Father, son’s marriage

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Phidim (Panchathar), Sept. 28:Locals of Prangbung Village Development Committee (VDC) were astonished at a man and his son bringing wives through love marriage on the same day.

Tek Bahadur Myangam, 40, and his 20-year-old son Kul Bahadur Magar married Phulmaya Rai, 19, and Kamala Subba, 16, respectively.

Tek Bahadur’s father Chabilal, 68, and mother Sanchamaya, 64, however, accepted their daughter-in-law and grand daughter-in-law by offering tikas to the newly married couples.

Tek Bahadur had begun to love Phulmaya after his wife Naramaya Magar died about four years ago. A lot of locals had gathered at the home of Tek Bahadur to see the two couples.

Badi women demand opportunity, justice

By Our Correspondent

Dang, Ghorahi , Sept.28:Despite efforts of the government and non-governmental organisations for the uplift of the women and downtrodden, the condition a large section of women across the country is still harsh and pitiable. Only a handful of women in urban areas who have access seem to have been reaping benefit in the name of women. Whereas Badi women, who are being looked down for indulging in the oldest profession since a long time are now exposing their plight and grief openly.

At a programme organised recently by the Social Awareness for Education (SAFE) in Ghorahi, Dang, and Badi women openly talked about their sufferings and feelings.

Their main complaint was that they want to relinquish the profession, but it is the society, which does not allow them to take up an alternate profession. They say the ban on prostitution without thinking of providing them alternate opportunity is total injustice to them.

The programme was held to make the women aware of the 11-point policy and programmes of SAFE to get them out of their present profession.

"How can we survive when they neither provide us with other jobs nor let us carry on with what we are doing," remarked Saguni Nepali, coordinator of the Badi Women Coordination Committee. She put the blame on the Area Reform Committees formed in different areas and the Maoists.

Sushma Nepal, another Badi woman of Milan Chowk, Tribhuvannagar, said the actions of reform committees and the Maoists totally unfair to them. She said some time back two clients had come to her. But when the reform committee knew about it, they beat me with nettle plant, but let the clients go after taking their money. "Was I only to be blamed?" she asked.

The Maoists’ action is no less severe to the Badi women. Kusum Nepali of Srigaon VDC, said that the Maoist activists treated her inhumanely. She said that sometimes back, the Maoists took to the house of a Maoist worker and made her sit-up continuously for four hours.

Badi’s of other districts are also in a dilemma whether to leave the profession or starve.

In April, several Badi women were ‘taken action’ by the Maoists. Kalpana Nepali of Badi Women Coordination Committee, she told the Maoists ‘give us another work we will leave this profession’. Instead the Maoists slapped them on the face for asking for employment.

She said the Maoists even told us to carry guns. "But we are not ready to carry guns and follow the Maoists," Kalpana said.

The Badi women blame the men themselves and especially the officials of different offices for their plight. "The officers come to us and their children also. They never talk about the clients. They incite us to indulge in prostitution, play with us when we are young and treat us like untouchable as we grow old." These people are no less to be blamed for, for making us stick to this profession, they voiced their concerns.

It is not only the Badi women who are into prostitution. Saguni Nepali of the Coordination Committee cited the example of one Beenu Basnet. Basnet of Rawat village of Tribhuvan municipality had remained as ‘kept’ of an official for almost two decades. She even got the citizenship certificate at the behest of that official. But recently, she was kicked out of the house. Now, she has nothing to do except selling herself to make a living. Badi women also censure the Badi men for their plight and social discard.

Executive Director of SAFE Nepalgunj said Badi men, even those who are educated do not work by themselves and they love to live on the earnings of their women. There are also some, which have opened Reform Committees in their areas and want to get rich through this.

Meanwhile, another problem the Badi women are facing is ‘giving’ name to their children and also in getting citizenship certificates.

Meanwhile, Badis, both men and women, are glad that the present government has allowed them to enter temples. But they say their first priority is education and employment to quit this profession. "But until we get alternate employment, will be forced to bare ourselves and lay down to make a living," they say.

Red Cross urged to cope with disasters

Bhaktapur, Sept. 28 (RSS): The two-day central regional godown management workshop organised by the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) central natural calamity mamangement department was declared open by NRCS central chairman Ramesh Kumar Sharma at Nagarkot yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion Mr Sharma said that the capacities of the district red cross societies should be increased to cope with disaster management.

The district Red Cross societies should not depend totally on the central NRCS but also make necessary arrangements to provide effective relief assistance services to the people.

NRCS general secretary Devratna Dhakwa said that work of the Red Cross Society is to provide relief assistance to the genuine sufferers.

At the function chaired by president of the Natural Calamity Management Department Bhakta Khawas, NRCS treasurer Devendra Bahadur Pradhan and president of Dolakha district Red Cross Society Tirtha Narayan Shrestha stressed the need to increase the capacities of the godowns.

Lightning kills three of a family

Biratnagar, Sept. 28 (RSS): Three members of a single family were struck dead by lightening while they were asleep at their home in Thalaha VDC-6 of Morang district on Thursday night.

According to the district police office, the deceased are Bhinu Sardar, 32, his wife Murtidevi, 29, and their 11-year-old son Jeevan.

Two other sons of the couple who were also sleeping in the verandah of their thatch-roofed house together with the now deceased escaped unhurt.

The house of Kinu Mandal in Bocha VDC-8 of the same district is reported to have caught fire the same night after being struck by lightening.

In the incident the house owner suffered burnt hair and is undergoing treatment, according to police.

Meanwhile, Shiva Kumar Sardar, 25, of Biratnagar sub-metropolis-16 has been electrocuted at his own house.

Sardar was repairing his television set without pulling out the power plug. He was electrocuted when the current came on suddenly.

Two telephone lines in each VDC says Gupta

Ilam, Sept. 28 (RSS): Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta today inaugurated a telephone transmission line of C Dot system in Pashupatinagar.

On the occasion, Mr Gupta said democrats are opposed to Maoist activities not out of fear that they would capture power but out of fear that their activities would subvert democracy and urged the Maoists to join hands in the task of nation building.

Stating that the government has been fulfilling the demands of the Maoists, but the Maoists are not reciprocating in a similar way, he expressed the view that both the government and the CPN (UML) have accepted each other's programmes and engaged in the task of nation building by putting aside the feeling of revenge.

The government is working on providing two telephone lines in each VDC of the country, the minister said, adding that mobile telephone services will also be provided outside Kathmandu soon and special types of telephone services will be provided to 534 VDCs of the Eastern Development Region soon.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Subhash Chandra Nemwang said the policies adopted by the Maoists are wrong and spoke of the need to make a thorough analysis of what we did in the past 12 years and to correct the wrongs, if any.

MP Benup Raj Prasai remarked that the government has no right to amend the irreversible provisions enshrined in the preamble of the constitution.

General manager of the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation Raghubir Lal Shrestha said despite the limited means and resources, the NTC is doing its level best to provide maximum services to the people, adding that a total of 337,000 telephone lines are in operation in the country now and 1,761 VDCs have such facilities.

Internet facilities will be provided in Biratnagar in the near future, he further said.

Ilam DDC chairman Lal Bahadur Subba and others also spoke at the function chaired by Pashupatinagar VDC chairman Chandra Subba.