Local News The Rising Nepal (Daily)

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug 9: Coinciding with meeting of foreign secretaries from all seven countries of South Asia in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, to finalise the dates for the 11th SAARC Summit, students of different schools presented a mock SAARC Summit in Kathmandu Wednesday.

The theme of the fifth inter-school mock SAARC session competition was " Terrorism in SAARC Region: Causes, Consequences and Possible Solutions" in which student speakers highlighted the problems created by burgeoning violence and terrorism in South Asia and need for collective efforts for its solution.

Tessa van Doesburg of Budhanilkantha School was declared best speaker in the competition, while Preeti Shrestha of LRI School and Saudarya Thapa of Rato Bangla School came out as second and third.

Tessa along with Akash Mohpal and Sandra van Doesburg acted as delegates from the Maldives.

Drama and Debating Club of Budhanilkantha School organised the mock SAARC session.

Students with national dress of the respective countries presented views and perspective of different nations of SAARC region on issues and problems of the region in relation with terrorism.

Rachit Pokhrel, Kabita Khadka and Mayanka of Ideal English, Daksha Shakya, Sandhya Baskota and Yashodhara of Triyog High School, Saudarya Thapa, Ashma Basnet and Trishna Rana of Rato Bangala School, Deepti Rawal, Samita Subba and Ashik KC of Brihaspati Vidya Sadan, Prateek Shrestha, Deepak Raj Luitel, Pranil Pradhan of St. Xavier’s School and Sandesh Joshi, Suvechha Ghimire and Preeti Shrestha of LRI School represented Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively in the mock session.

St. Xavier’s School and Brihaspati Vidya Sadan were adjudged the best team while students of Triyog School bagged best manuscript award.

The three-member jury comprising Dr Mohan Prasad Lohanai, Dr. Sishir Sthapith and Madhav Prasad Ghimire declared the winners in different categories.

Declaring the winners, chief judge Dr. Lohani said that participants presented so eloquently that the programme can be better described as "prelude to 11th SAARC Summit instead of mock session".

Chief guest of the programme was the former foreign secretary and former secretary general of SAARC Yadav Kant Silwal who hailed the ideas of mock session as it educated students about the SAARC and its activities.

Silwal suggested that the programme should have been organised in grand way and its proceedings need to be sent to the governments of all SAARC nations.

Principal of Budhanilkantha School NP Sharma said that the mock SAARC session is an attempt to develop leadership quality among the students and also educating young kids about and SAARC activities.

Dram and Debating Club of Budhanilkantha School has been organising mock SAARC session since 1995.

Action against campus chief demanded

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Biratnagar, Aug. 9: Professors of Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus (MMAMC) have locked up the administrative building from Wednesday protesting against the campus chief Dr. Upendra Koirala. Dr. Koirala is alleged to be involved in corruption while constructing a building inside the campus premises.

Tribhuwan University (TU) had formed a high level investigation committee to investigate the case with Prof. Dr. Surya Mani Adhikari as coordinator. The committee had also found that Dr. Koirala had committed misappropriation while constructing the building. The committee had submitted its report to TU six months ago. But TU has not taken any action against the campus chief.

The Nepal Professor Association, MMAMC unit, took the initiation to lock up the administrative building to press for action against Dr. Koirala. In a press release issued by NPA, they were forced to take the decision after the TU failed to take action against Dr. Koirala but instead were trying to save the corrupt campus chief.

In the press release, NPA has demanded for a prompt action against the campus chief and setting up of pure education environment.

The professor were united against the campus chief after TU gave authority of the internal evaluation of the professors to the campus chief.

The professors have been saying that they do not expect an exact and correct evaluation by the incumbent campus chief. They want the evaluation be done by the registrar.

President of NPA, MMAMC unit, Bhakti Prasad Rijal, the last cord of discontent snapped on Wednesday when the campus chief published a notice saying that the part time professors would be given temporary appointments. He further said that the lock up won’t hamper the First Proficiency Certificate Level examinations.

The conflict in the MMAMC arose when Dr. Koirala, who had already got political appointment in various other organisations, was brought as campus chief in MMAMC. Dr. Koirala had been locked up in his own office several times before. When The Rising Nepal tried to contact Dr. Koirala he was not available.

Vehicle mishaps on rise in Bara

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalaiya Aug. 9: Due to the growing number of vehicles, rapid industrialisation and narrow road of the Amalekhgunj-Birgunj sector, vehicular accidents are increasing day by day in Bara district.

According to the Bara District Police Office, 29 persons lost their lives and hundreds of others were injured in the district during the last fiscal year.

Six persons were killed in road accidents near the Hulas Steel Industry in Simara and Nitanpur Chowk of Chhatapipara VDCs in the last fiscal year. The victims were the workers of the industry and local people.

The major cause of the growing number of road accidents include violation of the traffic rules by the drivers, drunken driving, encroachment on the road by the pedestrians and houses
and dramatic rise in the number
of vehicles plying the road in the area.

Jamuna Chaudhari, Chairman of Jitpur VDC, says that as the road is becoming narrower due to encroachment, it has been very difficult for the pedestrians and cyclist. "The tendency to create obstructions on the road after the accident has also created problems," Chaudhari says.

"During the last fiscal year, there were 96 accidents in the Amlekhgunj-Birgunj part alone. The road was obstructed for 20 hours due to the accidents," says Sahadev Dhakal, Police Inspector.

Bhola Adhikari, Chairman of Simara VDC, opines that the road accidents can be controlled only when the drivers are forced to drive slowly and by stopping encroachment of the roads.

The issuance of driving licenses without testing the ability and skill of the drivers has also been responsible for the growing number of accidents," Adhikari says.

Students present mock SAARC session