Their Majesties pay homage

RSS

KATHMANDU, March 26: Their Majesties the King and Queen visited the Tirupmala Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, today and paid homage to Lord Venkateshwar.

The Tirupati temple is located in a hilly region called Venkata some 20 kilometres from the town of Tirupati. The Tirupati Venkateshwar is worshipped as an incarnation of Lord Bishnu.

It is believed that Lord Bishnu has taken the incarnation of Lord Venkateshwar in the Kaliyug as the Lord had taken the incarnation of Lord Ram in the Tretayug and Lord Srikrishna in the Dwapar Yug.
The Tirupati temple, complete with the best sculptural art of South India, is considered one of the finest temples in India.

Their Majesties in Goa

RSS

KATHMANDU, March 26: Their Majesties the King and Queen went to Goa in India today.
Their Majesties the King and Queen were accorded hearty welcome at Goa Airport by Governor of Goa Kedar Nath Sahani and Chief Minister Manohar Parlikar.Earlier while leaving for Goa after paying homage at the Tirupati temple, Their Majesties the King and Queen were seen off at Tirupati Airport by high officials of Andhra Pradesh government.

Nepal committed to protect environment

RSS

KATHMANDU, March 26: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand inaugurated an international seminar on sustainable slope risk management for roads here today.

About 300 representatives from 20 countries have been participating in the seminar which is being organised by His Majesty's Government, Ministry for Physical Planning and Works, Department of Roads with the assistance of Permanent International Association for Road Congress, Paris.
Nepal is geologically fragile and has steep unstable slopes causing problem in the design, construction and operation of roads and this seminar is expected to provide important solutions to those problems.

Technical papers on hazards and risk assessment, sustainable engineering, site investigation and management will be presented and discussed during the seminar, it is said. On the occasion, Prime Minister Chand said Nepal has enacted the Environment Protection Act 2053, which aims at restoring, preserving the natural environment and mitigating the various factors affecting the environmental degradation.

I am hopeful that this seminar will deliberate on problems being encountered by the participating countries and their experiences to mitigate them and the deliberation will bring some conducive outcomes towards the solution of environmental issues including slope stability, he said.
Prime Minister said, I am confident that outcome of this seminar will be of greater importance in the construction, maintenance and operation of roads in countries like ours that have yet to link remote parts of the country.

Minister for Physical Planning and Works Narayan Singh Pun said Nepal has formulated a 20-year road transport plan aimed at development, preservation and maintenance of road assets. "The government has given top priority to the development and management of strategic road network and extension of the road network to all the 75 district headquarters," he said.

He said a total of 4040 kilometre of extension of strategic road network is planned. The estimated resource requirement for road construction, upgrading and maintenance during this plan period is over Nepalese rupees 100 billions. A host of speakers including the co-ordinator of International Road Congress, Birendra Bahadur Deuja, Dr. Meghraj Dhital and Biplab Karki also spoke of the slope risk management for roads.

Refugees likely to leave for Bhutan in two months

By Bhuwaneshor Sharma

KATHMANDU, March 26: More than 12,000 Bhutanese refugees, who are being categorised in Thimpu, must wait at least two more months before they can be repatriated to their homeland.

The refugees of Khudunabari, one of the seven UNHCR-administered camps in east Nepal, were verified last year by a joint verification team (JVT). They are now being categorised into four groups - bonafide Bhutanese, non-Bhutanese, those who voluntarily emigrated and those with criminal records.
The first of the refugees will start leaving for Bhutan after the 14th round of the Ministerial Joint Committee (MJC) meeting scheduled for May 11 in Kathmandu.

The JVT will submit its categorisation results at the MJC meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narendra Bikram Shah told journalists today at the Tribhuvan International Airport. He returned home after participating in the 13th round of the MJC meeting on March 24 and 25 in the Bhutanese capital.
"The JVT will go to Khudunabari within the two weeks of the 14th round of the MJC in Kathmandu so that the categorised refugees can fill up the voluntary repatriation forms. Their repatriation will then begin," said Shah. "We cannot force the refugees to leave Nepal. They will have to fill the forms before the repatriation according to international refugee law," said Shah.

The Nepalese side has almost finished categorising the refugees. The Bhutanese side will now have to review, which is expected to finish before the 14th round of the ministerial level talks.

The Nepalese foreign minister claimed that the 13th round of the MJC meet has made significant progress in agreeing to the modalities for repatriation.He confirmed that no third party shall be consulted in resolving the crisis. He said that both the countries were capable of resolving the problem themselves.The Nepalese delegation had met the Bhutanese king and Prime Minister.

Talks to be successful, says Mandal

RSS

RAJBIRAJ, March 26: Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal has said that His Majesty's Government is committed to holding elections in a peaceful atmosphere following successful dialogue between the government and the Maoists.

In a brief chat with RSS here today, Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal expressed confidence that the dialogue between the government and Maoists would be successful. Responding to a query relating to the hike in petroleum prices, the Deputy Prime Minister accepted that the increase in the price of petroleum products is an added burden to the general public.

He emphasised the need for the King, the political parties and civic society to work together in order to resolve the Maoist problem and take the country forward. The Deputy Prime Minister disclosed that Nepal Sadvawana Party would demand of His Majesty's Government to run the Janakpur-based Rajshree Janak University.

Mandal elected NSP national president

RSS

RAJBIRAJ, March 26: Acting national president of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) and Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal has been elected unopposed the NSP national president. Mandal was declared the unopposed president as his was the only one candidacy filed in course of registration for the post of the party president during the ongoing fourth national general convention of the party in Rajbiraj today, said Sohan Lal Tated, convenor of the party's election committee.

He said since 43 persons have filed their candidature for the post of 15 central members, election for the post of the 15 central members of the party would be held tomorrow. The closed-door session of the general convention today unanimously ratified the political document and the proposal for amending the party's statute.

The political document was presented by joint general secretary Khusi Lal Mandal and the proposal on amendment to the party statute by national vice-president Laxman Lal Karna. Some 600 out of the 650 delegates to the general convention took part in the closed session today, according to party general secretary Devendra Mishra.

Talking to RSS after being elected the president, Deputy Prime Minister Mandal expressed the commitment that he would actively lead the Nepal Sadbhavana Party ahead in building an equitable Nepal.

Germany ready to help Nepal: envoy

By Our Correspondent

DHULIKHEL, March 26: German ambassador to Nepal Rudiger Lamp said today that the German government was ready to assist Nepal in different areas, including education and health.

Inaugurating the newly added in-house section of the Dhulikhel community hospital, the Germany envoy said that participatory and community-based programmes would be successful in achieving its goal.

With the addition of 80 new beds, the hospital, established six years ago, now has 160 beds.
The section has been developed at a cost of Rs. 110 million, which was contributed by Dhulikhel Municipality, Germany, Australia, Switzerland and the Dhulikhel Health Service Association.

'Constitution capable to resolve crisis'

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 26: Politicians and intellectuals today said that it would not be wise to invite another armed conflict to resolve Nepal's problems as the Constitution was capable of resolving any crisis facing the nation.

"It will be a blunder to replace the existing constitution on any pretext," they warned. They said that the political parties represented in the dissolved House of Representatives should have a role in the upcoming peace talks to be held between the government and the Maoists.

Since the CPN-Maoist has accepted constitutional monarchy, a liberal economy policy and parliamentary democracy, their demand for a constituent assembly has lost relevance," said speaker Taranath Ranabhat at an interaction on 'Role of Government, Political Parties and Intellectuals in Meaningful Peace Talks,'

Ranabhat said that as the Maoists had realised the necessity of peace and had decided to come to the negotiating table, they should surrender their arms to the state in a bid to usher in a new era.
Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel said that political parties were committed to make the talks successful. "The talks should be held only on condition that they not pose a threat to freedom," Poudel said.

Parties should work together for peace: Ojha

RSS

POKHARA, March 26: Minister for Education and Sports Devi Prasad Ojha has said that the peace talks between the government and the Maoists should be result-oriented in order to put an end to the bloodbath and violence that had been taking place in the country since the past few years and that all political parties should work together.

Inaugurating the first western regional conference of Nepal Intellectuals' Council here today, Minister Ojha said no one has an opinion against the multi-party system but such a system in absence of discipline would not benefit the nation.

Far West waiting for civic reception

RSS

DHANGADHI, March 26: Local people here are very happy and excited at the civic reception to be accorded Their Majesties the King and Queen on behalf of the people of the Far-Western Development Region on April 4.

Not only the differently abled and handicapped persons but all citizens- farmers, labourers, teachers, students, the elderly- are eagerly awaiting the event on April 4.

Govinda Bahadur Malla of Saraswatinagar VDC in Doti district who runs a hotel in Dhangadhi is eager to welcome and have a glimpse of Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Malla, a disabled who has so far not had the opportunity to have a direct darshan of Their Majesties the King and Queen, says the King had done well in the past also and he would do good in the future too, adding, it is because the King has taken the initiative that peace has been restored in the country now.

Sadhu Joshi, 68, of Dhangadhi Campus road, recalled having seen His late Majesty King Mahendra at Jorayal of Doti district in 2004 BS.

Animal attacks matter of rising concern in Chitwan

By Bhimsen Thapaliya

SAURAHA, CHITWAN, March 26: An ornithologist surveying birds in Chitwan was injured in a rhino attack early this month. The animal was with a baby, and the scientist's escape was miraculous in that when an angry rhino charges so close, it normally results in death. Such an incident is, however, not the first of its kind. As conservation measures send the number of animals multiplying, a dilemmma has emerged. These charismatic animals attract not only tourism revenue, but also bring undesired consequences - loss of human lives.

There are rising concerns in this inner Terai area over the loss of lives in animal attacks annually. There is an overlapping in the use of territory between the wildlife and the people, a situation that leads to fatalities and injuries. While people visit the forests for recreation purposes and to collect fuelwood and fodder, animals also frequent the farms and cattle sheds for food.

Rhino attacks are quite frequent in Chitwan, especially around early February when the khar (roofing grass) harvesting festival takes place within the protected areas. The tall kans grass is used to thatch roofs or to fence vegetable gardens.

The Royal Chitwan National Park opens up the grasslands for harvesting for three days during which people make a beeline to collect as much grass as possible. A commotion takes place in the fields where the largely unsuspecting grass cutters come under surprise attacks by the animals. "The mother rhino with a baby is most dangerous. They have killed or wounded probably the largest number of people," says Ganesh Kumar Shrestha of Kumrose VDC.

The kans grass is so tall that rhinos are well hidden. While the people are engrossed in harvesting grass, they are provoked by the disturbance of their habitat. "I don't think there is a single year without fatalities from animal attacks," said Shrestha, who himself had a narrow escape from a rhino charge on the bank of the Rapti river on the northeastern fringe of the park.

It was a female pachyderm accompanying its young one. "The animal appeared from nowhere and dashed towards me with a snarl. As the precaution rule goes, I ran towards a side of the animal and realised I was safe after climbing a tree," said Shrestha.

Even visitors are at times threatened if jungle precautions are not followed. "If you are not familiar with animal behaviour and the local geographical features, it is dangerous for tourists to venture into the jungle," said a nature guide at the Kumrose community forest.

Two years ago, tourists on an elepant ride were terrified by an angry rhino, said Sharan Bogati of Hattisar at Kumrose. Four elephants carrying tourists encircled a rhino with a baby for a close view. Suddenly the baby rhino ran and disappeared into the dense bushes.