriage at twelve is no surprise in Bhujel village

By Ekrak Pathak/Surya Chandra Basnet

TANAHUN, April 26: ‘Marriage only after 20’ is a popular slogan that comes through radio and television almost every day. However, the slogan is yet to be heard in the Bhujel village of Tanahun district.

It will be surprising to find an unmarried girl of 16 years in this remote and backward Bhujel village of Bandipur Village Development Committee (VDC).

The trend of liking and eloping begins after the girls reach 12 and a girl in this village is already a mother of two to three children by the time she reaches 16.

"Mine was an exceptional case", says Shanishara Bhujel who got married at 16. In our village it is very hard to find a girl who has not married even at 16, she adds.

Notwithstanding the risk to life of having births at an early age or the legal age for marriage, marrying very young and giving birth every year is a normal affair here.

Jureli Maya has already given birth for seven times but she looks to have just attained the age for marriage. Married at 12, Jureli gave births almost annually and then underwent family planning at 21. Only four daughters of Jureli are alive.

Looking back at her own experience, Jureli has decided not to allow her daughters pass through the same fate she had to undergo.

Girls and boys here choose their life partner by themselves and then elope. However, the parent welcome it and then accept them back home, says Sanumaya who was married at 13.

Marry young and bring up your children young is a traditional saying here that is still leaving its mark on this village, and when will it be able to free itself from this traditional culture is a question that seems to remain unanswered for many years from now.