Earthquake Safety Day observed

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LALITPUR, Jan 15: For the first time in Nepal, Earthquake Safety Day was observed with a ceremonial meeting and inauguration of earthquake safety exhibition at the Jawalakhel playground in Lalitpur. The theme of the day was "Making Nepal Earthquake Resilient by 2020".

The significance of the day lies deep within the facts and figures of earthquake that shook Nepal in 1935 causing over 8,000 deaths. According to the research and reports on National Disasters in Nepal conducted by scientists, a major earthquake will hit the country within the next few years.

Speaking on the occasion, resident representative of UNDP, Dr Henning Karcher said, "If a similar earthquake were to happen tomorrow, 40,000 people would die and 95,000 would be injured, 60 percent of houses would be destroyed, leaving 600,000 to 900,000 residents homeless."

The emergence of the Earthquake Safety Day is important in Nepal wherein the lethality of the buildings in Kathmandu is considered extremely high and evaluation of the fire- fighting, medical care and general preparedness reveal serious problems in the current response capability.

However, says Bhakta Bahadur Balayar, State Minister of Science and Technology, "We may not be able to stop natural disasters like the earthquake but we can make-up a lot in our attempt to prevent it." It was also said during the programme that the Ministry of Health with the assistance of WHO has been working for the national health sector in connection with disaster preparedness.

The day was observed with the participation of members of the National Committee for the Earthquake Safety Day, members of the Lalitpur municipality, scout, police , students and others.

The programme was jointly organised by the Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City and the National Society for Earthquake Technology.

Landless people’s problem discussed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15: The problem of landless people and squatters were thoroughly discussed at the workshop on Issues of Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement organized here today.

Speaking at an inaugural function of the workshop, chief guest, State Minister for Water Resources, Narayan Sharma Paudel said that the problem of those who are dislocated from the land should be properly addressed.

"The development should be environmentally and socially sustainable," said Paudel. "This kind of workshop is necessary to discuss the legal and institutional framework," Sharma said.

Speaking at the function, Dr. Richard Vokes Country Director of Asia Development Bank stressed the need of transparency in the policies adopted to uplift the landless. "The policies which are adopted should aim at reducing the problem of the landless not to aggravate them," said Vokes.

Vokes said transparency is indispensible part of the project. "Without transparency, the project will not bear fruits," said Vokes.

Also present at the function were secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources, Lok Man Singh Karki and executive secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, Keshav Bahadur Chand.

Samyak Mahadan concludes

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15: Hundreds of Buddhist devotees thronged to Swayambhu, Bhuikhel to see Dipankar Buddha also called Aadi Buddha back to the original place on the final day of Samyak Mahadan.

Dipankar Buddha was brought from its Dyochhen, Kilagal. Earlier, 88 deities had bid farewell to Dipankar Buddha before returning to their original place.

After the idol of Dipankar Buddha of Samyak Mahadan was brought and placed to its original place, Harati Mata was brought to Bhuikhel amidst traditional music. Today is the day of women because in today’s jatra (procession), mainly women participate. This jatra of Harati Mata is called women Samyak.

Prior to this celebration, nine years ago, three guthis of Itumbahal, Laganbahal and Otubahal have organised Samyak Mahadan in which late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev had offered prayer.

Though the festival is celebrated every twelve years, this year’s festival is historical because this is the first time in fifty years that the celebration was organised in personal expenditure by sixty-eight-year old Ram Kumari Manandhar.

To organise Samyak Mahadan in every twelve years, three guthis are assigned, that have come on celebrating the festival in every twelve years. "During the reign of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, he had provided enough lands for these three guthis to organise and preserve this festival," says Jagadish Manandhar, member secretary of the Samyak Mahadan Main Organising Committee.

According to Asha Ram Shakya, Buddhist scholar, the festival is celebrated to be free from worldly greed. "Therefore, the danpati (organiser or donor) has to donate with free heart," says Shakya.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post danpati Manandhar said, "I am happy that the ceremony has come to an end successfully and hope the objectives of organising the festival will be fulfilled."

Govt help for ‘war zone’ victims sought

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KATHMANDU, Jan 15: Human rights activists, media personnel and civilians urged the government to allow them to go and rescue the children and women of the war zone here today.

Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Rajendra Kharel pledges commitments to help the innocent victims —women and children of the war zone. He further said that he would convince the government to be more responsible towards this problem.

Speaking on the occasion, Shova Gautam, President of the Institute of Human Rights Communication (IHRICON) said that even before the State of Emergency women and children used to be the victims of the ‘evil society’. "Especially marginalised women and children from the far-flung areas are more prone to this violation than from cities," she added.

Addressing the programme, Gopal Krishna Sivakoti, executive director of International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development (INHURED) said the Child Rights Convention mentions that the children should not be used as a solider for war but it is seen that innocent children are being killed in the name of the State of Emergency.

The government should treat the prisoners of war decently and confidentially, Sivakoti said.

Various speakers at the programme demanded with the government that the government should allow human rights activists and media personnel to go in the real field to collect the actual happenings. The government also should allow to publish the facts and not only rely on the releases of the Defence Ministry.

The public hearing was organised by the Institute of Human Rights Communication. (IHRICON).

Sloppy urban planning or insurance money behind fires ?

Fire broke out twice this week in the city, one in Koteshwore and the other in the crowded area of Bhotebahal. There are two stories behind the ravaging fires that occur in the city.

One is of course that of sloppy urban planning with its congested roads, and lack of precautionary infrastructure. The other, though unverified, is the dubious one of insurance claims.

Talk about the latter has always made the rounds every time a fire breaks out at the city’s numerous carpet and garment factories. Many a neighbourhood of the carpet and garment factories are rife with talk that these factories invariably catches fire at least once a year. Neighbours claim that this is the handiwork of the factory owners who are eyeing the insurance money.

Fire-fighting is an exasperating job for the firemen in a city known for its congested alleys. Getting to the scene of the fire is an arduous task. And some of the godowns are located along such narrow lanes and in crowded neighbourhoods. The city authorities only know this too well, but still allow unplanned constructions. Towering buildings have come up in the heart of the city, but their fire prevention mechanism leaves much to be desired.

Of course fires can take place anywhere, anytime, and even with all fireproof measures in place. It may sometimes be caused by human follies or recklessness, or at others by forces of nature.
t can occur in a town and it can occur in a village, only the reasons might vary.

An inferno lashed through the interior of a carpet godown in downtown Kathmandu Sunday afternoon, gutting hand-made carpets and property worth 25 million rupees. The blaze started around 2:30 p.m. and continued for three hours before it was put off by the fire-fighters and security personnel.

The cause of the huge fire in the godown of Ananda International Oriental Decoration, Bhotebahal, however, is still not known, but preliminary speculations suggest that a short circuit could have triggered it.

The neighbours of the godown raised an alarm at about 2:40 p.m.-some 10 minutes after the fire actually erupted. And when the fire-fighters reached the scene, everything was up in flames and thick smoke.

The situation was so horrible that nobody could decide immediately how to go about fighting the blaze. The Royal Nepal Army men then decided to demolish the doors and walls of the building to get in.

More than 500 security personnel, belonging to the Royal Nepal Army, the Armed Police Force and the Nepal Police, were mobilized at the site to help the firemen. A dozen fire engines were rushed to the site from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The nearby Morning Glory High School was also partly damaged by the excessive heat emanating from the godown. The school has suffered a loss of property worth around one million rupees. The teachers still don’t seem to believe that a closed warehouse could catch fire that way without some foul play involved.

In my life as a reporter and a civilian, I had never seen such a deadly blaze, which consumed an entire building beyond recognition. Old-timers say never before was such a large contingent of fire-fighters deployed in Kathmandu.

When I got to the tense scene, it was swarming with hundreds of personnel, fire engines, trucks and water tanks from all the three of the Valley’s districts-Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. Many of the personnel and locals who were at the site looked as if they were dipped in a lubricant. The way to Kalimati till the chowk of Tripureshwore was closed down for four hours.

Even as the chiefs of the Royal Nepal Army, the Armed Police force and the Nepal police were busy seeking evidence on the cause of the fire, the godown staff could be seen huddled in one corner. Some of the staffs were saying that the fire was triggered by a short circuit, while some others were sure that it was the handiwork of some misguided individuals. The neighbours were whispering that the godown was burnt down by the owner himself to claim insurance money because even last year a fire had taken place there. Whom will we believe, let’s hope the investigation gets at the truth.

Wild elephants go on rampage in eastern Nepal

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URLABARI, Morang, Jan 15:A herd of wild elephants has been running amuck at six Village Development Committees (VDCs) in this eastern plain district, causing panic among the villagers and destroying property worth more than a million rupees, locals here said.

The locals say four wild elephants are the culprits, and they made their entry into the district three weeks ago from India’s West Bengal state via Beldangi area of western Jhapa.

In 24 hours, they say, the elephants destroyed six houses at Urlabari VDC-2, while also devouring the food grains. The locals finally managed to chase away the beasts by using fire.

The District Police Office (DPO) said that the elephants also destroyed 10 houses at Pathari VDC-6 and 7, three houses at the Sanischare-based Bhutanese refugee camp, and four houses at Belbari VDC-2. The DPO said that more than a million rupees worth of property were damaged in the rampage.

The elephants also destroyed standing crops and vegetables at Kerabari, Madhumalla and Letang in Morang, and Damak Municipality in Jhapa, the police said.

"Although the elephants have caused great losses to the villagers, the concerned authorities have not taken any measure to prevent them from entering Nepali settlements," said Kumar Dhimal, Vice-Chairman of the Urlabari VDC.

Sarad Khatri, Police Inspector at Area Police Office in Urlabari, said that the threat of wild elephants has been a perennial one in eastern Nepal. The elephants escape from a West Bengal sanctuary and roam as far away as the eastern banks of the Kosi River in search of food, especially during winter.

Emergency or not, timber smugglers thrive

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DANG, Jan 15: While security might has been strengthened across the country in the wake of emergency, timber smuggling continues unchecked in three of the country’s community forests, accuse locals.

They say the smuggling is taking place with the connivance of community forest members and rangers.

In the Durga Community Forest of Bela VDC-4 alone, more than 30 trees have been axed, say the locals. They allege that the Community Forest Secretary, Raghawa Ram, has had a direct hand in the illegal felling.

Now an investigation team of the Dang District Forest Office is looking into the Durga case, says Forest Officer Jeevan Kumar Thakur. He says his office has taken up the investigation into their hands because the earlier probe team of the Area Forest Office could not come up with a "convincing report".

Another report claims that a Community Forest Chairman, a ranger and a former contractor have been selling off the timber of Maljhankri Community Forest. The accused are Chairman Madhusudan Neupane of Rampur VDC-9, Simaltara, ranger Gokul Choudhari and ex-contractor Sugrib Bali.

A probe team has been sent into the forest on this case, says Assistant Forest Officer Jaynendra Mishra. A preliminary report says old trees were being cut in the forest following a last year order to mow down the old ones. But the locals are not prepared to take the report at its face value, and are demanding a fair investigation.

In yet another report, locals Durga Subedi and Krishna Lamichhane, have been blamed for cutting down about 21 trees from the Surya Jyoti Community Forest at Chhapur VDC-7, Jeetpur. The District Officer there says he is willing to take strong action against the guilty after carrying out the necessary investigation.

Meanwhile, our reporter from Ilam says that the District Forest Office has settled 57 cases out of the total 196 ones filed at its office regarding forest-related crimes.

Nepal-India border survey team begins work

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BIRATNAGAR, Jan 15: A joint survey team of Nepal and India, formed according to an agreement reached by border officials of both countries three weeks ago, started work today.

The team consisting officials from both countries is initially collecting information about the people living between Kesalya river of Western Morang and Dasgaja, said Dolakh Bahadur Gurung, Chief District Officer of Morang.

The agreement to form the survey team was reached on December 14 last year to stop probable terrorist activities, smuggling of illegal weapons and drugs. "The illegally built houses and huts on the no-man’s-land are being destroyed on both the sides, " said CDO Gurung.

The team has officials from District Administration, National Investigation Bureau, Police and Survey Office of Nepal along with the Indian officials from the District Magistrate, Circle Office, Police and Survey Office.

The team at an earlier meeting in Arariya district of India’s Bihar, had decided to carry out a field inspection of the border area and to evacuate encroaching settlements.

Both sides are also trying to make sure that Maoist Naxalites don’t carry out their activities across the border area. The team has also agreed to exchange information about the people living in the area.

The team will also rebuild border pillars, said CDO Gurung.

India has already been deploying paramilitary force along its West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar borders to curb terrorist activities and smuggling of goods across the border.