Security no problem for trekking, says Rosie Swale Pope

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KATHMANDU, March 28 : She will take off for the record-setting 85 days, 1,500 miles trek across the whole length of Nepal on March 31. Rosie Swale Pope, 58, has embarked on many dangerous treks, but several high passes such as Thorongla, Larke, Tashi Lapcha and Nara will pose a novel and formidable threat to her determined feet.

"That is all I am concerned about right now," says the extreme adventurer, dismissing suggestions of security problems that might arise along the way. "I feel very safe and very happy. I’m doing it for a great cause," says the daring grandmother of a 16 months old grandson.

Pawan Tuladhar, president of Dharma Adventures, says that Nepal has always been safe for foreign trekkers. "In September 2002, when insurgency was at its peak, Ken Berry did a solo trek along the Jomsom-Pokhara-Mustang-Dhaulagiri-Jumla range. He had absolutely no problems," Tuladhar told The Kathmandu Post.

Tuladhar adds that security is no longer a priority because peace is back in the country. "Prior to 1990, Nepal was regarded as the safest tourist destination in this planet. The unfortunate incidents of the last seven years reduced Nepal to not a quite safe place. But that was a special situation," he says, adding in the case of Swale’s trip, the only concerns are other contingencies such as health emergencies and shortage of supplies.

The funds generated through the trek is to use for renovating the only hospital in Humla, that has a population of about 50,000 and astoundingly no lab facilities and only one doctor.

Swale will be accompanied by three guides, a medical staff, 10 porters and three supporting staff. That makes her well prepared for other contingencies. And with that support, Swale hopes to understand Nepal’s rural life. "The trek is not about making achievements. It is about gaining a deep knowledge of this beautiful country," she says.

Swale will be warming her legs tomorrow by doing ‘The Golden Run’ that begins at 7:30 in the morning at the temple of Ajima in Swoyambhu, then continues along the road past the Natural History Museum, past Bijeshwori, Shobha Bhagawati, Chhetrapati, Bangemuda, Hanumanthan and Kasthamandap.

Renowned figures like Baikuntha Manandhar, Gajaraj Joshi, Bhupendra Silwal, R.K. Verma, Shyam Raj Lawot, Pampha Kunwar, Shyam Chitrakar, Madhu S. Rana, Sashi Subedi, Bhairab Shahi, Deep Shrestha, Sukmeet Gurung, Dilip Rayamajhi, B.K. Malla, Kavita Bhattarai, Dr. Durga Pokhrel, Narayan Devi, Renchin Yonjan, Ganesh Thapa and Robin Sharma will accompany her in the run.

Running is something that Swale took up as a challenge. "I went to school when I was thirteen. I had very little time to improve in sports," she says. "But then, I took to running as a challenge."

And that has proved quite valuable to many among the needy as her steps have helped generate funds for various causes the world over. This time, it is for the decrepit hospital in Humla, for which she hopes to find generous sponsors. Anyone can be a part of Swale’s endeavour to walk an estimated total of 2,500,000 steps during the tour by contributing a rupee per hundred steps, that is Rs. 24,800 for the total trek.

Making a grand success of the trek will be one grand proof of the return of peace in the country. "It is one world. There are no boundaries. There is so much we can share through tourism. In Nepal, I feel like being in heaven," she says. Opportunity granted, she would love to stay in Nepal for twenty years.

South Asian astrologers’ conference to be held

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KATHMANDU, March 28 : Astrology still draws a great interest of the people in many parts of the world. It interests everyone yet it is doubted for its inaccuracy.

The astrologers of the SAARC region,however, are keen to develop and promote astrology and hence they are organising the Second South Asian Astrologers’ Conference in Nepal for the second time.

The conference, which is being held from April 21 to 23, will be attended by astrologers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"I do not agree that only science can explain everything, and Jyotish Shastra (Astrology) is also a science," said Swami Prapannacharya, member of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee.

He was speaking at a press conference organised by the National Astrologers’ Science Service Committee (NASSC). The programme was chaired by Dr Mangal Raj Joshi.

The conference will discuss on Tibetan astrology, Samundrik Jyotish Shastra, Vastu Shastra and Its Use, Sanhita Shastra, and forecasting.

NASSC informed that the committee has already started preparation for the conference and fifteen sub-committees have already been established for the purpose.

On the occasion, ‘Siddhartha Gautam Buddha Panchang’ made by astrologer Thaneshwar Bhattarai was also released by Purna Chandra Dhungel, vice-chancellor of Mahendra Sanskrit University.

Awareness vital to curb trafficking in women

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Kathmandu, March 28 : Everyday five to six girls are trafficked to India and around 2,50,000 sex workers in India are Nepalese of whom 40 percent are below 18 years old.

"Only 150 cases were registered in the court last year when the number of women trafficked in a year is more than 5000," said Indira Rana, member of National Human Rights Commission.

She was speaking at a workshop organised by the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (Human) in collaboration with a Joint Initiative in the Millennium against Trafficking in Women and in Girls (JIT).

Illiteracy, poverty and discrimination of girls in the home are few reasons why they get trapped by pimps.

"The number of indecent districts in Nepal have increased from four to fifteen in the span of 15 years," Rana cautioned that Nepal might be known as a country of women traffickers if not controlled now.

She opined that all women should be united to solve this problem and remarked "Men and women are equal, they are not opponents but correlatives".

Speaking on the occasion, Sudip Pathak, chairman of HURON remarked that social pressure and awareness should be created to uplift women from the trap of pimps.

He also said that the Nepali society is standing against women in a violent way.

Alka Rajouria Rijal, national co-ordinator of JIT remarked the main purpose of JIT is to discourage gender discrimination.

Aruna Rana Thapa, national programme manager of UNIFEM said the law of the nation is responsible in making women weaker" adding the existing law is also not being implemented which may further weaken women.

She also informed that eight billion US dollar is spent in prostitution annually.

Pratima Mudbhari, deputy general secretary of HURON said women trafficking is extreme violation of human rights and at present the whole country is affected by trafficking in women.

Stress on environment-friendly programmes for development

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KATHMANDU, March 28 : Alessandra Tisot, deputy resident representative at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday said that Nepal’s commitment to sustainable development would be fulfilled only if strong linkages were made between poverty alleviation and environment-friendly programmes.

Speaking at a "National Stakeholders Workshop" jointly organised here by the Himalayan Light Foundation and the UNDP-supported Global Environment Facility (GEF), Tisot said the UN currently supports programmes aimed at improving environment quality to bring about sustainable development.

"So far 21 projects related to conservation have been implemented. UNDP-funded Small Grants Programme is the one making a headway", she said.

Inaugurating the workshop, Prabha Thakkar, member secretary at the Social Welfare Council suggested that indigenous knowledge and practice is applied in taking up small conservation projects. "This is an important part of WTO debate."

She said that small programme fits well in the local context and should be implemented locally rather than adopting ambitious and large ones. "Small is better. This philosophy is very much valid."

The Environment Protection Society has also launched a bio-diversity conservation project in Ilam, said Krishna Baral, president of ENPROS, who was present during the workshop. "Our main target is bio-diversity conservation," he said. Ganesh Raj Acharya, a team leader of this project said conservation work has already begun in Danabari VDC of Ilam. UNDP has provided US$ 50,000 for the project.

Koirala for House revival

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BHAKTAPUR, March 28 : Girija Prasad Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, said the seeds of the struggle to establish a republic and the seeds of the conflict between the King and the parliamentary forces have been recently sown in the political atmosphere of the country.

Inaugurating the second national convention of Nepal Peasants’ Union, a sister organisation of the NC, yesterday Koirala said, "Since the seeds for republic have already been sown, the King must return the rights of the parliament to avoid any such attempts."

He stressed that recent price hike in petroleum products and gas are the result of the royal proclamation of October 4 and the victims of hike are non other than innocent agriculture-based people.

"The trend of give-and-take still remains, "In 2007 King Tribhuvan gave democracy and King Mahendra took back what was given and now the same thing happened, King Birendra gave and King Gyanendra took back," he said.

He agreed that there is corruption in government offices but he said that there is the Commision for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority adding the government should let the Commission do its duty.

He also questioned the Maoists what was the point if they agreed both the constituent assembly and multi-party democracy. Speaking at the programme, he said that the parliament could fulfill both their demands.But he is not ready to agree the decision of seventy thousand armed men. "The wish of seventy thousand armed men cannot suppress the will of two billion people of the nation," he said.

Son harasses aged mother constantly

By Leelanath Ghimire

SINDHULIMADI, March 28 : Suku Laxmi, 64 of Bastipur VDC-5, Sindhuli district had never thought that her fate would continue to take adverse turns even at her age. The harrowing incidents of how this elderly widow’s own son manhandles her has touched the hearts of audiences when Laxmi narrated her woes at Sindhulimadi, the district headquarters, recently.

After the death of her husband some 20 years ago, Laxmi had to bring up her two sons single-handed. With the hope that her sons would bring comfort when she would start ageing, she toiled day and night.

At the time when they had to look after their mother, the elder son went abroad with his wife after marriage, while the younger son now stays separately in another house with his wife. Rather than help and comfort his mother, the younger son beats her often about the land ownership certificate, according to Laxmi.

Some five years ago, a local teacher pleaded Laxmi for help and to give him the land ownership certificate of her land so that he could draw a loan from the Agricultural Development Bank keeping the certificate for mortgage. Since Nawaraj Sunuwar, the teacher promised to return the certificate after a month, kind Laxmi handed over the document to Sunuwar.

However, Sunuwar has not returned the document even after five years and this is the main reason why her son beats her. "Land certificate is only an issue. He severely beats me and pulls me by the hair even in trifle matters on his wife’s saying," said Laxmi even as she wailed while narrating the heartbreaking incidents of cruelty meted out by her son.

On hearing that the teacher Sunuwar was in Sindhulimadi, Laxmi accompanied by her niece went there to ask him for the certificate. "Whenever Sunuwar sees me, he avoids me and disappears," said poor Laxmi.

Upon seeing this elderly lady wailing in public, Prema Chand Dahal wrote to the District Administration Office (DAO) to help Laxmi. "An order has been placed to present Sunuwar," said Durga Prasad Bhandari, the Chief at DAO.

Medicine shortages in Ayurvedic Health Centre affects locals

By Prakash Adhikari

DAMAULI, March 28 : A majority of people who rely on the traditional method of Ayurvedic treatment have been deprived of this mode of treatment, due to the shortage of Ayurvedic medicines in the District Ayurvedic Health Centre (DAHC) since the past seven months.

During the fiscal year 2003/2004, the Ayurvedic Department has been providing medicines to this centre at the rate of one box per month. The department had dispatched nine boxes of medicines in the second week of August last to be managed until the second week of April. But this allotted quantity of medicines received by the centre has completely been used up by the second week of September, and since then, the centre is facing a shortage.

In this health centre, which renders Ayurvedic services and provides medicines for various types of diseases free of cost since the last eight years, the number of people seeking help for various maladies these days has dropped down by more than half, on account of this medicinal shortage. It is learnt that around 50 patients suffering from various diseases used to drop in everyday at this centre. But now this number has decreased to just about 20. However, these few patients who have been visiting this centre are inevitably forced to return empty-handed, said the chief of this centre, Lakshmikant Chapagain.

This health centre located at Tanahun requires medicines worth more than Rs 6,00,000 on an yearly basis, but this time for a period of nine months, the Ayurvedic Department has provided them with medicines worth around Rs 45,000 only. They do not have enough fund to even process and produce some of the useful medicines which they had been doing previously. Due to the limited budget and lack of efficient manpower, they have been facing this problem, informed the head of this centre.

It is learnt that more than half the population around this region have been relying on this age-old traditional and natural mode of medical treatment in preference to modern methods of treatment like Allopathy. Considering the fact that people having more faith on Ayurveda and the shortage it has been facing, this Ayurvedic centre had sent a letter on January 15 to the concerned department, requesting for immediate dispatch of additional medicines. But the department has not shown any interest so far to resolve this matter, lament the employees of this centre.

Due to the government’s haphazard ways of unequal distribution of medicines to the district level health centres and the various Ayurvedic dispensaries, such a piquant situation has arisen in the district health centres, says the Kabiraj (Ayurvedic doctor) of this centre, Keshav Neupane. Similarly, 10 other dispensaries situated in this district are facing medicinal shortage. The chief of this centre, Chapagain reiterates that due to shortage of medicines as well as budgetary constraints, they have not been able to carry out their regular inspection and monitoring of the dispensaries situated in villages.

Ninety-three different types of medicinal herbs have been found within this district alone, but processing of all these for medicinal purposes has not been achieved yet. It is learnt that study of Ayurveda has been included as an optional subject in the course book of class nine and ten of Maharishi Sanskrit Bedbyas school. Due to this also, many have been attracted to this mode of treatment.

Fifteen pc of Pokhara population are Sukumbasis

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POKHARA, March 28 : According to a recent research, 15 per cent of the total population in the tourist destination of Pokhara consists of the Sukumbasi (land-less squatter) populace. The trend of increasing number of Sukumbasis and their encroachment on public land has been a subject of worry for the environmentalists.

Dr Jagannath Adhikary of Martin Chautari informed that 15 per cent of the population of Pokhara Valley claimed themselves to be Sukumbasis. Accordingly, 45,000 people are living as Sukumbasis in Pokhara. However, there is no authentic statistics to support this claim. But Adhikary’s research states that there are actually just about 16,000 Sukumbashis in Pokhara. By 2021, the population of these landless people is expected to rise to 60 per cent.

It is learnt that even those who have their own houses and land have been wresting claim on the public land under the fake identity of being Sukumbasis. There are 42 settlements of Sukumbasis in the city of Pokhara currently.

Those people who have come down to Pokhara from the surrounding regions to work as labourers too have been laying claims on the public land as Sukumbasis. The Sukumbasi population has been rising by 26.5 per cent each year. In 1989 there were only 427 house-holds belonging to Sukumbasis. The research report states that after the restoration of democracy in 1990, there has been a profound rise in the number of people claiming themselves to be Sukumbasis, taking refuge under the patronage of various political parties.

According to Adhikary, during 1969/70, the Sukumbasi families had been living only around the airport region, after which they were shifted and rehabilitated in the existing bus-park region. Thus began the trend of Sukumbasi settlements around the city region, and intensified as the years passed by and reached to such an alarming state as of now. Also it is learnt that during 1977, the landslide victims of Majhthana VDC of Kaski were rehabilitated at Pokhara-18 as Sukumbasis.

In 23 years, more than 1000 ropanis of valuable public land have been encroached upon in the name of Sukumbasis. The land record of 1979 showed that there existed 6158 ropanis of public land, while there exists only 1621 ropanis of non-occupied public land at present.

The study shows that there exists no free public land in wards nos 10, 13 and 16. Adhikary is of the view that the location, plot no. and the total area of the remaining public land, if recorded clearly will stop the further encroachment of these lands.

It is learnt that the houses constructed on these public land by fake Sukumbasis are being leased out and are bringing profits to them. From renting them out they have been obtaining sums ranging from Rs 3000 to Rs 8000 per month. These wayward and haphazard ways of encroachment and building houses without proper sanitation around these Sukumbasi settlements have been greatly adding to the pollution of this city of enchanting beauty, and thus eroding the charm of this tourist destination, laments the environmentalist, Dr Krishna KC.

One dead, over two dozen injured in bus accident

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DANG, March 28 : The passenger bus with the registration no. Na 2 Kha 1847 bound for Salyan from Kathmandu met with an accident at the Narti road section of Mahendra Highway near Sonpur-1. In this incident one succumbed to death while more than two dozen were injured.

The dead has been identified as Gangaram Gharti, a resident of Tulsipur municipality-7 of Dang. The injured have been undergoing treatment at Mahendra hospital in Ghorahi and Primary Health centre in Lamahi, while six who were seriously injured have been shifted to hospitals at Nepalgunj and Palpa. The condition of four of these seriously injured however, is reported to be critical.

The driver of the bus fled soon after the accident, and the search for him is on, informed the police inspector at Lamahi unit police office, Prem Kumar Basnet.

Assistance provided to hydel project

RSS

CHAUTARA, March 28 : Sindhupalchowk District Alternative Energy Development branch has granted an assistance of Rs 350,394 to the Handikhola Third Micro Hydro-Power Project situated at local Thangpalkot VDC.

Local Development Officer Sher Bahadur Dhungana handed over the cheque to chairman of the working group Chhiring Tamang amid a function organised here recently. The branch already has granted more than Rs 1 million to the project, which has a capacity of generating 20 kilowatt of electricity.

The project completed at a total cost of Rs 2.4 million will benefit some 216 households of ward no 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the VDC.

The VDC situated at a distance of about 12 km from the district headquarters has electricity in all its wards.

The Alternative Energy Development Programme was introduced in the district in 1998 under the technical and financial assistance of United Nations Development Programme.

Transport strike held in Sunsari

ITAHARI, March 28(RSS)- A rally was taken out and transport strike held in Sunsari district to protest against the hike in prices of the petroleum products by Nepal Oil Corporation in line with HMG’s decision.

All-Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) affiliated to the CPN-UML held a demonstration at Inaruwa, the district headquarters, demanding rollback of the hiked price.

Likewise, chairman of the Citizens Consumers Forum, Sunsari, Dhruva Raj Ghimire, has issued a press statement demanding the decrease in the price of petroleum products.

CPN-UML Sunsari district committee secretary Dharma Raj Niraula has also warned not to sell petroleum products at the increased prices, it is learnt from the petrol pumps.

VDC community development programmes come to a halt

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CHAUTARA, March 28 : The Community Development Programme and Income Generating Programmes being implemented in some 14 VDCs that are affected by the Melamchi Drinking Water Project (MDWP) have come to a standstill due to the paucity of fund for the past three months.

Delay on the agreement between the loan provider Asian Development Bank and the Local Development Fund (LDF) has resulted in the project being stopped, according to a concerned source.

The projects, which came into operations two years ago, were funded by the Norwegian government until three months ago. The members at the LDF fear that the projects may face severe consequences if the required fund is not dispatched within this month.

"Presently, the representatives from the donor and the MDWP are engaged in meetings in the capital. Fund will be released shortly after the meeting," said Tej Raj Bhatta, an engineer of MDWP.