Use pen to counter corruption, mediapersons urged

Bhadrapur, Jan. 10 (RSS): nc General Secretary Sushil Koirala has said that everyone has been expressing concern over the institutionalization of corruption in the country.

Chief guest Mr Koirala made this remark while addressing the talk programme on the role of the press in checking increasing corruption organised by the Nepal Press Union, Jhapa here today.

The nc General Secretary expressed the view that the Nepali Congress and other political parties should shoulder equal responsibility for checking corruption.

Stating that the mafias were taking advantage of the political instability in the country, Mr Koirala said the extreme rightists and leftists were plotting to weaken democracy in the country.

Stating that the mediapersons should carryout their duties in a more responsible manner to encounter the challenges of corruption, aberrations and terrorism faced by the country, the nc general Secretary said that party and the government would extend all possible cooperation if the mediapersons involved in this task were threatened.

Assistant Minister for Commerce Narendra Bikram Nemwang said that the Nepali Congress party has issued clear directives to the government to remove corruption and aberrations and to run the government in a transparent manner.

Mr Nemwang said that the government had taken steps to resolve the problems faced by the country despite some weaknesses.

Expressing the view that the people had handed over to the Nepali Congress the responsibility of building the future of the country, nc central member and mp Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that improvements had to be made at Singha Durbar to check corruption.

mp dr Gopal Prasad Koirala said efforts should be made from the village to the central level to contain the problem of corruption which is becoming more complex in the country.

Former nc central member Bhubikram Nemwang said that the mediapersons should not hesitate to express their views in connection with corruption and other aberrations taking place in the society.

Chief of the Nepali Congress central office press section Purusottam Dahal, president of the Nepal Press Union (npu) Kulchandra Wagle, former president npu Tara Baral, npu founder member Shobhakar Parajuli, npu central council member Chintamani Dahal expressed their views on the inter-relations between democracy and the press.

At the function chaired by npu district president Lok Raj Dhakal, nc district president Sudhir Shivakoti, chief district officer Dilliraj Joshi, Krishna Dharabasi of npu and others also expressed their views.

Journalists plead for law on right to information

Biratnagar, Jan. 10 (RSS):A team of the democratic working journalists of the Nepal Press Union, Morang, today met President of the Nepali Congress and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala and presented various demands to him.

On the occasion, President of Morang district branch of the Press Union, Hem Raj Regmi said that there has been no security of the profession of the democratic working journalists active in the protection of democracy.

The team drew the attention of NC President Koirala towards the demands made by the Nepal Press Union for the protection and promotion of the rights and interest of the working journalists and stated that these have not been redressed.

The team also sought the bill on rights to information as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 be presented in the forthcoming session of the Parliament.

It has also demanded granting immediate permanent status to the journalists working for years in the mass media and prevent replacement in their post.

Demanding the changes in the weaknesses and shortcomings in the working journalists act and regulations, the team has requested the government to be serious towards the increasing insecurity among those working in the mass media and sought provision for inclusion of journalists outside the capital also in the entourage of the prime minister and other ministers during the foreign visits.

It has also called upon HMG to make necessary provision of higher studies and scholarships in the realm of journalism.

On the occasion, NC President Koirala assured the team that he will seriously take initiative to fulfill the demands as far as possible.

He also said that he will hold consultations with HMG to make provision for the protection of the rights and interest of the working democratic journalists.

The delegation led by Morang district branch of the Nepal Press Union Hem Raj Regmi comprised of central treasurer Soorya Nepal, former Sunsari district branch chairman Yam Pradhan and others.

Lahan faces shortage of kerosene

Lahan, Jan. 10 (RSS):Kerosene is not available in the local market since last Friday and even if available, it costs Rs 25 to Rs 30 a litre, the local consumers disgruntle.

Almost all the petrol pumps of the Municipality have claimed that they have no stock of kerosene and are unable to say from when it will be available.

When administrative officer Murari Prasad Sharma of the Ilaka administration office, Lahan, was contacted in this connection, he said that stern action would be taken against those hoarding kerosene and action of raiding the godown of the kerosene dealers are being undertaken.

UK aid for tiger conservation

-BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Jan. 10:The British Government has given a grant of over US$ 36,000 to WWF Nepal for a tiger-monitoring project in Chitwan, Bardia and Shuklaphanta tiger conservation units.

WWF Nepal will use the funds to work with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and The King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation to monitor tigers in the wild, according to a British Embassy press release.

The technology of camera trapping has been applied in the Royal Bardia National Park since 1997 and was extended to Shuklaphanta in 1998. The field teams have been able to use the pictures to gather information about 28 tigers (24 in Bardia and 4 in Shuklaphanta). This data has been compiled and analysed to develop a comprehensive and unique record of a species threatened with extinction.

This project is part of an on-going programme of conservation activities funded by the British Government which includes a study of Nepal’s compliance with its CITES obligations which was published in May 1999, the statement stated.

‘Transport tax should be stopped’

Kathmandu, Jan. 10 (RSS): Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs Federation has demanded that His Majesty’s Government immediately stop the transport tax collected by some municipalities even after the cancellation of the tax in highways and sub-highways of the country.

At the press conference organised here today, the federation has also warned that the federation would close down all public transport if the demand is not met by Jan. 15.

His Majesty’s Government had in a press release issued on Jan. 3 prohibited municipalities from collecting the tax in highways and sub-highways.

The federation has also demanded that the government direct the municipalities to return the tax collected after Jan. 3.

Speaking on the occasion general secretary of the federation Hom Prasad Adhikari said that the federation submitted an eight-point demand to the Prime Minister today.

‘Breaking the fetters of bondage’

Dhangadhi, Jan. 10 (RSS): Fifty-year-old Tikaram Chaudhari of Beladevipur village development committee (vdc)-1, Kailali district, has decided that enough is enough and broke free from the age-old practice of bonded labour.

Chaudhari had been working as a Kamaiya (bonded agriculture labourer) at the house of Punna Rana in the same locality. He decided to give up the practice once he was able to repay the ancestral debt of Rs 4,000 that he owed to Rana.

Tikaram Chaudhari took loans from the mobile fund for Kamaiya upliftment conducted by the district land reforms office and repaid the loan to his master.

However, whether Chaudhari would work as a Kamaiya or would be a free man would be decided by his master on the day of the Maghi festival according to age-old practice among the Tharu community.

Not only Tikaram Chaudhari, three others who are among the ten remaining Kamaiyas in their village, have also decided to break free of the Kamaiya system of bonded labour.

Chaudhari believes that various awareness programmes launched by the land reforms office and a non-governmental organisation called the Backward Society Education (base) have helped improve the socio-economic condition of the Kamaiyas.

Twenty-year-old Bujhauna Chaudhari, who disassociated himself from the age-old practice two years back says that he was not facing any economic difficulty to make ends meet.

Similarly, 22-year-old Juhari Chaudhari of Ratanpur vdc-5, Kailali district has decided to quit working as a Kamaiya. Juhari Chaudhari, who does not own a piece of land, has started working as an independent wage labourer. He plans to construct a hutment on a piece of public land near the Mohana river.

Describing his life as a Kamaiya, Juhari says that he had to work the field of his master from dawn to dusk and even that was not sufficient to sustain his family of six.

Maghi is a time when new Kamaiyas are recruited. Prospective landlords begin to search for a new batch of Kamaiyas on a very cheap wage basis.

This practice is prevalent in Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya and Dang districts of West Nepal.

With the objective of uplifting the status of Kamaiyas and banishing the practice from the society, His Majesty’s Government has implemented the Kamaiya debt relief and skill development programme.

Under the programme, the district land reforms office has been conducting various skill-development, employment generation and economic assistance programmes aimed at the Kamaiyas in those districts.

According to a statistics made available by the district land reforms office, there are 5,557 Kamaiyas in Kailali and none of them owns land.

Budha Subba temple at Dharan is one of destination for pilgrims.