Build up natural defense against terrorism: Gupta

Rajbiraj, Sept. 10 (RSS): Minister for Information and Communications and NC central member Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta has urged the people to not always rely on the police for peace and security in the country but generate natural defensive capacity against terrorist activities in the society.

Addressing a mass meeting organised by Nepali Congress at Fattehpur of Namuna VDC in Saptari district today, Minister Gupta pointed out the need for workers of the party to unite in order to discourage the politics of murder and terror which has gripped some parts of the country.

He also clarified that the government has introduced different programmes in the Maoist-affected areas to relieve the people of the terror perpetrated by the Maoists.

On the occasion Minister Gupta also presented the party’s membership to ex-DDC chairman of Saptari Surendra Jha who left the RPP to join the Nepali Congress and various other persons entering the Nepali Congress from various political parties.

NC Fattehpur village committee chairman Mukhilal Chaudhary presided.

Civic apathy blamed for substandard education

Kathmandu, Sept. 10 (RSS): Minister for Education and Sports Amod Prasad Upadhyaya says the apathy of the civic society is the main reason for the decline in the quality of education in public schools.

Speaking at a programme organised on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Kanya Multiple Campus, Dilli Bazar here today, Minister Upadhyaya said the return from the education sector was not commensurate with the billions of rupees of investment in the education sector by the government.

"Rules and regulations have been enacted so as to discourage teachers from taking membership of political parties," the Education Minister said, calling on all the citizens to be alert in this regard since government efforts were not alone sufficient to address the problem.

"It is a great crime on the part of those who have established schools in the private sector to take educational institutions from the viewpoint of profit and loss," the Minister said.

He said His Majesty’s Government had initiated the procedures for granting permission for establishment of a multiple university in line with this concept only according to the procedures of the law and to the interest of the country and the people.

Ex-prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista from the chair urged His Majesty’s Government to be sensitive for the development of quality education in the country since, as he put it, national development was not possible without the development of education.

On the occasion, various persons providing assistance to the school were felicitated. Similarly, students coming out first, second and third in various extra-curricular activities of the school were also given awards.

Dragonair flights expected to resume from October

BY NAVIN SINGH KHADKA

Kathmandu, Sept.10: Some eight years after it pulled out from the Hong Kong-Kathmandu route, Dragonair has once again become Hong Kong’s designated airline to operate its scheduled flights to and from Kathmandu.

Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has already acknowledged Dragonair’s official designation to authorities in Hong Kong, according to Yagya Prasad Gautam, Joint Secretary at the ministry.

The official formality paves way for Hong Kong’s regional carrier to apply for the resumption of its flights in the Hong Kong-Kathmandu route after a gap of some eight years. Dragonair has already applied for the permission to begin two weekly scheduled commercial flights to and from Kathmandu.

"The process to approve the application is in the final stage and we are positively considering to allow it to begin flight from October," said Min Raj Upadhyay, Deputy Director General at Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

Nepal and Hong Kong first signed the Air Services Agreement (ASA) in 1996. It was later amended in 1998 – the Visit Nepal Year when the country signed new ASAs with six other countries – allowing each side with 900 weekly one-way air seats.

If allowed to fly in, Dragonair’s inbound operation will be included in the winter schedule of international flights CAAN is preparing right now. The winter schedule of flights — starting from October 28 – already has 15 international airlines operating to and from Kathmandu.

The regional carrier of Hong Kong is planning to operate an Airbus (A320) with 156 seat configuration in the Hong Kong-Kathmandu route beginning October 29, said officials at Zenith Travels, General Sales Agent of Dragonair.

An associate airline of Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair pulled out from Hong Kong – Kathmandu route in 1992 due to various reasons. One of them was — it faced problems on fund repatriation, said the officials. "Then the foreign companies had difficulties on fund repatriation. The official policy had complicated the procedure for them to take back their earned foreign exchange."

Now that the process has been simplified, the regional carrier is said to have decided to come in. Shaping its decision must also have been the positive indication of its market study in this route, informed observers say.

If that is the case, what better indicators could it get than the robust growth of Thai and Singapore Airline’s inbound flight frequency? Both the airlines – coming in from east — have increased their inbound flights. Thai flies in a Boeing 777 everyday while Singapore Airlines has increased its flight to three days a week.

That would not have happened if these international airlines had poor occupancy in this route. Bringing in around 15 per cent of the total inbound air passengers, Thai recorded a remarkable 34 percent growth in its occupancy in 1998 compared to the year before.

Even the problem-ridden Royal Nepal Airlines is fairly doing good in its eastern destinations including Hong Kong among all its 13 international routes.

Just like what Thai, Singapore Airlines, and RNAC have been doing, Dragonair is also basically eyeing transit passengers – most of them westerners – in Hong Kong and the visitors from Japan and Australia. Japan, the USA and the UK are the prime markets of the national tourism industry.

Around 90 per cent of the total inbound tourists arrive here by air. Nearly 500,000 tourists visited the country in 1999.

Established in 1985, Dragonair flies to 26 destinations in Asia – 17 of them are in Mainland China. Having started its commercial flight with a Boeing 737 200A around one and a half decade ago, the regional carrier today has five wide bodied A330s, three single aisle A321s, and six A320S – all airbuses to press in its passenger commercial flights.

It also has a Boeing 747-200 freighter to operate to Europe and the Middle East.

Initially named as Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, the company later grew to be the port city’s regional carrier and earned its name as Dragonair.

Holding 36 per cent of the total shares, China National Aviation Corporation is the biggest shareholder of Dragonair.

‘Take special interest in education’

Charikot, (Dolakha), Sept. 10 (RSS): CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal today inaugurated the Shailung Foundation Girls Hostel building constructed with the financial assistance of the Japanese Embassy at the initiative of the foundation at Gaurishankar Campus, Charikot.

On the occasion, cpn-uml general secretary Nepal emphasised the need for the society to take special interest in education and said that all the political parties should join hands in helping democracy reach the doorsteps of the people and liberate them from exploitation, fear and terror.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Mitsuaki Kojima said that maximum participation of womenfolk in social activities is necessary for their empowerment.

Stating that the embassy provided the financial assistance for construction of the hostel under its small project programme, he said that arrangements will be made for proper maintenance of the newly built hostel.

MPs Ananda Prasad Pokharel and Pashupati Chaulagain shed light on the intimate ties between the two countries and appreciated Japanese cooperation in Nepal’s development endeavours.

Campus chief Balkrishna Joshi presented an address of felicitations to the Japanese Ambassador, while Mayor Chok Bahadur Dahal presented gifts to the Ambassador.

President of Shailung Foundation, Dolakha, Saroj Upreti said that Rs.1,436,513 was received for construction of the 14-room hostel, which can accommodate 32 students.

Students of the campus presented a cultural programme at the function presided over by chairman of Gaurishankar Campus management committee Bishnu Hari Nepal.

About 400 students are studying at certificate and degree levels at the campus established in 2028.

‘Democratic socialism panacea for progress’

Itahari, Sept. 10 (RSS): Nepali Congress Sunsari district committee organised a colloquium around the topic " b.p. the multi-dimensional personality" here yesterday on the occasion of the 87th birth anniversary of the late leader b.p. koirala.

On the occasion, member of parliament Hari Sapkota said that the political ideology of democratic socialism propounded by the late b.p. Koirala is the only panacea for the progress of the Nepali Society. He said, "it is necessary to make an objective assessment of the late leader’s life and contributions in the Nepalese society".

Nepali Congress Sunsari district acting chairman Ram Bahadur Basnet from the chair urged the Nepali Congress workers to imbibe the ideals and the principles shown by the late b.p. Koirala for the good of the party and democracy.

Nepali Congress Dharan town committee president Ghan Shyam Acharya, Nepali Congress constituency-2 regional president Pradip Chaudhari, Nepali Congress district members Medani Sitaula, Sita Ram Mehata, Mahesh Bastola, Itahari town committee president Birendra Karki and Nepal Tarun Dal, Sunsari district president Jeevan Bista spoke on the contributions of the late b.p. Koirala in shaping Nepal’s democracy movement.

Meanwhile, in Janakpurdham, the b. p. Chintan Pratisthan of Janakpur held a multi-caste feast to mark the 87th anniversary of the popular leader b. p. koirala.

People from such castes as Dum, Chamar, Halkhor, Dusadh, high caste Brahmins, Kayasthas, businessmen, Yadavs, Muslims took part in the feast together, setting a unique example of ending caste discrimination and segregation known as "untouchability."

The feast was held to treat all as equal and end the concept of untouchability in keeping with the socialism envisaged by b. p. koirala.

On the occasion, the b. p. Chintan Pratisthan also held a talk programme on "social awareness against caste discrimination and untouchability."

Speaking on the occasion, MP Smriti Narayan Chaudhary stressed the need to mass awakening and educate backward community in order to end caste discrimination.

MP Arvind Thakur said social awakening was a must to end caste discrimination and concept of untouchability among human beings as such things were causing social disintegration.

Ex-mayor of Janakpur Brishesh Chandra Lal said Nepali Congress was committed to creating an egalitarian society.

Bipati Mandal from backward community alleged that educated segment of the society was paying only a lip service to the idea of social, economic and political equality.

Chairman of the Pratisthan Shibendra Lal Karna presided over the programme.