NC all set to form broader democratic alliance: Koirala

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala said that "political vacuum" in the country has seriously hindered the process of ending terrorist attacks in the country.

"I have readied a framework for a broader democratic alliance of all political parties for filling this vacuum, which has so far come as a stumbling bloc in ending terrorism, to intensify economic development," Koirala said addressing the gathering of NC party workers in the capital.

The power of broader democratic alliance in the country according to Koirala would be swifter and more vigorous than the combined might of the Royal Nepal Army and police put together. "It would isolate the Maoists from the masses but the present morale of the political parties has fallen to its lowest level," he said.

Citing great NC leader late B.P. Koirala’s call for broader political unity and national reconciliation, Koirala said the King and democracy must be combined to speed up political, social and economic reforms.

"Our civil liberty has been suspended. To get it back, it is imperative that all political parties unite together," Koirala said.

Speaking on the occasion, Arjun Narsingh KC said the state of emergency in the country has greatly affected the lives in rural Nepal. "No villagers are willing to leave district headquarters and resume normal works due to the adverse situation created by the state emergency." He urged the government to bring to an end such a panicky situation in the country as soon as possible.

He said the CPN-UML and the ML are already in a process to form an alliance taking stock of the current situation and the NC is closely following the development.

"NC will stick to reinforcing Koirala’s 14-point-programme towards realising this objective and seeks early end to current crisis."

The NC is all set to form an all-party committee in every district to form an alliance with a view to ending uncertainty prevailing in the country.

Prominent NC leaders Ram Babu Prasai, Nar Hari Acharya, Tirtha Ram Dangol also expressed their views on the occasion.

KMC slaps fine for littering

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office (KMC) today slapped fines on ten persons and two restaurants for not following the orders to maintain cleanliness in the city.

The fine ranges from Rs 101 to 4000 depending on the volume of dirt that was dumped outside.

According to a press release from the KMC, it would take stern action against the people, who would throw household trash in the streets and make the city dirty. " Besides, the office will not leave the persons who hang hoarding boards and banners and paste posters in the city area, the release said.

The KMC has been issuing public notice time and again pleading the metropolitans not to throw wastes wherever they like. The office has also been issuing public notice asking the public not to hang hoarding boards, banners and pastes posters making the city’s look ugly.

Year 2002 to focus on mountain development

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - Nepal, a country with the highest mountain of the world Sagarmatha and other eight higher peaks (over 8000m) amidst the fourteen snow-capped mountains of the world, is observing the International Year of Mountains with the start of the Year 2002.

Around eighty percent people dwell in the hilly areas of the country and in this connection managing fragile ecosystem with sustainable mountain development is very much applicable this year.

The 53rd General Convention of the United Nations which was acclaimed in 1998 had declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains. Tourism industry is to have an eminent influence on this year while Nepal is also observing Destination Nepal 2002 with a view to developing tourism.

Minister of Forest and Soil Coservation Gopal Man Shrestha, who is also the co-ordinator of the International Year of Mountains said that 2002 is also the golden jubilee year of the Department of Forest which is the oldest and largest Department of the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation. He said, "Now is the time to plan for sustainable development of the hilly areas and the people there." Minister Shrestha was addressing a programme organised on the occasion of International Year of Mountains, 2002.

"Management of forest in the hilly areas, mobilisation of community forest development programmes and continuity in achieving forest products are the likely factors to be developed this year," he said. He said," This year is important for the inter-relationship system between the community forest and mountainous environment."

The Secretariat of the International Year of Mountains,2002, is set up at Babarmahal, Kathmandu. Different programmes have been planned to celebrate this year. The Daman Mountainous Botanical Garden was opened on Wednesday.

State Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Surendra Hamal said, "The development of Nepal means the development of the hilly areas.," adding " The Chure and Siwalic regions are being planned for forest development."

Director of Forest Department Divya Dev Bhatta, member secretary of National Co-ordination Committee and chiefs of different donor organisations also expressed their views at the programme.

Tinkune garden to be temporary

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - The 11th SAARC Summit is two days away and government officers are still planning to "grow grass" in the Tinkune area that was acquired by the government following the Cabinet decision a month ago.

The officials say that the garden being designed by Renchin Yonjan will cost Rs two million which will be possibly demolished after the SAARC Summit.

However, "the plants could be re-located and re-planted. Even if the government changes their idea about the park, we can shift already planted trees and other plants," Yonjan said.

"We are making a semi-permanent garden here in Tinkune," said Bhupendra Bhatta, the engineer at the Department of Roads. The government has planned to place the Buddha’s statue inside the garden," he said.

Yonjan said that the garden would have symbolic representations of topographic features of all the SAARC member countries.

Started with the theme of Mountains to Ocean, the park will be designed to depict the topographical feature of South Asian countries. "The central hump will represent high mountains of Nepal while others represent low lands of Bangladesh and island countries like Sri Lanka. Artificial rivers and oceans will also be made," said Renchin Yonjan.

She said that the park would be made in spiral shape, being inspired by Buddhist philosophy. At the airport corner, there are plants of three colours — red, yellow and green. At the Koteswor corner, there are green plants. In the Baneswor corner, there are colourful flowerbeds with Namaste pattern asking the delegates to visit Nepal again.

She claimed that sixty percent of the work has been complete and beautification part like planting dubo grass is left."

There are various kinds of plants such as palm trees, white bird of paradise, phoenix, bamboo trees, pine trees and ten other varieties of medicinal plants have already been planted.

Bhatta said after the Cabinet meeting on December 3, the Kathmandu Municipal Corporation decided to acquire eyesore structures and land in the capital as part of the preparations for the 11th SAARC Summit to make gardens in Tinkune and Maitighar.

"We are looking for private parties who prefer to sponsor parts of the garden. Till then DOR will take responsibility," Bhatta said.

Tundikhel cleaned up once again

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KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - The Kathmandu Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Explore Nepal Private Limited today jointly organised a Tundhikhel clean-up campaign for the second time in a week along with the Consumers’ Service Centre (CSC).

Speaking with journalists, KMC’s Environment Department Chief Shanta Ram Pokhrel said that KMC had a plan to close Tundikhel for one week during the SAARC programme.

"This is the second time in a week, we are organising this cleaning programme," adding "Though there are some changes, still there are lots of mess around."

He said, "SAARC is near, so we are planning to stop the public from entering Tundikhel for
one week."

Pokhrel said that KMC always thought of keeping Tundikhel clean by arranging dustbins inside it. But due to the fear of theft of dustbins, KMC planned to clean the area once a week rather than keeping dustbins.

He remarked, " Steel dustbins inside Tundikhel can help to keep it clean but theft is one of the serious problems."

A grand success forever

After edging to the abyss in recent days, relations between regional arch rivals, India and Pakistan, are again inching back to normal with the dawn of a new year.

Soon after an Islamic militant leader was arrested by Pakistan on Sunday, Indian Minister for External Affairs Jaswant Singh remarked that if true, then it was a positive step. A day later, most Indian newspapers printed blaring headlines about the possibility of a India-Pakistan bilateral meeting in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the 11th SAARC summit.

Any step that goes in cooling the super tense relations between the nuclear-armed rivals can only be a welcome step. But if the bilateral meeting does materialize here in Kathmandu, then it could also have a less desirable effect: such a meeting is certain to upstage the SAARC summit itself.

The vagaries of India-Pakistan relations have always overshadowed SAARC since the very beginning in 1985 when the grouping was formally launched. Most mention SAARC gets in the international media outside of the region centres around relations between the two rivals.

In Kathmandu this week, it could be again be the same story since Indo-Pak ties at the moment is at its lowest in years. The current situation also highlights why SAARC hasn’t been able to make much progress despite 15 years in existence.

The time may have come for other SAARC members to search for a solution to the impasse. Since room for third party mediation in the conflict is practically nil given India’s long-standing opposition to such mediations, the five remaining members of SAARC should demand both India and Pakistan to either put up with the SAARC process or bow out of it. There is no reason why trouble between the two hold others hostage, and that too for an indefinite period.

But then, a question arises: how can a grouping for co-operation in South Asia function without the two most
powerful South Asian nations? The question gains more urgency if one were to concern the population of India and Pakistan: the two nations account for more than 75 per cent of the region’s 1.6 billion people.

Besides, if SAARC is ever to be a success, then it can only be achieved through economic prosperity. And that requires free trade and huge markets, which in turn asks for the biggest market of them all: India. Under such a scenario, asking India and Pakistan to bow out of SAARC would seem to be incomprehensible, even suicidal.

So what could be the solution? Some lessons can be learned from the experience of the European Union. When the idea was first espoused by European statesmen, EU was originally meant to be a political grouping. Its aim was simple but extremely important: to ensure that a democratic Germany forever remained integrated with other European nations to minimise the chances of another European war.

Almost half a century later as the EU has evolved from an idea into a common market and now to a common currency, the goal is
still political. Of course European leaders were smart enough to realise that only through
strong economic integration could the aim of a political union be achieved.

Something of the sort could be planned at the SAARC level. Not that economics and trade ideas haven’t been tried. SAPTA and SAFTA, the clearest application of those ideas, however, haven’t materialised because of Indo-Pak tension. And agreements on everything else the seven nations have signed up to – from poverty alleviation to empowering women to controlling terrorism – all are facing the same fate.

The learned men and women of South Asia all know why this is so. At the heart of the troubles lie Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan. Until this festering sore is resolved, prospects of improved bilateral ties, and SAARC’s success, is practically non-existent.

But history offers some
hope. The history of conflicts world-wide shows that the conflicting parties will sooner or later tire out with the bloodshed. The Madrid Peace Talks 10 years ago which started the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, is a case in point.

Until both India and Pakistan tire out, SAARC will have to wait to take off. Till then, all the SAARC summits will be a grand success, but SAARC itself will continue to languish.

Rukum youths flee home to escape conflict

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NEPALGUNJ, Jan 2 - A large number of youths have left their homes in Rukum district to the plains of Nepalgunj not wanting to be caught in the cross-fire between the RNA men and the Maoist rebels.

Rukum is a Maoist hot-bed, and ever since the declaration of emergency, the security presence here has been very high. But as yet, no major encounter between the security forces and the rebels has ensued in the last month or so.

But that has not stopped the people of Rukum, mostly youth, from leaving their villages. "I fled my home and arrived here (Nepalgunj) fearing impending army operations," says student Krishna Man Khatri of Machhini village (Khalanga VDC-5). He says now he will continue with his studies in Nepalgunj.

Khatri’s Rukum is tense, and it is not easy there to sift the rumour from the fact. Like the talk that the rebels in retaliation to the army presence had planted landmines on all the major trails of the
district. When this news spread, a large number of young Rukumis made their way to Nepalgunj, leaving the women and children behind. The security forces in Rukum too have been wary of the landmine threat.

More Rukum young men and women left their homes and families after the rebels in a mass meeting announced ‘war’ against the security forces. The meeting was held last week at Chhinag Chautara, about 5 kilometres from the district headquarters of Musikot.

RNA soldiers have been stationed at six of "the most sensitive areas" of the district while the Nepal Police is providing security in the district headquarters.

85 PC women suffering from disease

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SIRAHA, Jan 2 - Eighty percent of the women living in the Village Development Committees adjoining the southern Indian border have been found suffering from gynecological and venereal diseases.

According to doctors taking part in the gynecological and venereal diseases camp organised by the Save The Children, US, Lahan at Bhagwanpur Ilaka Health Post, about 400 women from Bhagwanpur, Itarwa, Nahara Rigole, Bhagwatipur, Tamasuiya, Sothichahan, Mahadeva, Portaha, Sakhuwa, Nankarkatti, Inaurwa and the VDCs linked with saptari district have benefitted from the health camp.

Anjana Sharma, Dr. Garmi K.C., Bhagwanpur Ilaka Health Post incharge Kameswore Yadav, health post coordinator Ram Prasad Biswokarma and Health Assistant Laxman Mandal had provided medical services to the women visiting the health camp.

Man beaten up for marrying upper caste girl

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BHOJPUR, Jan 2 - Saran Pariyar, a local from Ranibash Village Development Committee (VDC) was beaten brutally for no faults by him but marrying his beloved. The bridegroom was beaten by five men led by his own father-in -law.

The root cause of the conflict was that the groom was from so-called upper class and the newly married couple had to leave the village forcefully. However, they were committed to live together even after the inhumane beating.

Babu Kaji Rai, father of the girl, physically assaulted the bridegroom’s family members while threatening to release his daughter.

The victim party said they couldn’t tolerate such suppression exerted by their own one time close neighbours and went to the Chief District Office (CDO) to seek justice.

Chief District Officer Raj Kumar Dhakal said, the couple are legally unfit to be get married on the basis of the age.

Sher Bahadur Pariyar said they can’t return to the village because the Rais have threatened them to kill their whole family.

Kamaiyas deprived of food, shelter

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GULARIYA , Bardiya, Jan 2 - Deprived of food and shelter, the liberated Kamaiyas (former bonded labourers) have started crowding at the Land Registration Office here. Although the government has given them housing land, food grains have not been made available since they are expected to cultivate crops on their given land.

The Kamaiyas in the five Terai districts of mid and far-western regions were officially liberated from the age-old bonded labour system after much pressure from different walks of life.

60-year-old Chuliya Tharuni said the government provided her family a piece of land when they were freed one-and-half-years ago but no food was granted to them. She says now there is no way out but to press the government office for food and shelter.

Another Kamaiya, Jeevan Tharu from Dhadhwar VDC-8 said they would have found food more easily accessible if they were assigned public works.

The food allocated for the former Kamaiyas under the Food for Work Programme (FWP) was stopped for an unspecified reason. Around 900 former Kamaiya families in Dhadhawar and Sorahawa VDCs of the district, rehabilitated by the government, are still waiting for the FWP food dole.

When asked why the food grains could not be distributed to the former Kamaiyas under the stated scheme, officiating Secretary of the DDC, Ganga Prasad Ulak, said it was delayed because they were too busy distributing land to the liberated families.

Sources at the District Development Committee revealed that only 35 metric tonnes of foodstuff has been distributed to the targeted people out of the total 600 metric tonnes to be handled by the DDC.

Secretary Ulak said it was
upto the DDC to first decide on the FWP, which has to be later approved by the Local Development Ministry.

Official statistics show that 2,691 liberated Kamaiya families still don’t have access to food or shelter, while 6,949 families possess around two katthas of land each.