Govt preoccupied with law and order, says PM

Tansen, June 1 (RSS): Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala inaugurated the 23rd central meeting of the Family Planning Association Nepal (FPAN) here today.

On the occasion Prime Minister Koirala said that the people cannot receive the desired benefit of the development endeavours being made as a result of unbridled population growth and pointed out the need for organisations such as FPAN to make the programmes more widespread.

Mr Koirala said that he took over the rein of the government with the commitment to guarantee law and order, weed out corruption and resolve the Maoists’ problem and had been preoccupied with these problems.

FPAN central president Sunil Kumar Bhandari referred to the contributions made by FPAN in checking the population growth.

Chairman of Palpa district development committee Jhapendra Bahadur G.C., Tansen mayor Ashok Shahi, president of Tansen district committee of the Nepali Congress (NC) Rajan Pant and a host of other speakers expressed their views on the occasion.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, speaking at the gathering of the heads of various offices at Tansen said that the civil servants should work honestly and with dedication to make the people realise the fruits of democracy.

Stating that the government had moved ahead the work in accordance with the report of the administration reforms commission, Mr Koirala said that the nation would progress only if everyone from peon to the prime minister discharged their duties sincerely.

Speaking on behalf of the office heads, chief district officer (CDO) Janardan Nepal expressed gratitude for raising the morale of the civil servants and expressed readiness to extend cooperation to the government.

Prime Minister and NC president Koirala, at a gathering of the party rank file organised by the NC district committee, called upon the activists to take up leadership without favour from anyone in a democratic manner and work for the consolidation of the party.

Stating that the government was resolved to maintain good governance, combat corruption and Maoists terror and ensure security of the people, Prime Minister Koirala called for cooperation from all the party activists.

If the activists think of where they were earlier and where they are now, corruption can be prevented, the prime minister said, adding that the politics of murder and violence will never succeed and none can harm democracy in the country.

NC president Palpa district committee president Rajan Pant apprised the prime minister of the problems of Palpa district.

Future of democracy secure: Bhattarai

Kathmandu, June l (RSS): Former prime minister and Democracy Promotion Centre patron Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has said that no one can create obstructions along the way that opened up with the advent of democracy through a relentless struggle.

Releasing a book on ‘Social Justice: Nepalese Perspective’ written by executive member of the Local Development Training Centre Dr. Yagya Prasad Adhikari, Mr. Bhattarai said that all should be conscious and alert towards consolidating democracy which is considered the best polity in the world these days.

He noted that the future of democracy in Nepal is extremely secure despite the fact that different kinds of assaults have impinged upon it since its inception.

He also stressed that democracy should be consolidated here in Nepal as a model for the entire Asian continent.

General secretary of the Nepali Congress Shushil Koirala, from the chair, said that as there is no alternative to democracy, the concept of socialism should be spread through the consolidation of democracy.

Referring to the many ups and downs that characterised the ushering in of democracy, he said that its shortcomings should be corrected through talks.

Commenting on the book released today, NC central member and party spokesman Narahari Acharya said the book has been presented as a revolutionary attempt.

Author Dr. Adhikari said that he has tried to envisage an equitable society through his book and expressed the hope that it would motivate policy makers and other conscious citizens to seriously ponder social justice.

NC Lalitpur district chairman and general secretary of the centre Sagar Shamsher Rana spoke about the establishment of the centre and its activities.

The book identifies and evaluates different aspects of social justice.

Journalists urged to probe corruption

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 1: Journalists, in any country, do have an important role to play in ensuring government transparency, said Mr. David L. Pezzullo at a lecture-cum-discussion programme, "The Journalist’s Role In Ensuring Government’s Transparency", organised by the American Center today.

Equating government transparency to, among others, the government not condoning corruption and tolerating corrupt practices in its midst, Pezzullo, a consultant of the Center for International Private Sector, further noted "Since a corruption drama takes place at an extremely personal level, it is the duty of the journalists to investigate such cases so that the civil society could come up with necessary mechanisms to put a stop to it."

Journalists, in order to dig up such cases, need to be equipped with the right skills for which provisions should be there to impart them with necessary training, Pezzullo pointed out.

Access to information is most essential for journalists if they are to play their part in informing the civil society which, in turn, can force the government to be transparent in its dealings. To garner the required information, journalists need to maintain their own credibility by being scrupulously above board in their calling, he said.

It is unfortunate that democracy has also led to the democratisation of corruption in many developing countries, said Pezzullo, adding "Debates are going on in many countries as to how the press can play a meaningful role in exposing corruption and making the government to be transparent in its transactions".

Corruption is inherent in any civil society which is comprised of all kinds of citizens. And corrupt practices take place when the existing rules that govern a civil society break down. Only an informed civil society can come up with measures to plug the loopholes in the existing laws so that unscrupulous persons out to gain undue advantages by circumventing the laws would be deterred and discouraged. This is where journalists’ role in building institutional behaviour in civil society, particularly among the youth, comes into sharp focus, he said.

To a query as to what should be the role of a journalist in a country where corruption control measures are minimal while corrupt practices are rampant, Pezzullo said," In such a situation, there is the urgent need to put in place check and balance mechanisms by the civil society where such an anomaly is seen".

Though it may take many years for such measures to counterbalance such an anomaly, by far the biggest impediment in controlling corruption is despair from the civil society, Pezzullo cautioned. Yet, when such counterbalancing measures are in place, changes are bound to take place. This, in turn, could throw up opportunities to the civil society to put is corruption control steps in order, he said.

He wants to be tallest man on earth

BY K.P. SHARMA

Kathmandu, June 1: "Be not afraid of growing slowly, but be afraid of standing still," goes a popular Asian proverb.

But for Rajan Adhikary it was a matter of sadness in both the occasions. Adhikary, 21, who claims to be the tallest man in the country, was afraid of growing fast at the age of 15. He says he was already six feet and half by then and had even visited the local hospitals to find out what was wrong with him. "Thank God, I have not been a victim of disease of any kind so far," he says with a sigh of relief and happiness for not being prescribed any antibiotics.

But now, Adhikary, a permanent resident of Bayarban-7, Ramailo, Morang, is worried if he would ‘stand still’ by stagnating at his present height of 7 feet and 3 inches.

Adhikary, who was honoured by the Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kamala Pant the other day, is hopeful that if his growth rate continues till he is 25 he will be the tallest man in the world. "I want to be the tallest man around and set a record so that the world will know Nepal as the country of not only the tallest mountain on earth but also for the tallest man," he says.

For doctors also agree that a man can keep on gaining height until he reaches 25.

However, Adhikary is now realising that, to some extent, growing taller than the rest of the Nepalese is not a boon.

"It is an asset to one’s personality and helpful from other points of view. But I feel really worried when traveling," he says. He could not travel comfortably as the seats of buses, taxis and planes are narrow and just don’t have enough space for his legs.

"And the most depressing moment is when you are made a laughing stock. The people, awe-struck by my towering height, just stare at me as if I was from some distant planet. Sometimes, the children even throw stones at me."

For him the problem doesn’t lie while walking or travelling only. "I can’t find any clothings which I could put on without having to give a special order," he unfurls his problems.

"Sleep comes to me easily. But whever I leave my home sleeping problems haunt me the most. I can’t sleep well on normal six and half feet long beds", Rajan confides to this scribe.

His feet are so big that normal shoes and sandals won’t fit him. " I need 13-inch long sandals or shoes and they are not available anywhere". Presently, he is getting them from Fit-rite shoe company.

It is the same thing with clothings. He can’t find any readymade pants and shorts to suit him. He needs 1 and a half meters of cloth for a single pair of pants and 2 and a half meters of clotha for a full-sleeved short.

"Because of his towering height, many think that he needs a lot of food. But he has a normal appetite," his cousin brother Kumar Prasad Adhikary informs while talking about Rajan’s appepite.

On how he felt when he came to know that his height was growing fast he says, "When I realise that I was growing fast, I was afraid something had gone wrong with me. I rushed to a local hospital. But when doctors gave me a clean medical chit and said that the growth was natural I became very happy. Then, I had no idea that could be the tallest man in Nepal or in the whole world."

For a brief moment, Rajan thought he would make a career in the sports sector as a spiker. "Maybe because of my height, I was tapped by the Nepal Volleyball Association. Some members of the NVA came to my village and took me to some places to be trained as a volley-ball player", Rajan says.

"But when Nepal Volleyball Association could not include me in its national volleyball team I got worried", he says.

Adhikary, who packs 97 kg in his 7 feet 3 inch frame, now hopes to be the tallest man on earth. "But I am worried whether I can gain a few more inches with my irregular diet", Rajan says.

Adhikry had to quit his study due to unfavourable economic conditions of the family. "We spent all our property in our father’s treatment," he says.

His father is a cancer patient. He lives with his sick father in Morang. His two elder sisters, who are of average height, are already married.

"They made me marry when I was 15 because I had no one to look after my sick father. My mother passed away when I was only two years old," he discloses the tragic aspect of life. He seems also worried about his matrimony. "I have not yet been able to beget a child," he says.

"I wish the government could help me earn my livelihood. I just don’t know what our government is thinking about me. I may or may not be considered a national asset by the government. But I have heard that in other countries, people like me are assisted by the governments to live a life free from mundane problems.", says Rajan.

‘Withdraw ban on Safa tempo registration’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 1: Operators and manufacturers of SAFA Tempo have demanded that the government withdraw its decision to bar new registration of the electrically run three wheelers in the valley.

"Since no genuine reason has been cited for closing the registration of this environment friendly vehicle there are lurking doubts whether the Mafia has popped up its head in the transportation sector," Chairman of Clean Transport Entrepreneurs Association Devi Prasad Limbu said.

The Transport Management Department published a notice recently closing the registration of metered taxies, LPG and electrically operated three wheelers inside Bagmati Zone.

The government took the decision in view of the growing number of vehicles inside the valley, narrow roads and the frequent traffic congestion.

There are around two hundred thousands vehicles plying inside the valley as shown by the statistics of 1998. It is estimated that this number is likely to increase by one hundred thousand by the year 2008.

Operators of SAFA tempo refuted the news carried by some newspapers that the large number of lead acid batteries used in the three wheeler contributed to environmental pollution in the long run.

They have charged the government of closing the registration of the SAFA tempos to make room for the 80 microbuses waiting at the Tatopani customs.

The batteries of the SAFA tempo unlike the batteries of other automobile can be recharged up to 750 times and have a life span of two years. Moreover the batteries have a resell value and can be used in other electrical devices that require small quantity of electrical power, the operators of SAFA tempo said.

They said that the lead pollution would result only if the recycling of the batteries was not done properly.

"The SAFA tempos will only create 150 tons of scrap lead as shown by the projected figures for the year 2000 whereas the automobiles in the valley according to the statistics of 1997/98 have been generating 1240 tons of scrap lead," Bikash Pandey of the WINROCK International said. Of this, 75 tons has been going into the environment owing to the flaws in the collection of worn out batteries. If improvements are made in the collection process the figure of lead going into the environment can be brought down to one per cent, he said.

He said that the automobiles were generating 10 times more scrap lead than the SAFA tempos.

Pandey however said that the recycling of the batteries was not being done satisfactorily in Nepal.

"There is not much danger of pollution from SAFA Tempo batteries as the batteries in use have not been worn out and DANIDA is looking forward to establish a charging station for the batteries so that they can be collected under one roof, " General Secretary of Clean Ram Prasad Upadhyaya said.

Ashok Pandey associated with the Electric Vehicle Manufacturers Association said at a time when electric vehicles are being promoted all around the world because of their environment friendly nature, it would not be sensible to put a bar in their registration.

"There has been an improvement in the quality of air in the valley after the introduction of SAFA tempos and the tourism sector that had once witnessed a setback owing to high rate of pollution is slowly picking up," he said.

He said that nearly 450 million rupees was being invested by the private sector in the manufacture of SAFA tempos and the closing of new registration would give a severe blow to the investors.

Nearly six thousand people are involved in the operation of SAFA tempos and their jobs have been jeopardised owing to the recent decision of the government, Pandey said.

He said that the SAFA tempos had been saving 20 million rupees, which would otherwise go into the purchase of petrol by the government.

Aamod Pokhrel, an environmentalist said the recent decision of the government to bar new registration of SAFA tempos is against the spirit of the Ninth Five Year Plan, which has stressed the development of clean energy.

‘HR, peace must go together’

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 1-Human rights activists and politicians discussed various dimensions of human rights and stressed the need for peaceful society and social equality . They said that human rights and peace are essential factors, for which the government as well as political parties should develop understanding to uphold the fundamentals of the human rights.

Dwelling upon the issues related to the rampant violation of human rights in connection to the Maoists insurgency in various parts of the country, they urged the government and the Maoists insurgents to stop killing the people.

Speaking at a programme organized by the Human Rights And Peace Society (HURPES) on the occasion of its fifth anniversary, most of the speakers said "The root cause of murder and violation should be dug out."

MP and leader of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe said the main reason behind the emergence of the Maoists activities is the non- functioning of the report recommended by the Mallik Commission in 1991.

" After the restoration of the multi -party system people had great expectations that all the corrupt people would be punished. But unfortunately the governments failed to do so. All these activities of the governments formed after 1990 are responsible to this," Bijukchhe said.

He asked as to why the government has earmarked more budget in the security head in the budget estimates of the fiscal year 2000-2001, if the government is really serious about solving the Maoists problems.

He further said "No peace can be restored in the society unless there remains disparity between people." People from every walks of life should be ensured their rights on the basis of social justice, he noted.

Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, MP, of the ruling Nepali Congress was of the view that every people in the society should know the essence of human rights and peace. For this the role of human rights activists is important, he added.

Regarding the Maoists problems he said "It should be solved through dialogue."

Justice of the Supreme Court Laxman Prasad Aryal noted that the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990 has guaranteed the human rights and it is the duty of every citizen to uphold the provision in the constitution.

Human rights is an essential factor in the civil society, hence the role of political parties is vital in this regard, he added.

Govind Bikram Shah, MP, accused the major political parties for undermining the problems of the Maoists insurgency. In fact big political parties- such as ‘the Nepali Congress and the UML are not serious enough’ towards the Maoist problems, he said.

Former MP and human rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar said the government and the political parties should take initiatives to ensure human rights of every citizen.

Purshottam Dahal, a human rights activist, said the government as well as major political parties should be responsible to uphold the fundamentals of human rights.

Krishna Pahadi, president of the HURPES said that the leaders of the political parties should not undermine the dignity of a human rights institution. All should be committed to uphold the fundamentals of human rights.

IA resumes flight to Nepal

Kathmandu, June 1 (RSS): The Indian Airlines resumed its New Delhi-Kathmandu flight after a gap of five months today.

An Indian Airlines aircraft from New Delhi landed at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) at 1:25 p.m. today.

Joint secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India and chairman and general manager of Indian Airlines Sunil Pharora arrived here on board the Indian Airlines Aircraft.

The plane which arrived here with 159 passengers left for New Delhi today with 129 passengers.

Mr Pharora expressed happiness at the resumption of the Indian Airlines flight and appreciated the security measures adopted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to ensure security at the airport.

Expressing his commitment to work in close contact with the concerned bodies of both countries for promoting air links, the chairman of Indian Airlines noted that he is desirous of working together with the government and private sectors for promoting tourism in Nepal.

Kathmandu-New Delhi and Kathmandu-Calcutta flights will resume from tomorrow on a regular basis, while Kathmandu-Varanasi flights will resume within a few weeks, the sources said.

Secondary X-ray screening system has been brought into operation from today at Tribhuvan International Airport.

According to general manager of the Civil Aviation Authority office at TIA Rajesh Raj Dali, Indian Airlines employees are allowed to check passengers just before they get into the plane. Such arrangement can be made for other airlines also on demand, he said.

India had halted its flights to Kathmandu after hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight No. 814 on Dec 24 last year.

In course of ensuring security at the airport, the TIA civil aviation office has already set up the sterile departure hold area, and arrangements have been made for security baggage strips, computerised pass system and baggage make-up area for baggages passing through security checks.

Security at the Tribhuwan International Airport has been maintained as per the international civil aviation convention and annex 17 of national air security.

With the resumption of the Indian Airlines, tourism entrepreneurs look enthusiastic.

Talking briefly after the resumption of Indian Airlines flight, former chairman of the Hotel Association of Nepal and tourism entrepreneur Yogendra Shakya welcomed the operation of flight and said the postponement of the flights had caused loss not only to Nepal but also to India.