NC Problem
Amicable Solution Emerges

By Prem N. Kakkar

WISDOM has finally prevailed in defusing the Nepali Congress problem that had made the news headlines for the past few weeks. In fact, the dissatisfaction of some members of the Nepali Congress MPs came to light as there were achievements made by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s visit to India termed as a "goodwill visit" by the premier himself.

Dramatic

Notwithstanding the fact that it was after a gap of four years that the Nepalese Prime Minister was making an official visit to India, yet there were some NC lawmakers bent on taking advantage of the situation. There was also a so-called signature campaign but which in the end proved to be nothing.

In one of the dramatic decisions and that too within the period of the significant 18th session of the parliament, Khum Bahadur Khadka was relieved of his ministerial post. This particular action was greatly watched by the political analysts as well as the MP of the Congress party.

The Nepali Congress is the largest as well as the most democratic party in the country. Since its establishment, it has worked for the welfare of the people and the country. In this regard the sacrifices of the NC leaders and activists over the years deserve special mention.

Though there may be shortcomings at times but they have been rectified so that the image of the party remains in good light. The history of the Congress party is replete with numerous examples of selfless service. This is reflected in the struggle for the establishment of democracy in 2007 B.S. that marked the beginning of the era of freedom from the Rana rule.

The people had suffered much during the 104 years that the Rana rulers held the country to ransom. It must indeed be said that B.P. Koirala, Suverna Shumsher Ganeshman Singh, Girija Prasad Koirala, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai among others contributed much in bringing democracy for real in the country.

The dark days of Panchayat system obliterated all that had led to optimism among the people. But the events of 2046 B.S. brought into motion a new dawn full of hope. Even in this struggle the Nepali Congress was at the forefront with the support of the United Left Front. Ganeshman Singh was the supreme leader of the combined force to oust what was considered not a people friendly regime that is the Panchayat system.

The mention of the events is just to bring to light that NC leaders had all through been in the task of bringing justice to the people who had all along suffered either under Rana rule or under the authoritarian Panchayat. The leaders and activists suffered much during their long and hard struggle to usher in an era of freedom and happiness.

Such a party with equally dedicated leaders has forged ahead twice in the general elections held within the past decade. This is but enough to show that when it comes to the right choice to govern the country, it is obviously the Nepali Congress party. The faith of the people in the party was also evident in the May 1999 polls.

The great degree of understanding that exists between the two top most leaders is evident when Krishna Prasad Bhattarai became the prime minister. Though the events some time later was not like by some sections of the people yet there it was.

Now that Mr. Koirala is the Prime Minister as well as the president of the Nepali Congress party there is every need for him to see that any problem or misunderstanding that arises within the party has to be tackled on a war footing as intra-party feuds does not augur well for the party as well as the nation.

If the focus is only on the problems within the party, then the ruling party may not be able to give all attention to the various issues of national interest. So it has been the practice to resolve the problems as soon as they rear their head.

This may not be the first time that such a situation has been created. There were many in the past but all were solved amicably through dialogue. In fact, for a prime minister who believes in consensus, the activities within the party has been given a democratic touch. And herein the importance of dialogue receives top priority.

The five-point demand of the former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai set into motion all the flurry of activities. There was a stalemate. It was after a long interval of time that the two leaders sat down for talks and, as expected, the "crisis" has been diffused.

As per the understanding reached between Prime Minister Koirala and Mr. Bhattarai, the tenth convention of the party is to be held towards the end of January next year, while the reshuffling of the cabinet is to be made besides the reorganisation of the central working committee of the party. The fact that "mutual understanding" receives emphasis is a matter of satisfaction to all.

Unity

It is this very facet of the party leaders that has made NC remain united even during hard times unlike some other parties who split even over small differences. There may be those who want to see the Congress party break up but that has not happened as yet. A democratic party that it is, differences of opinion are bound to happen but compromise emerges only when there exists the right environment for talks to take place between the leaders with opposing views. And that the end to the problem has been achieved is a matter that deserves appreciation.

Preserving Cultural Heritage

By Khilendra Basnyat

CULTURAL heritage is an important aspect of human life because it links us with our histories and provides us with confidence and security to encounter the future. Nowadays cultural heritage preservation has been used by many cities around the world as an effective means of urban renewal and revitalisation.

Revenue

Through heritage preservation, metropolitan authorities can generate revenue to pay for the sustenance and heritage preservation by actual use of heritage elements. The revenue may be obtained from visitors, paying administration charges or rental payment for the use of historic buildings for commercial purposes such as hotels, restaurants, cafes and gift shops.

In fact, there exists a close relationship between heritage preservation and tourism. From a development perspective, a city’s historical heritage means economic opportunity through tourism. Investment in heritage preservation does not change a city’s image at least with indirect benefits that are difficult to measure. Really speaking, development of historic centres bring respect and dignity to urban dwellers.

Kathmandu has an international fame as the city of temples. Its monuments are attractive. They have contributed to enhance the environment of the city landscape. In addition, many cultural sites have been listed in the world heritage list.

Although Nepal’s heritage runs as a powerful force through every aspects of daily life, the values and social structures which have developed and supported this heritage are being influenced by destructive processes, both from within and outside the society.

Some of our important heritage has already disappeared, and others are under threat. Timeless heritages are gradually losing their identity because of the ugly human intervention. Once the integral part of the cultural life of the local people, temples now have heen neglected more then ever before. Lost idols, sagging roofs and plants growing on roof tops are common sights. Instead of worshipping and praying, people have been using temples to keep shops and restaurants and even as permanent shelters. Without the implementation of a wall organised programme for conservation, much of our heritage may disappear in the near future.

Despite repeated efforts, the task of listing and describing our cultural heritage is incomplete although in recent years some advances have been made in some areas.

Friendly countries and international organisations have shown their interest in preserving our cultural heritage. For example, Khokana, a typical Newar village just south of Kathmandu has recently seen the completion of a UNESCO Kathmandu project seeking to revitalise its traditional lifestyle and preserve its rich heritage. The village has also been proposed as an additional monument zone within the existing Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site.

The seventeenth century mural paintings in Sundari Chowk, Patan palace have been restored with a grant from the Sumitamo Foundation of Japan. The Sundari Chowk paintings, a rare example of mural art in Nepal, were discovered during the implementation of an earlier UNESCO project for Patan Durbar Square which is listed in the UN world’s cultural heritage.

The stone spouts, scattered all over the city, are part of the century-old water supply system that has traditionally served the people of Kathmandu as places together water and to bathe as well. Since most of them have dried up and are in a dilapidated condition, the Japanese Embassy in Nepal has signed an agreement with Kathmandu metropolitan city for the renovation of two traditional stone spouts in Kathmandu. UNESCO, Kathmandu facilitates the agreement and is providing technical assistance to the project. It hopes to be able to revitalise many more stone spouts in future.

Despite some jobs for the preservation of historic monuments of Patan, Bhaktapur, Hanumandhoka and Swayambhunath areas, efforts have not been integrated to the planning of towns.

As they are chiefly donors-driven, in the long-term this may provide unsustainable because they have not been geared towards the generation of their own resources for maintenance and reservation.

In our country, heritage preservation has never been used as an effective planning tool for urban regeneration because the government has given less attention to heritage preservation. In fact, revitalisation of ancient heritage can develop the economic base of cities.

For urban regeneration renovated historical monuments can act as a trigger because they increase the attractiveness of a place and help project its image as a tourists site.

As restrictions may include development and adherence to stricter building control regulations requiring the use of particular materials that match those originally used and architectural design synchronising with the original landscape, building owners should be provided incentives for renovation matching the historical landscape.

The National Heritage Conservation Programme (NHCP), an important component in implementing the national conservation strategy, is a new initiative which represents both an alternative philosophy and a practice of heritage conservation.

NHCP reflects a long-term commitment by the organisation engaged in developing policies and administrative framework for the conservation of cultural heritage of national significance. It is an important element of the national conservation strategy implementation programme coordinated by the National Planning Commission (NPC) with technical assistance from the World Conservation Union. It is based on the belief that effective heritage conservation needs to proceed within a realistic economic, political and social framework.

A high level NHCP coordinating committee oversees the programme and is chaired by the President of the Nepal Heritage Society in Collaboration with the NPC programme. Implementation committee membership includes senior representation of NPC, Department of Archeology and Department of National Parks and wildlife Conservation.

Motivation

Our cultural heritage will only be effectively conserved if people understand its values. Unless the motivation for conservation comes from the community itself, long-term conservation it very difficult.

Sitting Pretty On A Scooty

By Uday Lama

ONE can observe ladies in their twenties and thirties riding around on a scooty-a version of the scooter-designed for female riders. And it is getting to be popular, going by the number of these machines on the roads of Kathmandu. No wonder it is making it more difficult to negotiate the valley’s busy traffic.

Easy to handle with a braking mechanism, padded seats and a headlight for added effect it has made commuting from home to office and back less of a headache. Various campanies vie to market the model, of course, with the attached guarantee and modifications.

A working woman rides the scooty with the helmet atop the mass of hair and a strap tucked under the chin. They do provide for a pretty picture to enliven the scene. But what is important is a means of transportation that caters to their fancy.

A driver’s license is required and the machine registered under the owner’s name . Experience in riding is an aid in making it to one’s destination with plenty of time to spare. For this maintenance and repair work is necessary together with careful handling.

These machines are not made for speeding or taking on extra load but has other features that comes across in a package deal to make a sale possible. marketing is an essential strategy to bring in more clients satisfied with its after sales service.

An added factor is its mobility-small, compact and designed for safety. Though it may not be able to take shocks (even of a minor nature) to its body. It’s not vegged but built for comfort.

In an urban setting getting from one point to another is the only thing that matters. This is one conveyance that is out to take the town by storm. Not in the here and now but in the forseeable future.

We can have the travelling experience by getting on with it, that is , from a few fumbles to the actual thing. No need to worry about a head-on collision or falling off when it swerves. A lot of expertise, skill and practice prevents anyone from such happenings.

It’s for the future to see whether this newest arrival can make inroads in the lives of women -those who are out to get the point of hassle free travelling across.

Women, these days , are especially keen on having transportation of their own. It assures a certain degree of independence and a means to move around. And also because they can cope will the stares directed their way and the overcrowding on the streets.

One thing is for sure; these machines are here to stay given its price which is well within the reach of most middle -class women. It’s entry into the market has been marked not so much by fanfare but by a low-keyed approach.

It’s busness as usual when the pretty little things go scooting around- it’s fun, it’s easy and what’s more is travelling in leisure and style.