School in vegetable collection centre

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Myanglung (Terhathum), Sept. 2: Ward Chairmen Ganesh Subba and Mani Shankar Subba of Lasunebazar of Sungnam VDC have been running a boarding school in a building of the Vegetable Collection Centre despite oppositions from the local people. Local people say the building used to be the collection centre of vegetables before they are taken to the market. Now, their businesses are affected.

They have lodged complaints against the concerned bodies about the misuse of the building, but the authorities have not taken any action against the VDC members.

The building was constructed in the fiscal year 057/058 by the District Agriculture Development office, Tehrathum, at a cost of about Rs 95,000 as a vegetable collection centre.

However, Deputy at the District Agriculture Development Office, Bauwalal said that he has also heard about the opening of school at the Office’s building. "The building was built for the promotion of vegetable farming of that area and those who misuse the building will be punished," he told The Rising Nepal.

Meanwhile in Parasi, the District Administration Office has decided to take action against Ramman Kebat, teacher-cum-accountant of Jagannath Secondary sechool at Ramnagar VDC of Nawalparasi district, for his involvement in the misappropriation of fund.

He had to deposit Rs.21,180 in the school’s account of the Parasi Bazaar-based Rastriya Banijya Bank collecting as examination fees from the students. But he is said to have deposited only Rs. 1,400, Rs. 1,300 and Rs. 1,480 in three separate bank accounts.

After the District Education Office came to know about his activity, it told him to submit all the amounts generated from the students. After he refused to do so, DEO filed a complaint against him at the District Administration Office and demanded necessary legal action against him.

S Asian peace training begins

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept 2: Human rights and peace activists from all over South Asia have gathered here for a two-week training on human rights and peace.

South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFAR) has organised the peace training, which began in Kathmandu Saturday.

The objective of the peace training is to create a sense of awareness for peace and mutual understanding as conflicts and distruct have afflicted all seven nations of South Asia in one way or the other.

Participants from all South Asian countries have been taking part in the peace training whereas leading human rights and peace activists from South Asia and abroad are the resource persons.

In the two-week long peace training, subject like justice, peace, non-violence, human rights, peace culture and link between human rights and peace would be extensively discussed.

Peace is disturbed in South Asia and a culture of peace needs to be developed in this region for stability, human rights, freedom, democracy and development, said Tapan K. Bose, general secretary of SAFAR.

According to him, human rights and peace are intertwined and none can exist in the absence of the other.

Thus, it is very necessary to mobilise people at the grass roots level to build and restore peace, he said.

This is the second regional peace training organised by SAFAR. It organised the first South Asian peace training last year focusing more on the value of peace.

The second regional peace training course continues with the emphasis on the normative character and is devoted to the theme of justice, reconciliation and the practices of non-violence, say the organisers.

As a keynote speaker, the famous French peace activist Rada Ivekovic spoke of her international experience of peace activism and said that everyone in the world have the right to enjoy and exercise their rights. This is possible only when peace is built and restored.

Lack of bridge hit contact between Tehrathum & Panchthar

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Chuhandanda (Tehrathum), Sept. 2: The contact between the Tehrathum and Panchthar districts has been disrupted due to lack of bridge over the Tamor River at Nakkale Ghat.

The residents of Yoklung, Sakranti, Chuhandanda, Iwa, Hwaku, Chhatedhunga and Khamlalung VDCs of the Tehrathum, who are dependent on the Mechi Highway, have to go to Phidim, headquarters of Panchathar district, to buy daily consumer goods. But because of the lack of bridge over the river they can not cross the river during the rainy season. For them, Phidim is nearer than Myanglung Bazaar, headquartrs of Tehrathum district is.

During the dry season, they cross the river by boat. But in monsoon boats are inoperable in the flooded river. "It’s impossible for us to go to Phidim during the summer. So, we are forced to buy consumer goods in the dry season for the whole summer," says Ganesh Lamichhane, a local resident of the Aatharai area.

He also says many people are deprived of medical facilities in the summer. "If there is a bridge we can reach Phidim in four hours. But since there is no bridge over the river, we cannot take the patients to hospital in summer," he complains.

According to Tejman Kandangwa, Vice-Chairman of Tehrathum District development Committee (DDC), the government has decided to provide Rs. 200,000 for the construction of a bridge over the Tamor River at the Nakkale Ghat.

Ironically, Tehrathum is known as one of the districts having a large number of bridges in the Eastern Development Region. A total of 47 bridges have been constructed. The Sabla Rural Development center, an NGO, alone has constructed 30 bridges in various VDCs of the district.

Plans to produce medicinal plants in forest

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Nepalgunj, Sept. 2: The nursery at the community forest at Jaladhara, Mahadevpuri of Banke district is being developed to produce 50,000 saplings of medicinal plants. The community forest is being managed by a consumers’ group since 2054.

Chairman of the Jaladhara community forest consumers’ group Tek Bahadur Chaudhary said that they are working with the commitment to make the nursery into a non-forest wood producing one and to produce medicinal plants only. The attempt was started from 2055 B.S. and Chaudhary said they currently have medicinal plants like bamboo, cane, bel, harro, rajbriksha, shikakai, amla, sarpagandha (serpentine sps), kurilo, peppermint and amliso.

Chaudhary said after they got some success in preserving the forest, then they turned their attention into forming a nursery for medicinal plants.

In the last fiscal year, the nursery has sold medicinal plants worth Rs. 14,000 and in the first two months of the current fiscal year it has already sold plants worth Rs. 21,000.

The plants are bought by community forests, Park and People Project, Royal Bardia National Park, Helvitas Surkhet, IUCN Doti, and other INGOs.

Secretary of the Consumers’ Group says after they took the management of the forest, there is no dearth of grass and fodder and also there is no less danger of the destruction of the forest.