Role of media in quake disaster mitigation discussed

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 18 - The role of media at the time of earthquake disaster was discussed at a programme jointly organised by the Department of Narcotics Control and Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, and JICA study team here today.

The programme was aimed at promoting earthquake disaster management activities in case of a big tremour again in the valley. Speaking at the programme, Director, Department of Narcotics Control and Disaster. Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr. M.B.P. Chhetri shed light on the Activity of Media in Earthquake Disaster.

Chhetri said, "Being the capital city, numerous problems are here and geographic condition of the valley makes the entrance and exit process here difficult from outside the valley in case of support." He warned saying, "Kathmandu is not the suitable place to live in and we have to think to move people from the valley," adding "There is a possibility of an earthquake of a large magnitude in the valley any time."

On the occasion, representative from the Ministry of Communication, Tapa Nath Sukla highlighted the present status of media in disaster mitigation and problems to be improved. Sukla said, " We should inform the public about the possible earthquake through various ways of communication like documentaries, pamphlets, etc.and when the earthquake occurs, print and broadcasting media should play a vital role to paralyze the rumors about disaster."

Leader of JICA Study Team, Dr. Y.Egawa, discussed the role of media at the time of disaster through video show on activities of NHK (Japanese television station). It was recorded at the time of Great Kobe Earthquake in Japan.

At the same programme, secretary general of NSET-Nepal, Aamod Mani Dixit discussed about raising awareness relating to earthquake disaster mitigation through media.

Springboard training comes to end

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 18: The four-month-long training conducted by The British Council under its award-winning Springboard Women Development Programme concluded here today.

Addressing the concluding ceremony Director of the British Council Barbara Wickham said it was the initial and introductory programme and it would be followed by similar programmes all over the kingdom to be launched shortly by The British Council itself.

"The Director of The British Council, UK is coming in February to boost up the move." says Wickham. "Identifying the suitable trainers who are interested in women issues with right attitude towards women’s movement will be our main concern while conducting other programmes in different parts of the country." Wickham also presented certificates to altogether 26 participants of the training programme who were from different walks of life.

The participants said that the training was different than other normal trainings. The normal trainings are based on imparting skill of a particular work but the Springboard training imparts both knowledge and skill required for overall works. "It helps to make the trainers more assertive and we are really impressed by the guest speakers who elaborated their stories of success and challenge," said a participant Pratima Pradhan. " The Springboard training teaches how to contain several challenge to be tackled while building career, how to behave with different members of the family like husband, brothers and so on," Pradhan added.

Tarun Dal to form regional committees

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 18 : The Nepal Tarun Dal (NTD), youth wing of the ruling Nepali Congress, has decided to constitute regional co-ordination committees in the electoral constituencies of each district to implement various central level programmes, said a press release issued here today.

"NTD has decided to form regional co-ordination committees that will be under the respective district committee to effectively implement the central level programmes," the release said.

The decision was made by the central meeting that was held in the capital today, the release said.

The meeting has also decided to forge Tarun Women Mobilisation Committees in each of the constituencies.

Jail break probe team to submit report within a week

By Motilal Poudel

SURKHET, Jan 18: The committee probing into the daring jail break here returned today after inspecting the jail and holding talks with jail authorities, prisoners and villagers. Six security officers, including constable Ganga Bahadur Hamal, have been taken into custody for investigation.

The three-member committee headed by Umesh Prasad Mainali is expected to submit its report within a week.

One of the sentries, on condition of anonymity, had earlier revealed that the cells hadn’t been checked for the last five months. According to Jail Act, 2019 BS, the CDO should assign one of his assistants to check the jail every 6 months.

Meanwhile, the District Administrative Office has formed a five-member committee to probe into the incident headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Rohbar Basnet, according to Ram Krishna Bhurtel, Chief District Officer.

Senior police officers of Bheri Zone also arrived Thursday at the jail for inspection.

3 killed in separate road accidents

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Jan 18: Three people were killed while five others sustained serious injuries in two separate road accidents in the last 12 hours — two in Ramechhap and the other in Chitwan, according to the police from the respective districts.

Two people died instantly on Thursday evening when a loaded tractor on its way to Salu from Ramechhap bazaar fell about 500 feet off the country road at Salu VDC-5, the police said.

Those killed in the tragic accident have been identified as Sudha Shrestha and Nirmala Bhattarai, both from Salu VDC-5 and 9. The site of the accident is located about 8 kilometres east of Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap.

Four of the five injured were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment, according to the police. Driver of the tractor (Ga 1 Ta 147), Pashupati Karki from Sarlahi district, who also sustained injuries in the accident, is undergoing treatment at a local hospital. His condition is reported to be critical.

Meanwhile, a person, identified as Maila Biswokarma from Mukunda Thok VDC-7 in Tanahun, died today after a LPG tanker on its way to Birgunj from Kathmandu hit him on the by-pass road in Bharatpur, Chitwan, according to our reporter. Police said the tanker hit the man while giving way to a passenger bus approaching from opposite direction.

Libang to be encircled with barbed wire

Post Report

LIBANG, Rolpa, Jan 18 : The Rolpa District Police Office is all set to encircle the entire district headquarters of Libang with barbed fencing to protect the area from possible Maoist attacks.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mahesh Bikram Shah, said a large area of the district headquarters would be encircled with barbed wire in order to protect all the government facilities from Maoist attacks.

Budget for the work will be made available from the Integrated Security and Development Plan (ISDP), introduced here before the state of emergency was declared. The ISDP has been implemented in other Maoist-hit districts to carry out integrated development with support from the army.

Shah further added that there would be seven entry-and-exit points opened for the convenience of the people. The people will be allowed to enter the Libang area only at fixed time. He said their proposal of fending the area has been approved by a board meeting of the Rolpa District Development Committee. Butwal Industries Company will supply the necessary materials, Shah said.

"After the project comes to an end, a suspected person can be easily identified and arrested within the area encircled," he added. Rolpa is one of the worst Maoist affected districts in the mid-western region.

Bandits loot iron industry

By Gopal Devkota

BIRGUNJ, Jan 18: A group of 40 armed bandits looted more than 300,000 rupees from an iron industry in the wee hours Thursday.

Sitaram Agrawal, the Manager of Maruti Nandan Rolling Industry, which lies along the Tribhuvan Highway eight kilometres north from the city heart, was injured in the incident. He was undergoing treatment at the Advanced Medicare Hospital.

The bandits arrived at around 1 in the night and four of them were wielding guns while other had sticks and spears, recalled Agrawal. They knocked on the main door of the industry where Agrawal was sleeping along with five of his workers. The bandits tied the workers’ hands and put them in a separate room, and asked Agrawal to give them the keys. "I refused to do so and they beat me till I fell unconscious," said Agrawal.

The bandits then broke three cupboards and looted all the money.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hemraj Bahadur Malla himself went to the place when the police was informed about the incident. The police have not yet found the culprits despite heavy search, said proprietor Ashok Vaidya.

In this regard, a delegation of industrialists of the city went to meet the Chief District Officer, but they were unable to do so because of the arrival of Narayan Sharma, the State Minister for Water Resources.

Six months ago, a group of bandits had looted half a million rupees from the district’s Narayani Rolling Industry.

Bheri hospital : A boon for insurgency victims

By Yagya Bikram Shahi & Rudra Khadka

NEPALGUNJ, Jan 18: "I hadn’t expected to survive because I knew the treatment would be expensive. But thank god, they treated me for free," says Bal Bahadur Basnet, a civilian injured in the shooting that broke out on November 11 between the police forces and the Maoists.

Basnet was carrying stones when a bullet hit him almost fatally. He was rushed to the Bheri Zonal Hospital where the hospital’s Mass Casualty Management Team treated him successfully without charging any expenses.

Like Basnet, the Team has saved the lives of many injured in the insurgency.

The Team was formed on 28 October last year for the express purpose of treating the insurgency victims. "The victims are treated in a separate ward, and already we have taken care of some 70 people," says Dr. Durga Pradhan, the hospital’s Medical Superintendent. He says the Team can treat 60 patients at a time, and the ward has 20 beds.

The physician says the hospital started the service since the Mid-Western Development Zone is severely affected by the Maoist rebellion.

"The service has healed my wounds, " says Indra Bahadur KC of Dodhari-5 of Bardiya, who came to the hospital with broken limbs after a Maoist group beat him up accusing him of being a police informer.

Eleven-year-old Sujata Shahi, one among the five injured while playing with a ‘pressure cooker bomb’ left by the Maoists, is another one who has been saved by the Team. "We didn’t know that it would explode. We thought it was a plaything. Thank god, I’m returning home," says Shahi.

The Team treats the victims only after prior approval by the authorities at the District Administration Office of Banke. "We approve them after receiving the go-ahead from the related district office," says Laxmi Sharan Adhikari, Deputy Chief District Officer of Banke.

Dr. Pradhan says it costs the hospital around 10-12,000 rupees to treat a severely injured victim. He says the free service will continue as long as the hospital administration supports it.