Photos of Kathmandu Valley on show

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KATHMANDU, May 8:"When people forget, photographs will remind them", was once said by a renowned scholar. Keeping this in mind, the rapidly changing face of the Kathmandu Valley has been captured in photographs and framed so that the public will be able to travel through time and recall its appearance then and now.

Photographs taken around the Kathmandu Valley before and after are being exhibited at the Nasal Chowk and will conclude on May 14. "The Kathmandu Valley- Then and Now" photo exhibition, marks the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) International Safeguarding Campaign from 1977 to 2001.

The exhibition depicts photographs capturing not only historically important architectural monuments like temples and palaces, but also shows private houses, community-owned buildings, public baths, places and old roads. They demonstrate the development of the protection and restoration of cultural monuments and sites in the Kathmandu Valley over the last decades and their condition before and afterwards.

Several of these photographs depict the condition of some monuments before, which are also very rare photographic evidences, shown for the first time. Some of them are over hundred years old, photographed by the Nepalese people, to whose descendants the exhibition has been dedicated.

Old photographs have made scientific conservation and restoration of the past monuments and buildings possible in some ways. Furthermore, these photographs illustrate the cultural evolution and transformation that have taken place in the Kathmandu Valley.

"The rich cultural heritage of Nepal have been threatened by profit-oriented economic activities," Jim Cambell, a frequent visitor to Nepal for the past thirty years said during his visit to the exhibition.

"The cultural heritage of Nepal is irreplaceable and therefore it is the responsibility of the people here to preserve it so that the coming generations will be able to look back and appreciate their heritage," Cambell added.

"Kathmandu has changed, that we cannot deny," said Rohit Sharma, a visitor, adding, "This exhibition brings back the memories of Kathmandu that I have long forgotten."

"The pictures have enabled me to view the Kathmandu that existed before I was born," said Sameer Khadka, adding, "The before and after pictures really give one a view of the rapidly changing Kathmandu Valley."

Children’s drama festival begins

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KATHMANDU, May 8 : The Second National Children’s Drama Festival kicked off here today at the Nepal Children’s Organisation (NCO) with a view to bringing children’s issues and concerns to the public through the medium of drama.

Jointly organised by Children’s Awareness Group and Save the Children UK, the three-day festival was inaugurated by veteran drama actor and director Prachanda Malla.

Addressing the function, National Coordinator of Save the Children UK, Anil Raghavanshi said that the festival has been organised in support of the Global Movement for Children, which coincides with the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children that is being held in New York May 8- 10.

The theme of the drama are focused on children’s issues like quality education for all, protecting children from all kinds of exploitation, protecting children from discrimination and many more.

Sixteen children theatre groups from different parts of the country are going to participate in the festival. In the three-day festival, the first round of the competition will be held on May 8-9 at the NCO, Bal Mandir. The final show will take place at the City Hall on May 10.

Acharya resents Koirala guarding petty interests

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KATHMANDU, May 8:Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Mahesh Acharya has accused the President of his own ruling Nepali Congress (NC) party Girija Prasad Koirala of being guided along by petty interests.

"The differences over the way the party should be run is the sole reason why I am said to have changed the camp recently," Acharya said in the course of briefing the reporters on the current issues at the Face-to-Face programme organised by the Reporters’ Club on Wednesday.

"A party president, said Acharya, should be someone who can create an atmosphere of free flow of thought and process rather than ruling out transparency on issues, which are taken up for discussion and decision."

He also said that the party leadership has failed to sort out the problems as and when they set in. In a definite criticism hurled at Koirala, Acharya, who was until recently a close confidant of the party president said that "no one should hesitate to let the events take their own course in the party forum."

This was apparently with reference to Koirala’s bid to look for someone in the Koirala camp itself to take over as the next leader of the party after him.

Coming around pessimism in the national life, Acharya said, nothing can be expected to fall in place as long as institutions do not firm up to the required degree. And that includes even the political parties in parliament and the government, he added.

Commenting on the current crisis dogging the system in place, he said that although challenges are there in front of the nation from almost every front the same, it should not be insurmountable given the tremendous backing from the people.

"The greater issue is who can ensure good governance," Acharya further said, adding that the same was, however, not very easy until and unless there is all round realisation of the need for good values in politics and other walks of national life.

Minister Acharya ruled out the scope for talks with the rebel outfit the CPN-Maoist under circumstances when the party has not yet given up arms and sent the right signals for the same. He also alluded to the latest remarks coming from the main opposition the CPN-UML which has also stressed laying down of arms before any talks can begin.

Saying that Maoist violence was a planned attack on the present multi-party system, Acharya added that had it been a movement against the inefficiency of the successive governments after 1990, it would not have got underway barely three year down the multi-party road. " No one can expect miracles within so short a time,"he added.

Earlier, NC Central Working Committee (CWC) member and spokesman of the party Arjun Narsingh K C said that the government, which has ignored quite a few directives issued by the party, has indeed tended to undermine the importance of the party and that right steps will be taken in due course of time if the mistakes were not corrected. Minister Acharya later declined to comment on the remarks saying, "we have to weigh the remarks before actually commenting offhand."

National Eco-Trekking Workshop kicks off

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KATHMANDU, May 8:The Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN) organised a three-day workshop titled ‘National Eco-Trekking Workshop’ here today.

The objectives of the workshop will be to develop trained manpower for sustainable mountain tourism, provide training and awareness in conservation techniques for field and office staff of the trekking agencies and to help in making co-ordination between trekking staff and the local community specially from the trekking region to promote environment-friendly trekking.

Speaking on the occasion, Bal Bahadur K.C., Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation said that tourism is the major income source and TAAN is making every effort towards the preservation and protection of environment and it should continue its effort.

The workshop will highlight high altitude sickness, campsite and waste management, saving fuel wood or alternate fuel, natural and cultural heritage, recycling of revenue and health and sanitation.

The important feature of the workshop will be the involvement of representatives from various VDCs, lodge owners besides trekking industry people. The involvement of the local people definitely contributes towards awareness of environmentally-sustainable tourism in the mountains and will also teach the benefits of working together to develop an environmentally-sustainable tourism in Nepal.

The workshop is being sponsored by Tourism for rural Poverty Alleviation programme (TRPAP), Nepal Tourism Board, WWF Nepal Programme, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), the Mountain Institute and Society for Ecological Co-operation Alpa Himalya.

Action against Maoists justified: Nemwang

By Chintamani Dahal

Bhadrapur May 8:Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Narendra Bikram Nemwang addressing the ethnic Kirati community ceremony, said that the action being taken against the Maoist rebels is justified.

He further claimed that the action against the Maoist insurgency will only be possible if all political parties unite and be cooperative on this issue.

Minister Nemwang expressed his views at a peace rally organised by the Kirat Religion and Literacy Movement under the chairmanship of Chandra Kumar Limbu.

According to the present circumstances, he opined, it is not necessary to make constitutional changes when all the political parties have created a conducive political environment to work in.

He also reiterated that the government is not aiming to allow foreign military forces to enter the country.

He further added that the whole world is united to annihilate the scourge of terrorism and Nepal has gained much moral support in coping with its own terrorism perpetrated by the Maoists and their activities and this has been highlighted in the current visit of the Prime Minister to the United States of America.

Minister of State for Physical Planning, Keshab Thapa, opined that it is not possible to have any dialogue with the Maoists unless and untill they surrender their weopons.

Ramesh Lingden, General Secretary of the organisation, said the people of eastern Nepal want real peace and that all violent activities should be stopped immediately.

Thousands of people gathered in Damak chanting various slogans like "stop violence" and "let us all hold hands together and be happy". The rally marched round all main thoroughfares of the town and concluded in a public meeting.

Such peace rally holds significance for not only Damak city and Mechi zone but also for the entire country, said the organisers.

Former minister asks for investigation

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KAVRE, May 8:Former minister of state Govind Nath Upreti on Wednesday presented to the district administration explaining of not being a Maoist and demanded investigation as to how he came to be branded as a Maoist rebel.

"I am ready to face any action if proven a Maoist. But the government has to furnish evidence to this effect and launch proceedings against me," Upreti told The Kathmandu Post. He alleged that the move to brand him a Maoist was a conspiracy. He also demanded a clarification from the Defence Ministry that he was not a Maoist rebel and declared that until that happened he would not come out of the district police custody.

On Monday, the army made public the photos of Upreti among the 20 "wanted" Maoist leaders in its usual Monday televised news programme. Upon knowing the development, Upreti surrendered before the District Administration Office (DAO) on Tuesday.

At present, the former minister from CPN (ML) is in police custody, under first class category. However, he is yet to be given formal arrest orders.

There are speculations that he was branded a rebel for a political speech which he reportedly gave to a Maoists’ open gathering in Panchkhal in September last year when the government-Maoist truce was on. However, some district administration sources said that Upreti was named in the army news programme after some captured rebels from Kavre disclosed his identity.

Even earlier, in 1979, Upreti carried a reward of Rs 25,000 for looting wheat sent as famine relief for the populace of Sindhupalchowk from Dolalghat and reportedly distributing it among the poor people there. He was also arrested in 1986 for "conspiring against" the then autocratic Panchayati regime.

Local women patrol forestlands

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Rautahat, May 8:The community forest, which falls in the Himali Bas forest area of Rautahat district, is now being patrolled by the local women of the area in order to curb the felling of trees and smuggling of wood.

It was learnt that these women have been patrolling the forest since Monday.

The illegal woodcutters were found to be felling sal trees and carrying the wood out of the forest by cycles and wheel-carts from the BP-Pushpalal Community Forests in Rautahat district.

Under these circumstances, women members of the community forest committee had volunteered to begin patrolling in the forest.

It was also discovered that the smugglers have been felling 10-15 trees daily, compelling the district forest office at Rautahat to declare the forest a "community forests" area.

Women, who have joined with the forest guards to patrol the community forests, have played a vital role in curbing the smuggling of wood which has now decreased by 90% as reported by district forest officer, Jagannath Koirala.

With declaration of the state of emergency, women members enter the forest for patrolling in-groups of ten, armed with sticks and courage.

"Even though we are now in a state of emergency and it is difficult and fearsome, we still venture for patrolling in the forests to prevent the felling of trees", said Sita K.C., member of the Himali Bas B.P. Pushpalal community forest committee.

"Anticipating that the smugglers may be large in number, we patrol with the forest guards to stop and catch them", added Sita.

When the smugglers are apprehended, they are punished by having to pay huge fines as per the quantity of the trees cut, and this punishment is to make them aware of never repeating the crime again. If it is found that they have smuggled the wood, the forestry users committee forwards them to the district forest office for action, said Chairman Netra Bahadur Shivabhakti of the B.P. Pushpalal community forest users committee in Himali Bas.

Out of 25,000 hectares of forestland, the Rautahat district forest office has handed over 10,000 hectares of forestland to the community forests users committee for protection of the forests.

Over a hundred women members of the community forests have patrolled the forests actively under the range post of Laukaha in Rautahat district.

Locals brace up for herb cultivation

By Rajendra Manandhar

DOLAKHA, May 8:Locals in some parts of the district are preparing for massive cultivation of Chiraito, a medicinal plant, whose increasing demands have threatened the existence of the plant in the forests of this district.

"The plant growing in the topography of the district has superb quality and its demand is high in the foreign as well as domestic markets," Arun Sharma Poudel, an official at the District Forest Office (DFO) in the district said.

Chiraito is used as an important ingredient for around 30 medicines and it works effectively in curing the diseases like fever diabetes, high blood pressure, gout and others, it is learnt.

In Bhimeshwor municipality, Jiri and Laduk VDCs of the district, around 5,000,000 chiraito plants are being prepared in nurseries, according to Poudel. The new profession of Chiraito farming has bright perspective for the farmers in the district, said he.

The plant has good demand in India and China as well as in domestic markets. Chiraito sells at Rs. 300 to 400 per kg at Kathmandu itself, said the locals.

"Since the unchecked export of the medicinal plant in large quantity threatened its existence in the forests, its plantation campaign is being initiated," Poudel said.

The office provides training to the farmers aspiring for professional Chiraito farming and also provides them with the plants, said DFO sources.

So as to motivate the farmers to the new profession, the monsoon this year shall be observed as Chiraito plantation campaign, DFO sources said.