Attack on Sanskrit university condemned

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KATHMANDU, May 14  The World Hindu Federation (WHF) , Nepal National Committee has condemned the Maoists attack on the only Hindu university in the country, Mahendra Sanskrit University, Dang.

A press statement issued here today said that the attack on the only university established to uplift the Sanskrit language, an originating point of Hindu civilisation, has revealed the character of the Maoists.

The WHF has warned the Maoists that it was ready to take any kind of steps to safeguard Hindu religion and culture.

Development projects to have security

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KATHMANDU, May 14 The Remote Area Development Committee (RADC), semi- governmental committee, headed by Minister for Local Development, Khum Bahadur Khadka, today decided to run development projects with necessary cooperation from security forces.

The decision, which was made at the meeting of the committee today, has come amidst reports that most of the development projects have been affected due to the lack of adequate security.

The outlawed Maoist rebels in recent years have intensified attacks on development infrastructures and the government is bearing a loss of billions of rupees. Power plants, telephone towers and water supply systems are highly affected by the Maoist attacks.

Minister Khadka also ordered Local Development Ministry officials at the meeting to run the development projects by acquiring the support and co-operation of the local people. "As most of the projects are operated in very sensitive areas, people’s active participation is a must," Khadka is reported to have told the meeting.

The meeting also approved annual budget of Rs. 150.5 million for the coming fiscal year.

RNAC regional office building opened

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KATHMANDU, May 14 Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bal Bahadur KC has said that the only way to save the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) is to run it on the basis of joint investment.

Inaugurating the newly constructed building of RNAC’s Western Regional Office, Minister K.C. made it clear that the corporation should be run on the basis of joint investment and made able to stand on its own feet rather than privatising it.

"Only two international and half a dozen internal flights will not sustain the1,900 employees of the corporation", he said, adding that there is a plan to streamline the management through golden handshakes.

"Although the corporation is service-oriented and has to operate internal flights to remote areas where there is no road transport", the Minister said, "It should make itself capable and strong and compete with private airlines through timely improvements and changes to the laws, rules and policies and by shaking off political interference."

Minister K.C. said we face the challenge of saving the corporation because of its greater importance today and both the corporation and the government should face the challenge unitedly.

The regional office building built at a cost of Rs. 17,500,000 on l0 kathas of land has 32 rooms and 20 commercial shutters.

Nepalgunj airport which is second after Kathmandu in terms of number of internal flights sends flights to 11 destinations in Karnali, Bheri, Rapti, Seti, and Mahakali zones in the mid-and-far western regions.

The modern building has been constructed in view of RNAC’s contribution as the only means of transport in regions without road transport.

At the programme, Executive Chairman of RNAC Ramagya Chaturbedi said the corporation is active in competing for passengers with private airlines and is

developing its own physical infrastructure to serve in the remote areas.

At the function presided over by CDO Dhruba Wagle, engineer Pramod Thapa shed light on the technical aspects of the building.

Quality education vital for progress

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KATHMANDU, May 14 Minister of State for Education and Sports Narayan Prasad Saud inaugurated the five-day workshop relating to inclusive education training organised by the Department of Education and Danish University of Education at Lalitpur yesterday.

The workshop is being attended by 90 persons including teachers and office-bearers of the School Management Committee of 12 schools, gaurdians and representatives of the non-governmental organisations of Banke, Uadayapur, Sindhupalchowk and Kavrepalanchowk districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State Saud said that education plays a pivotal role in resolving the problemsof the country.

Stressing the need to educate the disabled men and women in order to gear the country ahead along with improvements being made in other countries, Saud said that two kinds of citizens would be produced in the country if proper attention is not given towards improving the quality of education in public schools.

Speaking from the chair officiating secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports Ramsarowar Dube said that the workshop would help to provide education to 20 per cent of the children being deprived of education because of disability and social and economic backwardness.

Director General of the Department of Education Chuman Singh Basnet, Director of the Primary Education Division Lava Prasad Tripathy, Danish Consultant Brogit Dissygard, Special Needs Education Advisor Jesper Holst also expressed their views at the workshop.

13 more rebel bodies recovered in Doti
Maoists target private schools

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KATHMANDU, May 14 The Defence Ministry today said that security forces recovered 13 more bodies of Maoist rebels from the jungle of Khinda in the far-west Doti district on Monday. The rebels were killed on May 2 when the security forces raided a Maoist military training centre in Khinda’s jungle area. Earlier, the Ministry had said that around 40 rebels were killed in the operation.

The Ministry said that the security forces confiscated a large amount of foodstuff hidden by the rebels in Sukedanda area of Sankhuwasabha district. The forces arrested two suspected Maoists along with explosives in Borlang area of Dhading district.

Likewise, a report from Kapilvastu district stated that police on Tuesday confiscated 200 pieces of metal sockets being brought by two cyclists from India near Maharajgunj VDC. Police suspect that the sockets were to be supplied to the Maoists who could convert them as crude bombs. However, the cyclists fled the scene immediately after seeing the policemen approach to them.

Meanwhile, our reporter in Dang, the rebels on Monday set fire on a private boarding school in Laxmipur VDC. The Principal of Sagarmatha Boarding School, Chintamani Poudel, said that the rebels destroyed property worth Rs. 80,000, including the personal property of school accountant.

Earlier, the students affiliated with the Maoists had vandalised three other private schools. District committee of the Private and Boarding School-Nepal has condemned the rebels for targeting the private schools.

In another incident, the rebels looted all foodstuff, kitchen utensils and clothes from Bhuwaneswor Gautam’s house in Thikpur VDC of Dang on Monday. Details of the property plundered by the rebels were yet to be assessed.

In a series of targeting individuals who are opposed to the Maoist ideology, the rebels on Sunday set fire on a house of former chairman of Fulbari VDC in the far-eastern hill district of Taplejung.

Locals said they could not help put out the fire, as there were a group of armed rebels surrounding Ambar Sendang’s burning house.

VDC water project nearing completion

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GORKHA, May 14 Ninety per cent construction work of the central level drinking water project undertaken by the Drinking Water Division at Gaikhur Village Development Committee (VDC) of Gorkha district at a cost of Rs 2.7 million has been completed.

The project will provide drinking water to 700 people of 115 households at ward nos. 4, 5 and 6 of the VDC. Under the project, three intake ponds with a capacity of holding 20,000 litres of water have been built at Thuldhara, Rungta and Mandhara of Gaikhur VDC.

The water from these intake ponds will be pumped to three reservoir tanks and supplied to the people, according to VDC Chairman Balaram Khanal. Arrangements have also been made for two generators to pump water from the intake ponds to the reservoirs in the absence of electricity.

Distribution of water is being made through five kilometres of pipeline to the houses of the clients through meters on a trial basis, said Khanal. At present 115 households, VDC building, health post and one school are being supplied water through meters.

Arrangements have been made for the clients to deposit Rs 3,000 each in a bank for the water taps. The fund collected from the clients will be deposited in a repair and maintenance fund and used by the Water Users’ Committee for maintenance of the project.

Indian security officers mistreat Nepalis

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MALANGWA, May 14 Nepali people complain about mistreatment and the solicitation of money by indian security personnel being deployed in border adjoining Sarlahi district to maintain peace and security.

The security forces deployed about four months ago are said to have mistreated Nepali nationals on the pretext of checking their belongings while crossing the border.

The people going to Mejargunj and Basbitta of Sitamadhi district through Balara and Arnaha transit points to purchase essential commodities are being victimised by the security personnel.

It is said that they charge money at will for the private vehicles of Nepali of Dumariya, Hathiyaul, Mirjapur, Sisaunt and Chhatauna and also for checking their belongings.

A local resident who only likes to identify himself only with surname Singh out of fear says Indian security personnel eat up food stuff brought in Nepal by the relatives and solicit money up to Rs. 500 for checking their belongings.

Parents feel cheated in buying textbooks

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JANAKPUR, May 14 School textbooks in the market without price tag have troubled the parents as well as the retailers in Dhanusha district as it has annoyed them.

The parents complain of being cheated, as the publishers do not put clear price in the textbooks while the retailers have been annoyed by the complaint and bargaining of the buyers irritates them.

"Most of the Nepali publishers do not mention the price of text books on them, thus the buyers doubt us and carry on unnecessary arguments even though we show them the catalogue containing the price of the books," Suchit Prasad Shah of local book shop said.

According to the retailers, other Nepali textbook publications except Ekta Publication do not mention the price of the book. The parents take it as the publisher’s policy to cheat the customers by increasing price annually.

"Publication houses have been increasing the price of the books each year, it is for this purpose that they do not mention the price of the textbooks," Ramesh Ranjan Jha, the Chairman of Parents’ Association of Janakpur said.

However, Ananda Joshi at Koshli Publication refused the allegation made by Jha. "We have sent price list of the books to our distributors and directed them to provide bills to the clients accordingly," Joshi said. He claims that his publication has made no increment on the price of the books for the past four years.

The association blames that the private schools maintain nexus with the retailers selling books. The retailers charge high price to the parents and both the retailers and the concerned schools share the profit. "Instead of providing book lists to the guardians, private schools refer to the particular book shops with whom they share the profit," the asociation claimed.

People still call on shamans for treatment

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HETAUDA, May 14 Even though the world is going through the cyber age, Nepalis living in the remote parts of the country are not still able to free themselves from the clutches of superstitions. An event in Chure Mai Village Development Committee (VDC)-4 of Makwanpur district which is near to Hetauda city shows how the parents drugged by superstition loose their children.

The village is resided by Praja people, an ethnic community. The people have deep attachment with superstition.

These people put more faith on witch doctors and are hardly inclined to visit the medical doctors in case of diseases. As result, Ram Maya Praja lost her 11 years old son after she ignore the suggestion by some neighbours visit doctors and called a witch doctor from Nibuwataar VDC to treat her ill son.

Karma Bahadur Pakhrin, the witch doctor, too denied suggestions that the boy should be taken to the Hetauda Hospital and announced that the boy is suffering from a disease called ‘Nepale’. He played drums for two nights and slaughtered a black coloured he-goat as part of his treatment procedure. But the patient died.

However, the conservative society has not been changed with such incidents. Pakhrin still continues to play the role of a healer in the village. The villagers too invite him. "Death is the fate, I can’t change it neither the doctors," says Pakhrin.