Deuba urges Maoists to come forth for dialogue

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, August 31:Nepali Congress’s youth leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, taken aback by a blunt denial last week by the Maoist leadership, has re-called the underground rebels to come forth for dialogue through "an acceptable channel."

"I call upon the Maoist leadership to agree to cease all actions and begin a humanitarian dialogue," former Prime Minister Deuba, who heads a high level committee comprising senior Cabinet Ministers, said in a public statement today.

"I have made this dialogue for peace to end this humanitarian emergency my first priority," he appealed. "Let us initiate a dialogue through a channel which is acceptable to both sides. I am waiting to hear through appropriate channels that the Maoist leadership is ready to talk," his statement read, referring also to a similar appeal in the recent past.

"On August 25, I appealed to the Maoist leadership to help end the crisis of confidence which exists between our two sides," Deuba said of his last letter to the Maoist military commander, who quickly refused to send his representatives for talks. "There has only been an escalation of violence. This unnecessary violence must stop and this can only be done through mutually reinforcing humanitarian dialogue," Deuba said in the statement.

But Maoist military commander Prachanda (whose real name is Puspa Kamal Dahal) refused Deuba’s appeal to him to send senior rebel leaders for talks, citing vague reasons. That response left Deuba baffled as he was expecting to negotiate with a three-member team headed by parallel Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai.

The former Premier, in his capacity as the Covenor of the high level committee, had sent the letter days after he was mandated by the government to initiate talks with the Maoist leadership to end the four year old insurgency. Some months ago Deuba had also talked with a certain Maoist leader known as Ashok.

"Let us both reach out towards a dialogue for peace cemented in mutual confidence and strive for a peaceful resolution to our current difficulties," the statement said. "This dialogue must be seen in the context of the extensive and far-reaching damage being done to life and property of our cohesive peaceful nation," he said of the violence, in which over 1400 people have been killed since the so-called war broke out in early 1996.

Nepal in 99th position in World Mothers Report

Kathmandu, Aug. 31 (RSS): Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kamala Pant made public here today the report on "State of the World’s Mothers 2000" prepared by Save the Children, U.S.

Nepal has been placed in 99th position in the report prepared after undertaking studies in 106 countries of the world.

On the occasion, Minister of State Pant called upon all to raise the awareness of the women lagging behind as a result of lack of education.

According to the report prepared after undertaking studies of the condition of women in the world, one woman dies in every 120 minutes in Nepal due to unsafe motherhood.

The report states that the position of women in Norway, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and the United States of America is very good.

Of the South Asian countries, Sri Lanka ranks in the 47th, India in 85th and Pakistan in 96th position.

On the occasion, central director of the Save the Children Keith D. Leslie, Dr. Arju Rana Deuba and representative of the health and family planning office Pancha Kumari Manandhar highlighted the health situation of women in Nepal.

Director of the health, planning and foreign cooperation division Dr. Chhatra Amatya presided.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Pant has said though the present constitution has guaranteed equal rights to women, it is yet to be implemented.

Speaking at a follow-up meeting on "Beijing Plus Five" jointly organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and UNDP here today, Mrs Pant noted that His Majesty’s Government is moving ahead hand in hand with non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) for ameliorating the condition of women who are socially and financially backward.

Member of the National Planning Commission Dr Nirmal Prasad Pandey spoke of the need to pass the bill on women’s rights to property.

Secretary at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Udaya Nepali Shrestha pointed out of the need to formulate laws to check girl trafficking and flesh trade and set up a family and children’s court.

Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Urmila Shrestha remarked that His Majesty’s Government had launched income generating programmes for women.

UNDP resident representative Dr Henning Karcher also spoke on the occasion.

Participatory approach in civics teaching hailed

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug 31;A two-day workshop on civic education organised by the United States Information Agency, USAID and the National Democratic Institute of Foreign Affairs, an American NGO, concluded here today.

Three American civic education teachers were the resource persons during the workshop to explain how the subject was being handled by the United States and how it might be proper for Nepalese teachers to approach the subject.

Civic education is a newly introduced optional subject for the higher secondary classes in Nepalese schools. A textbook has recently been prepared by Nepal Foundation for Advanced Studies with the cooperation of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of Germany.

The participatory approach to teaching citizenship to students introduced by the three American teachers to the Nepalese educationists were appreciated by the Nepalese participants who showed reservations only in its applicability to the Nepalese context where teachers on such a multi-disciplinary subject are rare. Nonetheless, they found the American method attractive enough for parts of it to be adopted during the preparation of the teachers’ manual.

Among the three Americans, Beth Earely Farnbach of Centre for Civic Education of California, Mary Bristol of Anchorage School District curriculum unit and Alvin R. Bell, a retired teacher of civic education gave a series of lively lectures on the methods and goals of teaching citizenship to students.

Earlier, in the beginning of the programme, the new USIS director, Bob Kerr, had made the introductory remarks and Karen J. Stone of NDI had explained the rationale of the workshop to the participants.

Participants in the workshop came from varying backgrounds- from the Education Ministry to university teachers to the authors of the new textbook.

Jomsom to boast first parallel runways in the mountains

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

Jomsom, Mustang, Aug. 31: If all goes well, the airport in this remote district headquarters by next year will be the first one in the mountain region to operate two parallel runways.

Tractors, excavators, rollers, and around 150 labourers are already at work here in renovating the old runway while aircraft flying in and out are tentatively using a parallel airstrip.

Once the works are over, both the runways – parallel to each other – will stretch to 740 metres with 20 metres width. The face-lift will be evident when both the airstrips would be black-topped by April next year.

And that’s not all. The Runway End Safety Area (RESA) – the edge of the runway – is also being doubled from 35 metres. The extra space will play crucial role during emergencies when aircraft skid after landing, aviation experts say. This was the same airstrip where a Chinese-made Y12 aircraft nose-dived to the bordering Kali Gandaki River no sooner it lost control after landing in 1993.

Now that the runway is being black-topped, airline operators are all smiles as they believe their aircraft’s wear and tear cost will decrease drastically. That apart, the black-topping with its coarse texture will also help ice melt fast. "And in that case we will have less flying hour restrictions," says Ananta Kumar Devkota, an engineer of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), working in the Jomsom Airport site.

"The whole idea behind the construction of the parallel runway is to keep the airport operational even if there is disturbance in any one of them."

Harsh winds aside, Jomsom Airport also faces disturbances from winter snow fall forcing aircraft to keep away. "With the black topping, we can easily remove the snow from the runway," said Mahesh Shrestha, Air Traffic Controller at the Jomsom Airport.

Also helpful to keep the runway clear from obstructions will be the still under construction drainage network. What’s more, the airport will also see new security fencing with both the apron and taxi-way black-topped and a new complex to accommodate facilities like VIP Lounge, announcement room, among others. All these are happening under the Second Tourism Infrastructure Development Project – funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Five other airports in Bharatpur, Lukla, Jumla, Biratnagar and Pokhara are also undergoing similar improvements under the same project. There are altogether 44 airports across the Kingdom.

Increasing number of airlines have been operating to and from Jomsom Airport. Seven companies operating fixed wing aircraft and five helicopter operators are operational in this remote Himalayan District Headquarters.

During the brisk season, 15 to 20 take-off and landings take place in a day here while the number swoops down to 10 in lean season – between April and August. Around 30,000 tourists including trekkers and pilgrims visit this district headquarters every year. That is around half the number of the total tourist arrivals in the Annapurna Region – in the centre of which is located Jomsom.

Categorised as a Tourists Traffic Airport, this airport is typical for two good reasons. First is the air-route — to and from this airstrip – which crosses through the world’s deepest gorge between Mountain Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Pilots find this section of the air route quite tricky since they have to maintain the elevation of their aircraft within the height of the gorge. This becomes more Herculean task when fogs and clouds worsen their visibility.

Next is the gushing wind in the Marpha Valley – where Jomsom is located – that allows aircraft to fly in and out only between early morning to 10 a.m. That too if the wind is within the prescribed limit.

Haphazard constructions threaten Jomsom Airport

Even as it is getting a face-lift, the Jomsom Airport faces imminent threat by haphazard private constructions around it. Taller than the planned CAAN complex are the local houses — most of them built for commercial purposes – overshadowing the airport office. Worse still, almost all of these constructions adjoin the apron of the airport – which sees at least 20 aircraft arriving during brisk season.

"The haphazard construction began immediately after the restoration of democracy," said CAAN officials. "During the transitional phase of the political system, locals took chance and encroached the areas here."

So much so, a school has outdone all the other encroachments here. Built in an area parallel to CAAN’s new complex, the school has its fencing bordering with the apron of the airport here.

"Sometimes we even see school children vying to reach the airstrip climbing the fence," CAAN officials said.

Bastola to attend UN assembly

Kathmandu, Aug. 31 (RSS): Minister for Foreign Affairs Chakra Prasad Bastola will attend the 55th United Nations General Assembly designed as the millennium assembly to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York which begins from September 5 and continues till the last week of December, 2000.

The Nepalese delegation will focus on strengthening of the United Nations and its enlarged role to meet the challenges of the new era.

It will also focus on international and regional political issues, socio-economic development, poverty eradication, disarmament, terrorism and other matters related to the least developed and land-locked countries.

During his stay in New York, Minister Bastola will address the United Nations General Assembly, the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement and the ministerial meeting of the least developed countries.

Minister Bastola will also have meetings with the Foreign Ministers of South Asia and other friendly countries during his stay in New York.

Mr Bastola will make a brief visit to winnipeg, Canada to attend the international conference on war affected children to be held there from September 16-17.

Other members of the Nepalese delegation are vice chairman of the National Assembly Chiranjibi Prasad Rijal. MPs Khadga Prasad Oli, Tek Bahadur Chokhal, Krishna Pratap Malla, Ram Kumar Chaudhary and Dil Bahadur Gharti, permanent representative of the permanent mission to the United Nations Murari Raj Sharma, senior officials of the Foreign Ministry officials of the permanent mission in New York.

Minister Bastola is scheduled to return home on September 23.

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charka Prasad Bastola will pay a visit to Sweden from September 5-7 and Norway from September 7-9, prior to his participation in the 55th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During his visit to Sweden, Mr Bastola is scheduled to hold bilateral official talks with Mrs. Ann Lindh, foreign minister of Sweden.

The minister will be briefed on Swedish development cooperation policy by the Swedish government officials and SIDA.

In Norway, Minister Bastola will hold official talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjorn Jagland.

Mr Bastola will also meet Norwegian Minister for International Development Cooperation Mrs. Anne Kristin Sydnes and other trade and industry representatives.

He will also hold talks with the parliamentarian of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Norwegian Parliament.

Mr Bastola’s visits to Sweden and Norway will provide an opportunity to further strengthen and diversify bilateral relations and interactions between Nepal and the two countries.

As sweden and Norway play a prominent role in international arena for promoting peace and development, Mr Bastola will hold discussions on the current regional and international issues.

Minister Bastola will also attend the meeting of Europe based Royal Nepalese ambassadors to be held in Geneva and addressed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on September 11.

Minister Bastola will be accompanied by Dr. Singha Bahadur Basnyat, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway, Mr Gyan Chandra Acharya, joint secretary, Europe America division and Mr Pralhad Kumar Prasai, under secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PAC gets tough on advance takers

Kathmandu, Aug. 31 (RSS): The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which met today reviewed the progress made with regard to the clearance of funds drawn in advance by government offices.

According to the annual report of the Auditor General, Rs 7.32 billion taken as advances by government offices alone remains in arrears.

Of the total amount in arrears, Rs 760 million is advance drawn by government employees while 6.56 billion is advance drawn under various other heads.

This figure is an increase of 7.04 per cent as compared to the figures for fiscal year 1997/1998. The arrears in advance amount drawn in fiscal year 1997/1998 stood at 6.84 billion.

At the meeting chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Subas Nemwang said the annual increase in arrears of amounts drawn in advance and the inability to settle arrears by the deadline set by the regulations was immoral from the point of view of fiscal discipline.

He said the public Accounts Committee had directed the concerned ministries to freeze and take departmental action against employees not clearing the amounts drawn in advance by them, to issue public notices and recover the advance amount along with interest in case of other persons and publish the names of employees, firms or companies that have drawn more than Rs 5,000 as advance and make available to the PAC the progress made in this regard.

Mr Nemwang said in this connection that some ministries were yet to submit their reports to the PAC and the available reports also did not show encouraging signs as regards arrears clearance.

Auditor-general Bishnu Bahadur K.C. said of the total of Rs 25.71 billion in arrears, 28.47 per cent was arrears in amounts taken in advance. He expressed the view that the arrears would be reduced if financial procedure regulations were followed in letter and spirit.

He said the arrears in amount drawn as advance were the main cause of financial irregularities and it would be easier to clear the arrears within the year itself if tender quotations and letters of credit are opened and goods purchased at the beginning of the fiscal year itself.

On the occasion, secretaries at the Ministries of Water Resources, Defense, Home Affairs, Labour and Transport, Land Reforms, Industry and Supplies and Education and Sports and other ministries reviewed the progress made in the clearance of arrears by their respective ministries and offices under them.

Covered hall construction in dispute

BY BISHNU GAUTAM

Kathmandu, Aug. 31: Local residents have knocked the doors of the Chief District Office here to stop an under-construction badminton covered hall in Shantinagar, Ward number 34, saying that the plan is illegal — look at it from any angle.

About 4 dozen locals have signed a memorandum registered at the office of the district administrator, claiming the construction is against the existing law, which prohibits all forms of constructions within 20 meters from the river bank.

"Public land and some portion of the Bagmati river bank has also been encroached to construct the covered hall," the local residents said of their move. Locals have maintained that the road leading to Shantinagar has been blocked due to the construction. The construction is being carried out at the initiative of the local ward office.

The people of Shantinagar have accused their Ward Chairman Bidur Vikram Shah of encroaching the Bagmati river in this particular case. Shah, who is also the Chairman of the Badminton Covered Hall Construction Committee, maintains that he has obtained permission from the district administration for the construction of the covered hall.

"The CDO has not issued any permission for the construction and the Ward Committee does not have the legal rights to erect a building in public land," claims Narendra Gupta, a local resident.

A blue board reading ‘spot to build the Covered Hall of Kathmandu Badminton Organisation’ appeared nearly two months back. The board was erected to the surprise of the locals just after the construction of two buildings of Siddha Devi Primary School began at the bank of Bagmati river in Shantinagar. The school building is learnt to have been constructed by abiding with the regulations.

The locals said they had not expected that the ward office would encroach public land for the construction and the public road too would be blocked altogether.

"We were completely taken aback when the ward officials erected four pillars of the covered hall building barely six meters away from the Bagmati river bank," the locals said.

Refuting the charges leveled by the local people, Ward Chairman Shah said, "The construction was started after obtaining permission from the concerned authorities."

"Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided financial assistance for the construction of the covered hall."

The JICA Office, however denied giving any assistance for the construction.

"I have not given any permission to construct the Covered Hall in the public land and I could not find any record in the office regarding such a permission given to Kathmandu Badminton Organisation," Tulasi Bhattarai, Kathmandu’s new Chief District Officer said.

"The existing provision does not allow the Chief District Officer to grant permission to anybody to construct a building in public land," he said. Bhattarai said that he had already sent a letter to the Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) inquiring into the controversial construction.

Shah said that the protest against the construction was not sensible since the covered hall was the requirement for everybody. Shah said that the Irrigation Department had provided the ward office an assistance of 1.3 million rupees to construct an eight meter wide road as an alternative to the blocked road.

The road will be constructed by raising a retaining wall at the Bagmati river bank, said Shah. "I am a public servant and I will never do anything against public interest."

Machinery to attract foreign assistance urged

Kathmandu, Aug. 31 (RSS): Various learned persons, at a programme organised by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), suggested that a machinery should be developed for attracting foreign assistance and mobilising it in an effective manner.

Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Purush Dhakal, at the programme, said that projects should be formulated on the basis of our priorities and the proposed policy should focus on where, how and how much of the foreign assistance should be utilised.

MP Dilliraj Khanal said that first of all, overall and extensive developmental policy of the country should be designed and committee concerning foreign cooperation should be formed at the political level itself.

MP Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani said that as the main problem was inability to mobilise foreign assistance properly, a commitment should be made for ensuring transparency in mobilisation of the assistance as well as its returns.

Economist Dr. Minendra Rijal suggestd that the role of the Ministry of Finance with regard to foreign assistance should be increased and positive publicity be carried out.

Economist Dr. Mohan Man Sainju said that attention should be paid to the growing tendency of streamlining the foriegn assistance in private sector, ownership of the projects, people’s awareness and coordination, and the final strategy should be formulated to attain self-sufficiency.

Raising 16 questions concerning foreign assistance, on behalf of the organisers, Madhukar Shamsher J. B. Rana asked whether the strategy for foreign assistance was necessary and whether the government or the administration could implement it or not under the present situation when projects under foreign cooperation have given rise to bribery, corruption and anarchy, and the poor and neglected people have not been benefitting from them.

On behalf of the organisers, Dr. Raghav Dhwoj Pant said that it should be seen whether the policy of Nepal was harmonious to the perception of the donors.

Representative of the Ministry of Finance Hari Prasad Panday, Badri Prasad Ojha of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Bimal Prasad Lohani and Bihari Krishna Shrestha also expressed their views on the occasion.

Women should advance to end social evils: Pant

Kathmandu, Aug. 31 (RSS): Minister for Women, Children, and Social Welfare Kamala Pant has said that women should move ahead in order to eradicate social evils and aberrations exiting in the society.

Inaugurating the national religion and culture festival and collective ‘Dar Teej’ festival organised here today by the Women’s Awareness and Consciousness Promotion Centre, Kathmandu, Minister of State Pant said the society should utilise the powers of women by comprehending them.

Chief advisor to the centre Deepak Sharma said as the importance, dignity and ideals of women are only made in speeches and books, and the government has not been able to give them concrete responsibility, the women themselves should be conscious for their self-respect.

President of the Nepal Women Journalists Association Dr. Manju Mishra said the association was established for bringing the Dalits, nationalities and the women journalists of the mofussil under one umbrella.

On the occasion Minister of State Pant honoured poetess Shanta Upadhyaya, the composer of the poem in English Entitled ‘Children’s Voice’ recognised by the United Nations for the whole of Asia and the Pacific on the occasion the World Environment Day- 2000 by wrapping shawl around her.

She also gave away certificates to 29 women making remarkable contributions in various social sectors.

At the function presided over by president of the centre Sushma Sharma, various other speakers including poetess Shanta Upadhyaya, Prof. Snehaprabha Aryal and social worker Dr. Pashupati Lal Kedia also expressed their views.

On the occasion the women presented songs and dances characterising the great festival of Teej.

3000 Kamaiyas living in public land

Dhangadhi, Aug 31 (RSS): The district follow-up and coordination committee for rehabilitation of freed Kamaiyas has started collecting data on the status of the erstwhile Kamaiyas.

According to Narayan Datta Mishra, chairman of the district follow-up and coordination committee, 2,688 families out of the 6,329 freed Kamaiyas do not own land, 533 do not have land-ownership certificates and 3,108 families ware living on public land.

Enumeration of the erstwhile Kamaiyas is to be undertaken again with the coordination of representatives of the concerned VDCs, political parties, the former Kamaiyas themselves, farmers and technicians as complaints have been received that the actual status of some Kamaiyas in a few places was not reflected in the census.

Similarly, it has been said that the former Kamaiyas will be distributed land within four months from now.

Meanwhile, the living conditions at temporary camps at the old airfield here where the freed Kamaiyas are being sheltered are said to be fast deteriorating due to poor sanitation.

The sanitary condition has been worsened due to the lack of lavatories and a large number of pigs kept by the former Kamaiyas.

Meanwhile, arrangements are being made for providing foodgrain for the former Kamaiyas who had nowhere to go after they were thrown out by their erstwhile masters following the government’s announcement freeing them from debt bondage.

In this connection, the central follow-up and coordination committee has already asked for 700 metric tonnes of rice under the world food programme (WFP) and the Kamaiyas are being given the foodgrain under the "Food for Work" scheme.

Temporary camps have been set up in Dhangadhi municipality area and Geta, Attariya, Chaumala and other VDCs for accommodating the former Kamaiyas. Such temporary camps are being established in other VDCs as well.