Lalitpur to install statues of three late leaders

Lalitpur, Jan. 21 (RSS):Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City has decided to install life-size statues of democratic fighter the late Ganesh Man Singh, ex-prime minister and CPN-UML president the late Man Mohan Adhikari and leftist leader the late Tulsi Lal Amatya at various road-crossings on the Ringroad in Lalitpur district.

A meeting of the Sub-Metropolitan board held on Friday and chaired by Mayor Budhhiraj Bajracharya decided to install the statues as a token of respect to them and their contributions.

As decided by the meeting, a five-foot metal statue of Manmohan Adhikari will be installed at Sanepa cross-road near the Bagmati bridge at Balkhu, a metal statue of Ganeshman Singh of the same height at the Satdobato crossing and a full statue of Tulsi Lal Amatya at local Gwarko crossing.

Similarly, the Sub-Metropolitan City board has also decided to name the section of the Ringroad from Manohara bridge at Koteshwar to Gwarko as Tulsilal Marga and the section of Ring Road from local Gwarko to Satdobato as Ganeshman Marga, Mayor Bajracharya told RSS.

According to Mayor Bajracharya, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolis has set aside altogether Rs 1,050,000 for the construction of the metal statues, Rs 350,000 per a statue.

He also gave the information that the construction of the pedestals for the statues will begin next month. Each pedestal will be 12 feet high.

The board, likewise, plans to develop the green belt on either side of the road from Koteshwar to Gwarko (proposed Tulsilal Marga) into a systematic model park.

Hazardous pesticide stored safely: Reports

By A Staff Reporter

Khumaltar (Lalitpur), Jan. 21:Six tons of outdated pesticide that was earlier lying in a dangerous condition at a warehouse inside the premises of Nepal Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) at Khumaltar of Lalitpur has now been stored safely in the same place.

It is estimated that more than 75 tonnes of such toxic materials lie uncared for in several locations across the country.

According to reports, the hazardous pesticides are also found in Amlekhgunj (50.90 tons), Nepalgunj (14.47 tons), Khumaltar (4.76 ton) and CDB (3.71).

These pesticides have, however, been made safe by Greenpeace, a pro-environment international non-government organisation.

"Most of the pesticides in Kathmandu are found to be donated to Nepal by the Western countries," Adreas Bernstroff of Toxic Trade Project said.

Bernstoff blamed one of the organisations representing the pesticides’ largest manufacturers for these wastage and stressed that the date expired pesticides should be made safe as fast as it could be done.

Nepal started using pesticides some 50 to 55 years ago, though the toxic element was discovered in 1809 AD. The use of pesticides in Nepal has been increasing 15 to 20 per cent annually, according to the report of the Directorate for Crop Protection.

"It is better not to use pesticide because they are unbreakable for a long time and also harm the environment," said J. Van der Veer, representative of Shell Group Companies, the Netherlands based company that supplies a large amount of pesticides all over the world.

Der Veer said that the company does not sell pesticides in Nepal. The company will however help for the disposal of such obsolete stock in Nepal, he assured.

A report stated that Nepal has been using 5 different kinds of pesticides — insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, acaridies along with another one.

The government has banned 12 brands of pesticide especially known as Persistent Organic Pollutant (POPs) Pesticides. The 90 per cent of the pesticides in Nepal are imported from India and remaining 10 per cent come from China, UK, Japan and Italy, the Directorate for Crop Protection stated in its reports made public a month ago.

Though the pesticide in past used to be utilised for producing more crops. Those pesticide used to grow more food have now become obsolete due to lack of knowledge and awareness among the people about use and advantage of these pesticide.

"The food that are grown without the use of pesticides are much safer," Christian Verschueren, Director General of CorpLife said.

She further said that instead of using pesticide alternative approaches such as organic agriculture or sustainable agriculture should be used.

It is said that 30 per cent the Europeans are suffering from impotency as the result of using foods that are grown with the help of toxic pesticides.

Sushil says BDA concept is about democratic unity

Gulariya, Jan. 21 (RSS): General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala has made it clear that the concept of broad democratic alliance floated by Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala is not about a democratic alliance but about democratic unity.

Addressing a party workers’ gathering organised by the Nepali Congress Bardiya district committee in Gulariya today, general secretary Koirala said that the party has backed the government fully.

He urged the government to move ahead honestly in consolidating the law and order situation in the country.

The government should move ahead with seriousness at a time when all countries are coming together to banish terrorism from the face of the globe, he said and called on party leaders to abide by the party constitution and regulations for safeguarding democracy.

Chief of the Nepali Congress organisation department and central member Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that the government should commit itself seriously to maintaining the law and order situation in the country rather than just remaining in power.

Former minister and
Nepali Congress Mid-Western Development Region Coordinator Baldev Sharma Majgainya, former minister and MP Shivaraj Joshi and others also spoke on the occasion.

The programme was presided over by Nepali Congress Bardiya district president Arun Prakash Singh.

Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister and Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister of State for General Administration Khem Raj Bhatta Mayalu and MPs Mrs Kashi Poudel, House of Representatives State Affairs Committee chairman Hom Raj Dahal, Krishna Kishor Ghimire and Radheshyam Adhikari today went to the residence of the late Nepali Congress Bardiya district working committee advisor, Ram Shankar Yadav, at ward
No. 4, Hasanpurkahi of Gulariya Municipality on the 13th day of his demise and conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Yadav was brutally murdered at his house by Maoist terrorists. All the family members were injured in the attack.

Photo Show opens today

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 21: The Shangri-La Hotel is hosting a photo exhibition, "Life of Boudha Stupa…and beyond" from tomorrow. This was informed at a press meet organised by the Hotel here today.

The exhibition that will continue till 5th of February features 32 colour and black and white large format photographs taken by US photographer and former Boudha resident Ms. Susal Stebbins.

According to a press release, U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Michael E. Malinowski will inaugurate the exhibition tomorrow.

The beautiful photographs ranging from the snow-capped peak of Nilgiri Mountains in Mustang district to Boudha Stupa in Kathmandu and from the local vegetable vendors to a disabled man earning his living with a weight machine, feature
the people, their spiritual practices and landscape of greater Nepal.

"I took these photographs from September to November last year in different parts of the country," Stebbins told The Rising Nepal.

Ms. Stebbins has taken travel photographs for over nine years. She studied photography at the University of Wisconsin in the U.S.A. and with Mani Lama in Nepal.

"The Stupa is a remarkable place to experience a sense of sacred, and also to see so much of people’s every day lives. I wanted to capture both elements in my photos so that those who see them will really notice and remember. Once I started printing photos of Boudha, I could not stop there. I also wanted to share some of the beauty and wonder I experienced — and tried to capture on film in my travels throughout Nepal," commented Stebbins on the purposed exhibition.

‘Teachings of Guru Govinda Singh valuable’

Lalitpur, Jan. 21(RSS): A programme was organised today at the Kopundol Gurudwara on the occasion of the 335th birth anniversary of the religious teacher of the Sikh community and propounder of the Khalasa Panth, Guru Govinda Singh. Rich tributes were paid to him.

On the occasion, former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said that Guru Govinda Singh was revered by not only the Sikhs but entire mankind for his contribution to human welfare.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Dr. I. P. Singh said that Guru Govinda Singh was an incarnation of god and pointed out the need to propagate his teachings extensively.

President of World Hindu Federation, Kathmandu, Jaya Prakash, Rajdidi of Brahma Kumari Rajyog Centre, Purushottam Sapkota of Radio Nepal and a host of other speakers called for religious tolerance and goodwill among various faiths.