Tultule Dhara awaits conservation

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 The Nepal Heritage Society (NHS), conservationists and local representatives are joining their hands together to uncover around 140 years old stone spout that has remained hidden in the pile of garbage for the last two decades.

A meeting was organised here today by the NHS to discuss the present situation of a historic water source at the heart of the capital.

The stone spout situated at Kamalpokhari area, was locally named Turture Dhara or Tultule Dhara, was built by Colonel Dilli Shamsher Thapa around 140 years ago but it has now remained under over 8-feet deep debris for the last twenty years, the locals say.

An octogenarian local Ganga Bahadur Basnet said that he had been drinking the clear water from the spout since the time as early as 1933 daily till it eventually disappeared under the piles of garbage due to the lack of conservation from the local authorities.

"A set of three stone spouts with many idols, the place was very beautiful. We loved to stay there whenever we could get free time," he said.

Another local, Surendra Raj Dwibedi, the former editor of Gorkhapatra, said the stone spout as well as the temple of Panchakumari, also called Jhiljhil Kumari were the contributions of the Thapa families who had influential relations with the rulers at the end of the19th century.

"The families of the makers later sold out the territory into pieces to others, who had no respect for the historic places," he added.

He further said the spout stopped functioning after Sushila Thapa, the former minister during the Panchayati days constructed the house above the spout. "Probably, it disturbed the underground water source of the spout."

Writer and social worker of the area Ghanashyam Rajkarnikar said he used to walk by the 12 feet long and 6 feet broad water spout area with idols every Monday with his mother.

According to Prof. Mukund Raj Aryal, a cultural expert, the Turture Dhara had three water sources that did not flow voluminous water but used to give small but continuous flow of water for centuries.

"Not only the locals but also pedestrians and horses and elephants also were benefited by the spouts. There were big stone buckets on both sides of the spouts where the water was collected by day and by night," he said.

Ganesh Bahadur Khadgi, ward No. 3 chairman, said the local authority protected the site from the clutches of neighbouring encroachers but it could not be conserved due to the lack of budget in the ward office.

NHS vice-chairman Pratima Pande said that the Society is ready to find resources for conservation provided the local authority strategically supports the campaign for conservation of the Turture Dhara.

Forest sector problems discussed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 Various problems related with the forest sector of the country were thoroughly discussed at a meeting held here today between high level officials at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation(MoFSC) and the representatives of different donor agencies.

Addressing the meeting, secretary at MoFSC, Chandi Prasad Shrestha said that donor agencies have contributed a lot in improving the condition of the forests throughout the country, according to the press release issued here today by the Ministry.

Shrestha also shed light on the current problems of the forest areas in the country. "It is high time for the people to participate in forest conservation across the country," Shrestha said.

He said forest development project has already crossed a decade and there is a need of proper evaluation. "We should make necessary changes on the basis of evaluation of the project," Shrestha said.

With a view to making the co-ordination between lawmakers and consumers of the forest products effective,a co-ordination committee has been formed.

Altogether 40 people including representatives from different donor agencies of DANIDA, DFID, SDC,GTZ, USAID and GTZ working for the forest sector of the country participated in the meeting. 

Programmes to mark Nepali students’ 100 years in Japan

RSS

LALITPUR, Jan 23 The Japan University Students’ Association of Nepal (JUSAN) is organising various programmes to mark 100 years of Nepali Students’ Study in universities in Japan.

On the occasion, JUSAN is organising an extensive seminar cum interaction on Nepali students who have studied at Japanese universities, a day-long photo exhibition on the same theme and a variety of cultural programme, according to founder president of JUSAN Harendra Baruwa.

JUSAN is also planning a sapling plantation programme at various places in Kathmandu on the occasion in which saplings of four various species of fruits and flowers brought here by the first batch of Nepali students from Japan are to be planted.

It is believed that the centenary programmes will further help promote Nepal-Japan Friendship. It may be recalled here that coming March marks a century of Nepali Students’ Study in Japan. The first batch comprising of eight Nepali students had been sent to Japan for higher studies during the reign of Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher in 1902 A.D.

Need to uplift technical education stressed

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KATHMANDU, Jan 23 Education experts have called for the need to uplift technical and research-oriented education while addressing an interaction programme entitled Higher Education for Tomorrow here today.

Illustrating the regional and global context of educational standard, education expert Kamal Pradhan said that intermediate level should be invalidated from higher education. "Only six percent students are involved in technical subjects in the country" he said adding every year around 13,000 students are admitted to Master’s level among whom only five students do well.

The product of Nepalese universities is not qualitative. The number of employees is increasing day by day, whereas students from different universities of foreign countries are getting scopes in Nepal. Focusing the need of grand change in the Nepalese education system, another educationist Mohan Prasad Lohani said that technical priority should not be compromised at any cost.

Education experts Yagya Raj Panta, Rajendra Dhoj Joshi, Ram Prasad Dahal, Bala Ram Sapkota and many others expressed their views at the progamme.

Encephalitis immunization fails to meet target

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DHANGADI, Jan 23 The immunization programme against Japanese Encephalitis failed to meet its target due to the various reasons that includes the security concern, according to District Health Office of Kailali.

The programme was funded by the Chinese government to stop the epidemic of Japanese Encephalitis which causes a few casualties every year. The programme has targeted to immunize 1,74,844 children below 10 years. But in the third phase concluded in December last year, only 74 percent of the targeted children were immunized.

The vaccine should be taken in 3 doses to be safe from the disease, said Parshuram Shrestha, Senior Health Officer. But on each phase the number of children decreased. In the first phase of the programme held in June last year, 1,56,024 children took the vaccine, which was 11 percent less than of the target. 1,47,547 children took the vaccine in the second phase in July of last year.

The immunization programme was conducted in two municipalities and 36 Village Development Committees (VDCs) free of cost. Four VDCs recorded 100 percent immunization while Tikapur and Dhangadi municipality recorded 67 and 74 percent of immunization, according to Shrestha.

Due to the emergency, a few immunization centres were cancelled and people feared of travelling, said Shrestha giving reasons for the decrease in the number of children. A jeep carrying the immunization equipment was damaged in the ambush set by outlawed Maoist, Shrestha added.

"The awareness level was also low. The people couldn’t understand that they had to take all 3 doses for the protection," said Shrestha. The epidemic of Japanese encephalitis has killed more than 300 people during the last 3 years while more than 2,500 were caught. Last year more than 10,000 pigs were also immunized as precaution to protect the district from the disease.

Expired medicines arriving in health posts

By Bed Raj Poudel

BHOJPUR, Jan 23 The medicines supplied by the government are being left unused as they have been arriving in the various health posts in this district after the expiry date.

The drugs are supplied under the government’s Community Drug Programme (CDP).

"Since the drugs arrive after three months of the expiry date, most of the health posts have been throwing away the medicines without even opening it," says Tharka Bahadur Basnet, storekeeper at the District Health Office.

But these drugs, mostly for common ailments, are being supplied regularly, says Basnet.

Binod Pradhan, a health assistant, says the thousands of rupees that the government spends on these drugs, could be given directly to the health posts for prompt purchase.

Another health assistant says some of the bottled medicines arrive with the bottles broken.

Meanwhile, in Bhojpur District Hospital, the body that buys the drugs, the Drugs Purchase Committee, has been accused of not procuring them despite being given the money five years ago.

The Committee had assigned doctors Niranjan Bogati and Dinesh Chaulagain to buy the needed drugs. But they haven’t yet informed the Committee what they bought with the 700,000 rupees, says Jhurendra Prasad Parajuli, a member of the District Development Committee.

Parajuli says the hospital administration has been avoiding him when he tried several times to know what happened to the money. When this reporter sought a
report on how the money was spent, a hospital staff had this to say: "What’s the use of an old report?"

Parajuli also says the Bhojpur hospital is notorious for its poor management. "A lot of irregularities are going on in the hospital because of the lack of a hospital development committee which hasn’t been formed for the last four years," says Parajuli.

Birgunj jail in dilapidated condition

By Gopal Devkota

BIRGUNJ, Jan 23 Most of the convicts of Birjung jail are suffering from diseases like asthma, rheumatism and cough as no windows of the eight buildings of the jail has panes on it. "We can’t sleep in the nights thus have to sleep in days," says Rajendra Baitha, a convict.

"Every year winter means something different for the convicts," says Abdul Hafij Ansari, a security guard, "We didn’t even have the budget for the treatment of the convicts if they suffer from diseases."

"When the other buildings will fall down, no one knows but they are very old and can fall down any time causing a few casualities," says Damaru Niraula, the Jailer of one of the two ‘A’ graded jails of Nepal.

The yearly budget of 10,000 rupees for repairs is like a few drops of water into a heap of sand, according to Niraula.

When the jail was constructed, it could accomodate 15,000 convicts but now it has only room for around 500. The jail didn’t have a good toilet but the social workers of the city collected donation and constructed a huge toilet spending half a million rupees.

"The jail is in critical condition. It can fall down anytime. The government should do something," says Biswokaran Jain, who was a member of the committee that constructed the toilet.

Jailer Niraula said that they had requested Department of Jail to move the jail.

"We are also ready to support the reconstruction, " promises Krishna Murari Rauniyar, Deputy Mayor of Birgunj, who was imprisoned in the jail for a long time during his political struggle before democracy.