Dialogue only way out of crisis: PM

Post Report

LALITPUR, Dec 29:Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand today said that dialogue is the only way out to resolve the problems facing the country.

"The only way out of the present crisis is dialogue," PM Chand said, while speaking at a programme organised to pay tributes to His Late Majesty King Birendra, at the life-size statue of the late king at Jawalakhel. "His Majesty’s Government has the clear policy of resolving the crises through dialogue."

Speaking on the occasion, PM Chand also said the government is ready to make public the condition of the Maoists, held in different prisons around the country. However, for that, he asked the Maoist side to reciprocate by initiating a positive step.

"Nobody will be kept in prison except in the case of those who have been found guilty, but the other side should also have to make positive efforts." he said.

"The common problem of the country is the deteriorating law and order situation. The government alone and a single party cannot resolve the present problem and this is the time to devote for the welfare of the country, by giving up petty political interests by every individual and political party."

The programme was jointly organised by Lalitpur Sub Metropolitan City and His Late Majesty King Birendra Peace Academy. Sunday marked the 58th birth anniversary of His Late Majesty King Birendra.

If all the political parties, civil society and intellectuals are serious enough to resolve the present situation of the country, Prime Minister Chand said, that would be the true tribute to the propounder of the zone of peace, His Late Majesty King Birendra.

Recalling Late King Birendra’s remarkable contributions for peace, constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy in the country, he said the late king was an inspiring figure for the Nepalis.

The series of murders and violence acts rocking the country for the last seven years, has not only adversely affected the consolidation of democracy, but also the rights of Nepali people and the development infrastructure have been destroyed, he said.

Trying to fulfill political ambition through murder and violence is not acceptable to any civilised society. Such heinous activities neither safeguards the rights of the people nor consolidates democracy, he added.

Also present at the function were Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhyaya, Speaker Tara Nath Ranabhat, Chairman of the National Assembly Mohammad Mohasin and Chairman of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee Dr Keshar Jung Rayamajhi.

They also paid floral tributes to the life-size statue of His Late Majesty King Birendra.

Four family members killed in bomb blast

By KP Ghimire

SATBARIYA, Dang, Dec 29:Four people of a single family died and another one sustained serious injury when a powerful hand grenade, pelted by an unidentified person, went off inside their house here on Saturday evening, according to police.

Police suspect that it was handiwork of Maoist rebels. But the Maoists have not owned the responsibility over the bombing so far.

Two people, including a two-year-old girl-child, died instantly and two others breathed their last on the way to hospital. The hand grenade had exploded inside the kitchen of the house belonging to Khim Bahadur Budhathoki at Kaptangunj Village of Satbariya Village Development Committee (VDC) at about 8 p.m.

They were sitting around the fire in the kitchen when someone threw the grenade from outside, said police inspector Prem Kumar Basnet at the Lamahi-base police station, which is located about eight kilometres east of the site of the incident.

Those killed in the explosion have been identified as Khim Bahadur Budhathoki’s two-year-old granddaughter Sakhi Budhathoki, his wife Shanta, son Susil and elder brother Jeevraj Budhathoki, a teacher at a local high school in Dharna.

Inspector Basnet said that Shanta and Susil breathed their last while undergoing treatment in Nepalgunj and Lamahi respectively. However, carpenter Khim Bahadur who also sustained serious injury in the blast is undergoing treatment at the Nepalgunj Medical College.

Chitralal Batha, a guest of the Budhathokis, who was the eyewitness of the incident, told The Kathmandu Post that the unidentified person had pelted the powerful hand-grenade from western side of the house.

Jeevraj Budhathoki, Khim Bahadur’s elder brother had just arrived there on Saturday morning in the course of meeting his son in Nepalgunj. The explosion has made a pothole in the kitchen.

Police said the last rites of Khim Bahadur’s family members - wife Shanta, his son Susil and his granddaughter Sakhi - would be carried out on the banks of the Rapti River near their village. The teacher’s body has been taken to his home village Gurgai in Saudiyar VDC for the last rites.

Scam alleged in bridge contract

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KATHMANDU, Dec 29:Evidences suggest that the job of awarding contract for the construction of suspension bridge over Dodhara Chandani in Kanchanpur district, had been fraught with procedural irregularities. The total project cost stands at Rs 100 million.

"Construction firms like Hirachan and Pratistha Construction were informed beforehand of the estimated cost. And that did the trick," highly placed sources in the Ministry of Local Development told The Kathmandu Post.

Yet another anomaly is that the government will have to bear financial burden to the tune of 40 percent of the project cost, since there has not been competitive bidding to the tune required.

Throwing to wind all obligations under the governing Financial Administration Regulations (FAR)- 1998, the authorities had also enlisted three parties as pre-qualified, although they had no prior experience.

Moreover, the departmental secretary intervened in the job, which falls under the jurisdiction of the concerned departmental head. Clause 65 of the FAR states that the task of awarding contract figuring less than Rs 100 million, must be done by the departmental head.

In this case, the selection committee headed by the Joint Secretary did the selection. "The committee does not have the required authority," sources claim.

They also point out that the selection criterion was not made public beforehand. "Since parties with prior experience were not pre-qualified, they ought to have invited more entries. That did not happen," said a source.

The selection committee, headed by a Joint Secretary, comprised of director general, divisional engineer, chief accounts officer, legal officer and the project chief.

However, the then secretary, Uday Raj Soti, said that the tender was approved on the recommendation of the committee, that had a majority of technical people.

"A Joint Secretary of the ministry was required to head the committee. That’s what happened," he told The Kathmandu Post, dismissing allegations of irregularities.

However, clause 187 of FAR states that "as far as possible a first class officer with technical knowledge should head the committee." Sub-clause 2 of the same rule states that the committee should be formed by the department and not by the ministry.

Chief of the selection committee and Joint Secretary Hari Prasad Rimal said that he had headed the committee, on the request from the outgoing secretary.

"FAR does not state that a non-technical person cannot head the committee," he said, adding, "Pre-qualification was done on the basis of the bidders’ category, experience and transaction volume."

Former Director General of the Department of Roads, Niranjan Chalise, has been accused of approving Rs.70 thousand as monthly transportation expenses to the contractor, although the vehicle which technically is to be used by the contractor, is being used by him in Kathmandu.

The 1.5 metre wide and 1,450 metre long suspension bridge is expected to benefit 50 thousand residents of Dodhara and Chandni Village Development Committees VDC). Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads (DOLIDAR) initiated the tender process a year ago.

Indian police arrest three Nepali Maoists

AFP

Kolkata, Dec 29:Three Maoist rebels from Nepal, including a radical student leader, were arrested in India where they planned to meet with other far-left guerrillas, police said Sunday.

The three men were arrested late Saturday at a bus station in Siliguri, about 600 kilometres north of Kolkata near the hill resort of Darjeeling, said additional police superintendent Rajeev Mishra.

He said one of the men was Tika Pokhrel, a senior leader in the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union-Revolutionary, which shut down Kathmandu schools for two weeks this month with a strike to demand lower tuition.

Mishra identified the other two men as Sunil Kumar Rajbanshi and Krishna Limbo. He said the three men were headed to India’s most impoverished and caste-polarized state, Bihar.

"They entered through the hills of Darjeeling and reached Siliguri to take a bus to Bihar’s capital Patna where they would attend a meeting to be held by the People’s War Group and the Maoist Communist Center," he said. The two Indian groups have been fighting for decades against rural landlords and the police.

In Nepal, the Maoists have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, in an insurgency that has left dead nearly 7,800 people, according to army figures.

Nepalese officials have said the Maoists have close links with their ideological kin south of the border, from where they are supplied arms.

Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said on a visit to Bihar last week that military forces were being strengthened on the border with Nepal.

New IGP promises transparency

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KATHMANDU, Dec 29:The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shyam Bhakta Thapa is a veteran in facing up to tough challenges in his career.

As the leader of around 46,000 police personnel, he has taken up the responsibility of his high office, during a time when the Maoists have called a two-day Narayani and Bagmati zone strike. Added to this, is the everyday bomb blasts in the capital.

The outgoing IGP Pradeep Shumsher JBR today, formally handed over charge to Shyam Bhakta Thapa at a function here, by pinning the IGP insignia on his lapel.

On the occasion Thapa, in accordance with tradition, promoted Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rajendra Bahadur Singh to the post of Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP). Government’s decision of promoting Singh as AIGP makes it certain that he will be appointed as IGP after four years.

Speaking at the special instruction ceremony held at Police Headquarters, Thapa said that he would strive to form the Police Service Commission, so that promotion and appointment of police officials are conducted in an impartial manner.

Thapa said that he would formulate a transparent policy within the police organisation. "None of the officials will be discriminated, while being chosen to be sent for UN peace mission," he assured the officials present at the function.

Thapa also said that he would stress on re-locating the Area Police Offices and other police offices out of the headquarters, which were withdrawn for fear of Maoist rebels during his tenure. Except in a few hilly districts, the presence of Police Offices is limited only in the district headquarters. "To re-install the police officials displaced from various villages, it is necessary to train and provide them with arms and ammunitions," Thapa added.

Priests act spoilsport in worldly matters

By Bikash Sangraula

KATHMANDU, Dec 29:Development efforts undertaken by Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) have come to a standstill, as tradition is once again threatening to put a spike in the wheels of the chariot of progress.

Mul Bhatta (chief priest) ‘in collusion with other priests’ at the richly endowed temple, have turned down PADT’s requests, for routing the hefty donations that they receive, for pursuit of development activities.

It has been seven years since PADT formulated a set of regulations that make it mandatory for the priests to disclose the financial offerings at the temple.

"That puts us in the dark regarding as to the amount of revenues being collected through such donations at the temple. The development of Pashupati area has suffered seriously due to this resistance," a PADT source said.

In 1986, PADT was established through an ordinance, and was headed by late queen Aishworya. Presently, King Gyanendra and Queen Komal are patrons of the trust.

In 1996, a 10-year plan was proposed by PADT to address the development needs of the area. The highly ambitious project with an initial estimate of Rs 2 billion suffered early setbacks, as the proposal itself took three long years to get the required approval from the government. Operational since last year, it has already started showing signs of acute illness.

According to the initial estimates, out of this Rs 2 billion, 39 percent (791.7 million), 23 percent (466.9 million), 33 percent (669.9 million) and five percent (101.5 million) were to be contributed by His Majesty’s Government, PADT, international aid and miscellaneous sources respectively.

So far, the government has disbursed Rs 160 millions, which was utilised to pay compensation for the owners of the houses around Pashupatinath, that were demolished last year.

Another 97.5 million is soon to come for acquisition of land and houses, west of the Bagmati River.

According to PADT sources, the magnitude of the project is such that lack of cooperation from any of the quarters can be fatal for the entire project. A year before the master plan was approved, PADT declared a set of procedural regulations, that among other things, formulated provisions to channel the donations to development activities.

According to Bhola Sitaula of PADT, initially the regulations proposed that 40 percent of the donations be provided to PADT, to assist in its development efforts. As Mul Bhatta turned a deaf ear to this provision, it was reduced to 25 percent. Unfortunately, that too did not work. Instead of cooperating, a case was filed against PADT in the Supreme Court.

According to Basanta Kumar Chowdhary, member-secretary of the trust, pujas worth Rs 500 to Rs 1.1 million are performed at the temple. "However, the amount of yearly revenues provided to PADT has been far from satsifactory," said Chowdhary.

Chowdhary disclosed that there are about one billion Hindus in the world. Of this, about 10 percent undertake organised pilgrimages every year. The tremendous popularity of Pashupatinath makes religious tourism a very profitable prospect in Nepal. Chowdhary remarked that tapping mere one percent of this group of religious tourists would work like a tonic for an ailing tourism sector.

Absence of financial transparency in the affairs of Pashupatinath has remained a contentious issue. According to PADT sources, religious donations in world famous pilgrimage sites like Tirupati and Vaishnodevi in India, have been utilised so effectively, that several universities and hospitals have been established through it. "There is no reason why Pashupatinath temple should be an exception," added the source.

A peep at the previous years figures lends credence to the argument. PADT received Rs 195,000, Rs 187,000, Rs 173, 000 and Rs 1.1 million during 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 respectively. The drastic jump in 2001 was largely due to a single donation of Rs one million. Barring this, the figures show a downward spiral in revenues. Devotees opine that the revenues could increase considerably if the donations are utilised for development activities. Many pilgrims are reluctant to give donations as they are unsure where the money goes. If the present rate of revenues show no upward rise, it would take PADT an astounding 4000 years to collect the stipulated Rs 466.9 million!

As it is, the delay has shot up the project cost by a billion rupees. And if things continue the way they are, the project may very well end up in a monumental failure, experts point out.

Maoist called bandh passes off peacefully

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 29:Day one of the two-day general strike called by the Maoists in Bagmati and Narayani zones passed off peacefully, although vehicular traffic remained very thin in the capital today.

The fact that no untoward incident took place in the capital, came as a sigh of relief, since the rebels had set off explosions in the run-up to the two-day bandh.

Police claimed that the second day of the bandh tomorrow too, is expected to be free from any violent incident, as adequate security measures have been put in place.

Police teams have been stationed every 200 metres, to avert any untoward incident in the capital. However, shops along the main thoroughfares remained closed, along with educational institutions.

Reports coming from Makwanpur said shops remained closed on the first day of the bandh called by sister organisations of the Maoist outfits. Except for some cycle rickshaws, the roads wore a deserted look in the town, known for its busy round-the-clock vehicular traffic. Industrial units in Hetauda Industrial Estate and at other areas remained closed.

The bandh called by the rebel outfit has adversely affected the women entrepreneurs’ exhibition in Hetauda. The exhibition will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, organisers said.

Meanwhile, security sources said they have arrested nearly 397 suspected Maoists from various parts of Makwanpur district, since the imposition of the state of emergency. However only 44 suspected Maoists are still in detention.

Reports coming in from Parsa and Bara said shops remained closed along the main thoroughfares. While both long and short distance vehicles remained off the streets, cycle rickshaws could be seen plying in the streets. The neighbouring town of Birgunj did not see any unpleasant incident taking place.

District administration in Mahottari imposed night-time curfew for an indefinite period on Sunday. The decision was taken at the end of the meeting of the district security committee, in view of the unfolding security threats. This is the first time when the district headquarters of Jaleswore came under the curfew, after the imposition of the state of emergency and in the subsequent phase.

Maoist rebels had set off explosions in the town on Saturday evening, with a view to send a message of commencement of the two-day bandh.