The Ceasefire Declaration
Opportunity Is At Hand

By Prem N. Kakkar

WHAT could be called a major initiative, the CPN (Maoist) has declared an immediate ceasefire. That was what the country needed at this juncture. In the almost seven year period since violence erupted all of a sudden, there has been no rest. The very fact that the government is sensitive to the problem is that the ceasefire has come about.

Solution

It is, however, too early to say what directions the country moves ahead in the days to come. One thing is clear that the Maoists too want a solution from the impasse of the past. That they have agreed to sit for talks comes as a welcome piece of news on the basis of the fact that certain conditions have been fulfilled by the government.

The tasks that the present government was entrusted with included the restoration of law and order and holding the general elections at the earliest. It is a challenging job but the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has shown that it is committed to doing its job. Everything takes time and overnight miracles are not possible. Much deliberations and home work has to be done to rid the country of the violence and other anomalies.

It comes as a sigh of relief that the ceasefire has been announced. Now there seems a definite direction for the return of peace to the country and the suffering people. That understanding has dawned is a positive signal in times that uncertainty was there. This opportunity must be tapped by all concerned so that the country does not suffer further.

Nepal, already at the bottom rung of the nations in terms of development, needs peace now than ever before to raise itself out of the vicious circle of poverty.

The government has shown itself very liberal to find a solution to come out of the present difficult situation. By the decision to withdraw the label of terrorists on the Maoists and the removing the fixation of prices on them has paved the ground for the breaking of the stalemate. The Maoists too seem to have realised that sorting out matters at the table is a better way out than resorting to violence.

Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey was right on pointing out that the government was in favour of resolving issues through dialogue. And this is proved by the flexibility that the government took in creating the conducive atmosphere to talk to the Maoists in resolving the problem. It is a positive gesture and the continuation of which will be in the greater interest of the people and the country.

The expectation with the government was great and it has done its bit to create the needed environment by which the Maoists have in a way agreed to come to the table and the ceasefire declared by them means much in the present situation.

The violence in the past seven years has hampered the economic growth of the country. The economy is not robust at present. It is not only an internal problem but the world over there is recession. The volatile global situation has affected a developing country like Nepal which has to pick its pace of development at a greater rate than ever. The exports have plummeted that has seen the industrial and business community facing the wrath. Tourism industry that is supposed to be a major backbone of the country's economy is experiencing great difficulties. As shown by a recent survey, many hotels, restaurants and travel agencies have had to relieve many of their employees. This certainly does not augur well for a country like Nepal which has to see its various sectors grow so that the living standard of the people can go up.

Now a ray of optimism has dawned and this opportunity should be capitalised so that the people can once again feel relief and the development activities can go ahead as envisaged.

It is also reassuring that the killing of people will come to a stop. More than five thousand civilians, security personnel and the Maoists have been killed in the past few years. Now that the ceasefire announced by the Maoists is in place, efforts have to be made sincerely so that there will be no further violence takes place and the people can live without fear and go about with their livelihood as in the past.

Now that the environment has been created it should be tapped so that the country that has gone through so much agony will find the soothing balm. At the same time the development activities must be given continuity and the aspirations of the people will be fulfilled.

Focus

The talks between the government and the Maoists that may take place soon must focus on bringing about lasting peace. A greater amount of home work must go into making the opportunity available fruitful. Violence after all does not pay. It is everyone's contribution that is essential to make the country prosperous. It is time now to work with dedication to purpose.

Developing Mountain Tourism

By Shirish B. Pradhan

NEPAL'S majestic mountains including the 8,848 m. high Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, attract thousands of climbers from around the world. The high Himalayas of Nepal have always been a big challenge to international climbers, who aim at setting various world records in mountaineering. After Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary set world record as the first persons to scale Mt. Everest half a century back, many new records have been set by other climbers. Nepal has so far opened its 267 mountain peaks to the climbers. They include eight of the world's 14 above 8,000 metre peaks.

Major Source

Mountaineering has been a major source of foreign exchange earnings to Nepal. Last year Nepal earned foreign exchange equivalent to Rs. 13 crore from 134 different mountaineering expeditions.
In fact mountaineering, is the basis of Nepal's tourism industry. We should develop it further in order to attract more international visitors. Tourism business flourished in Nepal only after the conquering of Mt. Everest by Tenzing and Hillary in the early 50s, which opened Nepal to the outside world. Mountain tourism is still regarded very important part of Nepal's tourism industry. People from all over the world come to Nepal seeking peace and tranquility, which they find in no other place than the lofty mountains.

Nepal has been a famous destination for adventurers, trekkers and mountaineers around the world. The country's scenic beauty, rich biodiversity and unique cultural identity have always lured hundereds of thousands tourists from across the globe. The snow-clad mountains have long been a source of spiritual inspiration for mankind. Not only that these mountains have also been the centre for attraction to nature lovers as they provide magnificent scenic beauty. These mountains are also big sources of water.

Nepal is hosting a gathering of international mountaineers in May this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the first human ascent to the Mt. Everest with a view to promoting Nepal's ailing tourism industry. Around four hundred international climbers are expected to take part in the gathering. Hillary, the first man to scale Mt. Everest and Junko Tabei, the first woman to scale it are among the noted international mountaineering personalities, who will be here in May to mark the occasion. The occasion will provide a platform to boost Nepal's image as the destination for adventure tourism.
The grand occasion is aimed at promoting Nepal as an important destination for tourists. Nepal should exploit the opportunity to promote mountain tourism. International media attention will be focused here during the May 25-29 event. Nepal is also hosting a conference of international mountaineers on the occasion. Besides a number of other activities including the Everest Base camp to Namche Bazaar marathon race, trans-Himalayan mountain biking, bowling tournament and mountaineering philatelic exhibition are being organised to mark the occasion in a grand manner.

Some mountaineers are also planning to break the old records during this season coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of human ascent to Mt. Everest. The twelve time Everest summiteers Appa Sherpa is attempting for the thirteenth time. Nepalese tourism industry has been continuously suffering for the last few years due to internal and external reasons. To help recover the loss Nepal should pay due attention to boost mountain tourism.

Mountain tourism should be developed in such a way that may also benefit the  people residing in the mountain area. The Sherpas, who are involved in the occupation of porters and mountain guides
should receive enough facilities and benefits so that they can easily maintain their livelihood. The government should also encourage Nepalese mountaineers by providing them various types of incentives. Their service is highly important to boost mountaineering.

Besides mountaineering and trekking activities like hot air ballooning, rafting and mountain biking are also equally preferred by tourists who love to visit mountain areas. These sports should also be developed well in the mountain region. Such activities will also help as income generating activities to the people residing in the mountain region. Standard hotels, lodges, restaurants and recreation centres should also be developed on way to the mountains in order to attract more tourists.

Big Asset

The mountains are our big assets, as they support plant as well as animal life in this part of the world. The environment of the mountain should be well maintained while making commercial use of these regions. Therefore, we would be careful while exploiting the mountains for tourism development. This requires great attention from our side to care and nurture the mountains, which are fragile by nature. Mountain tourism should be developed in a sustainable way so that the beauty and holiness of the mighty Himalayas would be well preserved.

That's The Spirit!

By BG

LIQUOR is what is now available in every shop in the capital city. Maybe the shopkeepers may tell you they lack salt or sugar in their shops but they hardly say that they have no liquor, though they may not have certain brands of them. One can see the bottles, small and big, of various kinds of liquor displayed in the shops in such a way that a person visiting the shops sees them first.

Even keeping expensive liquor of different brands in showcases in the homes has become a popular fashion among the high-ranking officials and celebrities. Visit the houses of noted actors these days, their showcases are full of liquor of different brands in their sitting rooms. The government officials have stopped displaying liquor in their showcases fearing the CIAA after it took action against the 22 corrupt employees, but others still believe that such a display of liquors increases their prestige in the society. Interestingly, some of the people who do not consume liquor or who are not allowed to drink also like to keep the bottles of expensive alcohol in showcases. Even the people belonging to high caste Brahmins and Kshetris, who are traditionally prohibited to drink, are in the race of keeping and drinking liquor.

A few decades back the Nepalese society looked down upon the consumers of liquor, especially those belonging to the Brahmin and Kshetri communities. Even in those communities in which liquor is essential to perform many religious and other activities, drinking was never regarded as a matter of prestige. But now the time has changed. Instead, it seems that liquor and prestige go hand in hand these days. If the hosts do not offer drink during marriage or other ceremonies to the invitees, they will fear their social prestige could decline. Presence of liquor has become a part of each gathering these days in the cities.

However, in the villages the situation is different. Consum-ption of alcohol has become one of the big problems there. Excessive consumption of liquor has not only disrupted the society but also caused quarrels in the families. Poor women have become the main victims of liquor as their drunken husbands beat them everyday. Even in the cities consumption of liquor has been regarded as one of the main causes behind the major quarrels in hotels, restaurants and discos.

Regarding the negative impacts of liquor in the society, women in different parts of the country had launched protest programmes by breaking the alcohol pots and declaring some of the districts as alcohol-free zones. The then government introduced some provisions to control the consumption of alcohol 18 months ago. Under a provision agreed between the govern-ment and All Nepal Women's Association (ANWA), first and second day of each month and final two Saturdays were declared alcohol-free days. Similarly, there were provisions to allow only four shops in each ward of KMC and two shops in each VDC to sell alcohol in between 2 p.m. to 6 p. m. Rules are made to be violated. The provisions were never enforced nor did the ANWA activists pressurise the government to implement those provisions. Instead, the increasing violent activities of the Maoists weakened the anti-alcohol move. The result was liquor sale and drinkers continued to increase. That's the spirit of life!