The beggars in Kathmandu

By Sanjay Kumar Jha

The number of beggars is increasing day by day in Kathmandu. Since the last five years, this number may have been doubled. As the density of Kathmandu is increasing, the number of beggars has been increasing at the same rate. Again there are many types of beggars in Kathmandu. The types of beggars have also increased with the increase in population.

Beggars are of different status with different standard of begging. But all the beggars have the same internal feeling to be at the stage of begging. Even their approach is dissimilar. The following types of beggars can be seen clearly in Kathmandu.

One type, who ask for money frankly showing their right to get benefit as a beggar. These beggars move from door to door and can be found at bus stops. The door to door movers make slogans and influence the house owner to give them something. These beggars can easily solve food problems in their life, because they can visit 100 homes in a day and as the tendency of Nepalese is to help the beggars, they can collect sufficient food for the day’s supply. These beggars have no remorse seeing themselves at the stage of begging. Instead, they feel, they have a right to be given something once they are at the people’s door. These beggars disguise themselves mostly as Sadhus regardless of whichever faith they belong to. These beggars have encouraged others to beg because it is easier to beg.

The religious sites where the immoral sadhus live, are the sources of beggars’ production. They scatter all over the city, beg all day long and finally return at their respective places. Their profession, however is a proof of their right, but their nature has no longer changed. That is why instead of uplifting the impression of the religion, they seem to encourage social evils by making others beg like them. Many people can involve themselves in this fashion to conceal their original appearance and can make their illegal operation succeed. Actually the character of yogi beggars can not be identified easily, although existence in large numbers give rise to doubt in the mind of the people.

The other types of frank beggars are found at bus stops. Few of them are physically disabled. Their way of begging is quite easy. When the bus stops at the local stoppage, they get on from the front door, show the pot before each passenger and get off from the back door within maximum two minutes. If they collect five rupees at least, say, in one bus and maintain only 50 buses, then their income is ultimately 250 rupees per day. These beggars are classified as rich beggars. Sometimes, these beggars make more money. There are 3 types of passengers who treat with them. Some seem to be permanent providers, who give them money without delay. Some hesitate initially but as soon as the beggar persists a little, they extract money from pockets and give painfully. The last types are very different who do not care about them at all, like me. Even each beggar can make good money disregarding the types of providers. Some beggars maintain a good standard in the method of begging. They distribute the cards explaining sufferings and demanding for helps. Teenagers of both sexes seem to be involved in this profession at most of the places and are responsible for spreading the social evils in the society. There are a type of beggars who not only ask for money frankly, but also compel people to give them money. This class of beggars is comprised of child beggars, mostly aged below 14 years. They stand on the pavement looking for people, go near them, catch their feet and ask for money. If the people do not give them easily, they follow them and ask many times. Sometimes they get money after compelling them but not always. This type of beggar causes harassment. It is tragic that children are involved in this act. People think that they are orphans, but only few of them are right. The reality is that these beggars are children belonging to most poor families who beg by following the footpriints of their parents. Many parents themselves do not beg but train their children to beg because they think people would give money to child beggar easily. Most of the poor parents put their disabled children on the side of pavement and sit down at one corner watching their children. People think that the child beggar has actually no one to look after him and have mercy. Well, it is not bad to help a disabled one but why do people not think that actually they are not orphans and they are misutilised by their own parents. So, people should think that the wrong person has become beggar who is exploited by his own relative. Instead the parents should bring up their disabled children by their own effort. Why do they become happy to employ their children at begging and making them an object in the crowd of people? These parents have created a source of money through their children. That is a way of making money by cheating the people. There are hundreds of beggars who form this category in Kathmandu. One can find a beggar sitting at a distance of every 20 meters on the road of Kathmandu. These beggars are either physically disabled or very poor or both. They are neither frank nor do they compel people to give money. They ask everyone to give money in a very painfully tone. Only a few people show mercy and give them some amount. Such type of beggars can hardly collect 20 rupees in a day, and they can not move also because they are disabled. These beggars are the poorest among the beggars.

The beggars are helped by the lower middle class people. This class of people have a special mercy for the beggars. They set aside a special part from their property for beggars only. High class people maintaining quality of life cannot think about a beggar for a single second, no matter how much they could have donated.

But, the government, who is the authorized body to look after the people in the country, must have to find solutions for beggars. That is the body on which the beggars have right to claim and depend for help rather than on moving people passing them by. But conversely, the beggars have benefited and been saved only by people moving on the road. They cannot imagine that the government would think about them and help in many ways. So, the number of beggars is increasing because they have a good source of income. This is also the task of the government to take care of the beggars.

The government has to take necessary measures to protect beggars particularly, the child beggars.

Efforts For Bird Conservation

By Nilesh Timilsina, Nabin Baral and Bijay Tamang

The conservation history of Nepal is very short. The endorsement of Nationals Parks and Wildlife Conservation (NPWC) Act by HMG of Nepal in 1973, gave impetus to the conservation movement. Though there were few policy and legislative documents prior to 1970s, most of the biodiversity related and conservation-friendly policies were forged after the 70s. Exercising the rights given by NPWC Act 1973, more than 18% of total land area of the country is designated as Protected Areas (PA). When theocracy diminishes, stringent law is the last resort for the conservation and management of biodiversity. One of the serious problems we are facing is that implementation of legislation for the conservation is not effective. So, many people perpetrate offences for the monetary benefit by selling contraband wildlife parts.

Nepal harbours more than 850 species of birds, ten species are considered to be extinct. Nine species have been provided protected status by NPWC ACT 1973. As many as 130 breeding and wintering species are considered to be nationally threatened (i.e. 15% of the species recorded in Nepal). A total of 29 species recorded in Nepal was recently identified as globally threatened by Birdlife International. Six species are new to Nepal’s globally threatened list compared to Birdlife’s previous list of threatened birds; Sarus crane, White rumped and Long billed Vultures, Grey-crowned Prinia, Slender-billed Babbler and Finn’s Weaver. Perhaps most alarming of these are the inclusion of White-rumped and Long billed Vultures which are now both classified as ‘Critical’ status. Until recently both species were widespread in Nepal.

Habitat loss is the major threat to 86% of birds. In all 88 species (68% of the total threatened) depend on forests, wetlands (30 sps.), grasslands (14 sps.), scrub (2 sps.), open country (1 sp.) and stony ground (1 sp.). Forests and shrubs cover is declining and only 29% of the country possesses the forest cover. This is certainly going to put pressure on the survival of birds, since many of the birds, inhabiting Nepal depends on forest. Wetlands are facing problem due to over fishing, use of poisons and explosives for fishing and introduction of exotic plant species like Water hyacinth. Other problems like drainage, abstraction, siltation and over enrichment still continue to grow. These activities have adverse impact on the survival of wetland birds. Figures available over a ten year period (1989 to 1999) for 3 wetlands in Chitwan reveal a decline in wetland dependent birds. Grasslands are deteriorating due to overgrazing, haphazard burning, conversion into agricultural land and other bird’s unfriendly management practices. Hunting is contributing to the decline of some species including globally threatened Greater Adjutant, Sarus Crane, Spot billed Pelican and Cheer pheasant, as well as 12 species identified as nationally threatened. We can witness slaughter of many larks and buntings for sale as snacks (locally known as bagedi). Greater hornbills are hunted for its casque and beak to be used as medicine. Still we frequently encountered bird sellers in the urban areas. Ironically, the hunting practices occur outside the protected areas and hunting records have been rarely made inside the protected area. There are several other examples like above which suggest that efforts for conservation of these species should be substantial.

In the appendix I of NPWC Act 1973, nine species of birds have been listed as protected ones. This appendix gives birds, mammals and reptiles the same status but the penalty for offence is discriminative. The penalty for killing mammals is more severe than for killing birds. This discrimination in legal punishment has trammelled conservation exertions for birds. One such example is that the penalty for killing or hurting protected mammals like rhino, tiger, musk deer etc. ranges from NRs. 50,000-1,00,000 or 5-15 years imprisonment or both but for protected birds the penalty is only NRs. 500-10,000 cash or 6 months to 2 years imprisonment or both. Those who kill mammals other than mentioned protected, inside the national parks and wildlife reserves, get severe punishment than the killing of birds. These laws have been promulgated to strengthen our efforts in the future. Though legal protection has been provided to the birds but due to its highly mobile nature, different other aspects need to be incorporated. There should be laws to prevent hunting outside the protected areas. Habitats outside the protected areas should be well represented in the protected area system. Though 18% areas of the country have been provided protected status, there are still some areas that are ill represented. Only few areas have been protected in areas lying between 500m to 3,500m, and protected areas have not been allocated for the protection of bio-diversity as such. A high proportion of land that is protected lies at high altitude above the tree line and is of relatively little importance for bio-diversity. Experts believe that there are some important omissions in the representation of forest types at lower altitudes in the protected area network. Middle hill broad-leaf forests, broad leaf Churia hill forests and tropical evergreen forests that are now restricted in small patches in the east are still not well represented. As a result nearly 49% (64 sps.) of the nationally threatened birds are found in lowland (63m-100m); 28% (36 sps.) are found in lowland as well as mid-hills (75m-300m); 11% (14 sps.) are strictly found in the middle hills (1000m-3000m) and the remaining 12% (16 sps.) are birds that belong to higher altitudes. Concept of Important Bird Areas (IBAs) put forward by the Bird life International sounds effective in this regard. Allocating areas important for bird preservation not only benefits the birds but also would be useful for other animals and plants. Since birds are found in the diverse habitat, larger part of unprotected areas will be maintained and diverse ecological areas will be protected. The newly introduced concept of trans-boundary and landscape level conservation will be the cornerstone for better conservation, representation and sustainable use of the bio-diversity.

Even though NPWC Act 1973 has been amended for the fourth time, the Appendix I of the act has remained unchanged from the inception. This is the right time to rectify the protected species of appendix I. Even though, giving 29 species categorized by Birdlife International as endangered species, a protected status may be difficult for the government to implement, we recommend to add some species like Swamp Francolin, White-rumped Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Jerdon’s Babbler and Spot-billed Pelican in the Appendix I of NPWC Act 1973. This might draw the attention of scientists, policy makers and conservationists to act towards the conservation of rich avifauna of Nepal.

Now, HMG has realized that wildlife conservation governed by the NPWC Act along with the Forest Act, the Customs Act, and the Export import Control Act often prove inadequate in dealing with wildlife related offences in the country. It has felt the need of formulating a strong and separate law for the implementation of CITES and has prepared a CITES draft bill. The Bill will come into force after its approval by the parliament. Lawmakers are also planning to amend the NPWC Act; if this will be done in the near future, it will be one of the important steps taken towards better conservation.

Quest for paradise

By Soni Adhikari

It is said that children are another incarnation of god. The world of children is the world of fun and pleasure which lies beyond the boundary of materialistic desiring. Of course, they desire honestly for chocolates, icecream, multicolored clothes and so on. Most of all, is the playing-mates and the open space where they can play games like hide-and-seek. What a fun it would be if there was a slide, a swing and a sea-saw.

But where lies such entertainment now? The children in the cities seem as if they are plagued by heavy burden of homework which they need to do inside the suffocating space. How pathetic is the situation when their parents restrict them to go outside even after they finish their homework. "You must come first in the class", are the words that buzz inside the room. They see outside not the palyground but the concrete jungles and the crowd. Where can they go for recreation? Only the Dragon World or the Thankot park? However, find no other alternative. The Dragon World has really lost its healing effect due to the conjusted and monotonous environment. The most unfortunate part is the parents' negligence for children’s physical and mental development. They feel proud to hearing the first rank of their children at the cost of their health. Do the children realise their responsibility that they are the citizen of tomorrow when they are bound to supress their innate rights?

The melancholic countenance are seen in the morning, either rushing to the nearby school or waiting in the cloud of dust and smoke for their bus to come. The usual time-table, the strict rules and regulation, fear of punishment are some of the horrific scenario which the children try to ignore. In the school, the nursery rhymes, " Johny Johny...........Open your mouth Ha! Ha! Ha!" sounds just from afar. Soon after the rhymes are over, there echoes the voice "Keep quiet! Finger on your lips." The half an hour tiffin-break is the much awaited hour which seems fleeing very soon. Then again the same class, same sort of lesson and the same rules to follow. How healthy is such education that the children are achieving? How effective it would be if the children get education by visiting the nature and embracing its beauty? If it is said that nature has replaced the bible, why not a huge pile of textbooks?

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