HM, Indian President hold talks

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KATHMANDU, Mar. 21; His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev called on president of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapatibhavan, this evening.

Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah was present on the occasion, according to Nepal Television.

Their Mjesties the Jing and Queen graced a dinner hosted in honour of Their Majesties by Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam this evening.

The vice president of India, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Ministers, leaders of the political parties and members of Royal entourage were also present on the occasion.

His Majesety the King also granted audience separately to Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, former Prime Minister I.K. Gujaral and Sonia Gandhi today.

Their Majesties grace dinner

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KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: Their Majesties the King and Queen graced the dinner hosted by Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee in honour of Their Majesties at the residence of Prime Minister at New Delhi.

Earlier, His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah reached New Delhi yesterday in connection with the visit to the various places of pilgrimages of India.

Their Majesties were heartily welcomed by the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Vinod Khanna at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, it is learnt from Nepal Television.

Also present on the occasion were Royal Nepalese Ambassador to India Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa and Indian Ambasador to Nepal Shyam Sharan.

Govt to ration POL products

By Bishnu Budhathoki

KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: The war on Iraq may only be in its second day, but the government has decided to ration petroleum products should the war prolong.

Nepal Oil Corporation today decided to allot two litres of petrol to motorcycles, five litres to auto-rickshaws, 10 litres to cars, 15 litres to mini and microbuses and 20 litres to buses and trucks plying on local routes daily. Besides, buyers will be provided five litres of kerosene at a time.

Long-distance buses and trucks will be provided the minimum fuel needed to reach their destination, but no vehicle will be allowed to stock up on fuel.

In another decision to save oil, the government has also decided to curtail the number of vehicles plying on the roads. Under the decision, vehicles with odd numbers will be allowed to ply on odd days and those with even numbers on even days according to the Nepali calendar. This decision will apply to all private, government, corporation and public transport. But vehicles related to the health sector, such as ambulances, and security forces and those bearing flags are exempted from this decision.
The decision was taken by the NOC and officials of the concerned ministry to discourage hoarding and to prolong NOC's present stock.

The Department of Commerce has assured that there will be no shortage of POL products. Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has doubly assured the supply of petroleum products into the country has not been interrupted.

Director General at the Department of Commerce Krishnahari Baskota told The Rising Nepal that the NOC has a five-year import agreement with Indian Oil Corporation. "The Indian authority has assured us that it would supply petroleum products as per the agreement between the two corporations," he added.

NOC has a capacity to keep a buffer stock of 68,000 kiloliters of petroleum products. It currently has a reserve of 60,000 kilolitres. This amount can meet the country's needs for 25 days.

Presently, the NOC has been supplying petroleum products imported from India rather than using up its buffer stock, Baskota said. He also said that the NOC had been supplying the fuel to the dealers as usual.

Still long queues continued to form outside the petrol pumps for the second day today. Drivers queued for hours to fill their tanks while people carried extra Jerry cans to stock up on kerosene.
But Baskota said there was no need to panic and asked the people to remain calm instead of going on a hoarding spree. He said that if the people start stocking up unnecessarily, the government might not be able to keep up with the surge in demand. He also said over stocking of inflammable products could have undesired consequences.

According to him, the government authority has been mobilising inspection teams to monitor the market. So far, the teams have found no irregularities or attempts to create artificial shortages by the dealers, he said.

He said that the government has been supplying petroleum products without hiking the price. "Rather it has been subsidising it by 10 per cent on average."

Across the border in Raxaul, diesel sells for Rs. 38.60 a litre, whereas it is just Rs. 26.50 in Nepal. Kerosene is Rs. 11 cheaper per litre in Nepal than in India.

Pandey calls on media to prioritise health-related news

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that media has an important role in the country's economic and social development. However, because of the overt priority given to political news, the role of the media has not been effective in promoting economic and social issues.

At a workshop on the role of the media in controlling tuberculosis today, the minister called on the media to give priority to health-related news. The programme was jointly organised by Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) and TB Control Centre.

Minister Pandey said that the role of the electronic media was particularly crucial in disseminating news related to public health.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the current problem facing the country was an outcome of political instability and added efforts were being made to work out a lasting peace. Towards this endeavour, a cease-fire and a code of conduct have been announced, he said, and appreciated the cooperation extended by the donor agencies in this regard.

Director of the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre and National Tuberculosis Centre Dr. Dirgha Singh Bam said that the DOTS (direct observation treatment system) was very effective in controlling TB.
According to him, the service is now available through 205 treatment centres and 950 sub-treatment centres in 75 districts, apart from other governmental and non-governmental agencies.
But he lamented that there had been little publicity in the media that both treatment and diagnosis were provided for free.

Chairman of Nepal TB Control Centre Devendra Bahadur Pradhan said that TB killed three Nepalese every two hours. To control the situation, we need the environment and financial help, he added.
At the inaugural function, preside of FNJ Taranath Dahal said that the journalist body was involved in various activities in the health sector and that these activities would continue.

Presenting a paper on public advocacy and journalists in controlling TB, he said journalists should contribute in disseminating health-related news in the rural areas.

Another paper presented by Dr. Bam revealed there were about 70,000-80,000 TB patients in Nepal and that 20,000 of them had TB of a communicable nature. About 6,000-7,000 patients die every year in the country.

Since the DOTS was introduced, it has proved 91 per cent effective in controlling the disease.
Vice-president of the FNJ Badri Binod Pratik chaired the programme.

PM releases collection of poems

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KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand released 'Bimal Koirala Ka Kabita Ra Bartaharu' a collection of poems and talks authored by Dr. Bimal Koirala here today.
The book is published by Chhaya Publication Kathmandu and is edited by Mahesh Prasain and includes poems, interviews and biography.

Dr. Koirala is the chief secretary of His Majesty's Government and has 'Maun Shibirbata' and 'Utsav Manaune Tayari' and other poems to his credit.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Chand said an effective article is that which gives the feeling of changing social context, age, and relevancy to the simple folk.

He said the nationalist thinking of Koirala has discouraged the superiority of a person.

Chand also said Dr. Koirala is one of the best poets of the country.

The Prime Minister honoured Dr. Koirala for his remarkable contribution in administration and literature for the past three decades.

The honour was given by the International Nepali Literary Society and Nepal Literary Parivar Biratnagar.

From the chair, poet Madhav Ghimire said Nepali art and literature should be introduced in the world.
Also speaking on the occasion were senior litterateur Jagadish Shumsher Rana, litterateur Pushkar Lohani, society president Lava Gaunle, editor of the book Mahesh Prasain and Shankar Kharel.
His wife Anita Koirala was also honored on the occasion.

Appa to make 'last' attempt on Everest

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: World-famous Nepalese Everest summiteer Appa Sherpa, 41, is making his 'last' attempt on the world's tallest peak, a record 13th time this spring.

The renowned mountaineer will try to scale the 8,848-meter peak together with a nine-member U.S. expedition, to be led by Bob Hoffman, solely to mark the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the first ascent of Mt. Everest.

"This will be my last attempt on Everest. From next year, I will go only up to Base Camp, working as an adviser," Sherpa told The Rising Nepal.

The team is scheduled to leave for Everest Base Camp on April 2nd.This will be the fifth time that Sherpa has joined the team of well-known American climber Hoffman. Hoffman's team had collected 632 oxygen bottles and more than 4,000 kilograms of trash from Everest in 2000. He scaled the world's tallest peak in 1998, after unsuccessful attempts in 1992 and 1995.

Ang Phurba Sherpa, executive member of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), who has been handling Hoffman's team, said some of the oxygen bottles collected by the team dated back to the early 1960s. They are now museum pieces at the NMA-built International Mountain Museum in Pokhara.

"The team is planning to bring in more bottles from the mountain this time, too," he said.

Born in Thame village of Solukhumbu district in the Everest region Appa Sherpa first conquered Everest in 1990. Since then, he has successfully scaled the peak every year, except in 1996 and 2001. He began his career as a climber in 1987 on an expedition to Mt. Annapurna, but did not make it to the top. In 1996, he did not go any expedition due to work at home. And his team, which included elder people from Japan, abandoned their attempt on Mt. Everest in 2001.

More than 20 expeditions from various countries of the world are trying to climb Mt. Everest this season to observe the historic Golden Jubilee event.

'Speed up construction work of IT Park'

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KAVREPALANCHOWK, Mar. 21: Finance Minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha and Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Upendra Prasad Devkota today made an onsite inspection of the Information Technology Park under construction at Banepa of Kavrepalanchowk district.
The Ministers made the visit in response to public complaints of dilly dallying in construction of the park, it is learnt.

On the occasion the Mnisters director the bodies concerned to speed up the construction work.
His Majesty's Government has been building the IT Park in order to increase the access of the general public to information technology and following identification of its employment possibilities.
Speaking at a programme organised following the inspection, Minister Dr. Shrestha said introduction of computer systems could help check corruption.

Dr Devkota was of the view that the government is working to complete the project and that it should receive cooperation from all.

The project spanning over an area of 224 ropani is estimated to be completed at the cost of Rs. 250 million.

'Peace must for development'

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KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: Chairman of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee Parasu Narayan Chaudhari has said that the industry and business of any country cannot prosper in the absence of peace.

Inaugurating the general meeting and the fourth general convention of the Nepal Industries Federation here today, he said peace is the desire of all the Nepalese people at present and called upon the industrialists and businessmen to co-operate the government in the task of transforming the government-Maoists talks into a state of permanent peace.

The country's social, development and construction infrastructures have been destroyed during the course of the Maoists' activities over the last seven years, he said and stressed that the government should formulate concrete economic policy by identifying the problems faced by the business community.

Assistant Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Jagat Bahadur Gurung emphasised on the need for an industrial revolution in the country.

He said the government was planning to move forward for the welfare of the industrialists and businessmen by formulating new industrial policy.

General secretary of the Federation Dambardev Acharya spoke on the problems confronting the industrialists and business community.

At the programme presided over by Nepal Industries Federation Chairman Singha Bahadur Shrestha, Federation advisors Ganesh Bhakta Sakha, president of the Consumers Forum Nepal Harendra Bahadur Shrestha, president of the Rupandehi Industries Association Paramananda Kharel and woman entrepreneur Indira Sapkota also expressed their views.

Urban areas face scarcity, pollution of water

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Mar. 21: As experts make an alarming projection of an impending global water crisis, Nepalese urban areas suffer under both scarcity and pollution, calling for the need to convert the trickle of current steps to a torrent of activities to ensure a safe future for the people.

Access to safe and clean drinking water in the urban areas of Nepal has become a challenge in recent days, say experts.

One of the main reasons for the increase in the problem relating to drinking water is the inability to keep up with the pace of population increase. Apparently the most problematic place is Kathmandu where population density is increasing at a critical rate.

The populous capital valley alone needs 119 million litres of water per day, says Narendra Man Pradhan, officiating general manager of Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC). The corporation, the sole water supply agency, is able to supply only 90 million litres at present.

A single person in the capital requires 140 litres of water daily on average. This amount increases if the family has a flush system toilet, Pradhan said.

In the absence of an effective solid waste disposal and sewer system, rivers and water sources are being polluted. Due to over pumping and growth of concrete structures, the ground water level is also dwindling in the capital.

Director at the Water Engineering and Training Center, Bholanath Poudel, said that the ground water level in the Kathmandu valley has gone down. "Rapid urbanisation and tarmaced surface prevent the seepage of the rainwater obstructing the recharge of ground water," he added.

Kathmandu's ground water is contaminated with iron, manganese, nitrate and ammonia, according to Poudel, although it can be used after treating it with chlorine. But this is not affordable for many consumers.

In the Terai lowland in the southern belt of the country, arsenic content has degraded water quality. The World Water Forum being held in Japan has warned of the impacts of arsenic in Nepal.
Unreliable water supply infrastructure has also affected public health. Outdated leaking pipelines laid parallel to the sewer lines are easily contaminated, leading to gastroenteritis. Diarrhoea and typhoid are common waterborne diseases in the valley. But additional effects of water pollution are yet to be studied, Poudel said.

Although the water supplied by the NWSC in the Kathmandu valley is chlorinated, entrance of pollutants through holes in the rusty pipes has contaminated the water.

The water problem of the valley is expected to improve once the Manohara project starts supplying. The project will deliver water to Bhaktapur by the end of this April while it would take another year before the project delivers water to Kathmandu. The project has a capacity to supply 20 million liters of water a day.

Better hopes of a problem-free, uninterrupted supply of drinking water for the Kathmanduities, however, rests on the Melamchi project. But forecasts that it will not come in line before 2007 have poured cold waters on these hopes. Kathmandu valley currently gets its water supply from Sundarijal and Pharping.

The World Water Day is being observed tomorrow (Saturday) with the theme "Water for the Future" for sustainable use of water for the benefit of future generations.

World Water Day this year coincides with the celebration of 2003 as the International Year of Fresh Water. Around half of the world's rivers are seriously depleted and polluted, an IUCN report says.
A fifth of the world's population doesn't have access to safe water supplies. About 6,000 people, mainly children, especially in the developing countries, die every day as a result of dirty, contaminated water, which is equally to the entire population of central Paris.