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 Kathmandu Tuesday July 03, 2001 Ashadh 19,  2058.


Royal massacre comes under House debate

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 2 – The main opposition CPN- UML asked the government Monday to clarify on how history should portray the late Crown Prince Dipendra, who has been named as the lone gunman responsible for June 1 Royal Palace massacre.

CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal questioned how the Nepali people and history should portray Crown Prince Dipendra who has been blamed for opening fire at the Royal dinner killing his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, along with seven other family members.

"It has not been specified by the government on who is responsible and how such a person should be stated in the history … should he be honored or should he be treated as a criminal," Nepal said.

The main opposition also came down heavily on the government and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for failing to take moral responsibility over the massacre.

"There has to be someone who should have taken the moral responsibility. But neither the Prime Minister, the government nor the military has taken responsibility," said CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.

Nepal, as also the leader of the opposition parties in the House of Representatives, was addressing the opening of the debate on government’s programmes and policies presented through a Royal Address last week.

"The whole episode has been treated as if it was just a simple ceremony of getting a new king," Nepal said. "Why was the government not transparent and the people kept in the dark following the incident and if there had been free flow of information there probably wound not have been a situation of chaos after that."

Following the incident, not much information was released by the government about the incident expect for few lines over the state-run media. Frustration led to people taking to the streets and riot broke out in the Capital city that claimed two lives and dozens of injuries, many by police bullet.

"Why was the Prime Minister not informed about the incident right after it happened and was he able to exercise his authority following the incident. And if the incident is not discussed and debated in parliament how can similar incidents be prevented?" Nepal said.

Criticizing the government’s programs and policies, Nepal said the document has failed to recognize and resolve the problems faced by the nation and also address the commitments expressed by the Prime Minister.

"We were hopeful that the document will address the 14-point programs put forth last week but surprisingly it has failed to do so," Nepal said. "If the government fails to be serious then these problems cannot be resolved."

He said the government has put thrust on using military and armed police force to quell the Maoists that could lead the nation to a situation of civil war, militarization and anarchy. "The country can’t afford such a situation," he said.

"The government it seems has also brought the Public Security Regulations 2001 so it can continue on with its unpopular reign," he said.

Similarly, Prakash Chandra Lohani of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) said that the government failed to inform the people for 20-22 hours about the incident and people were even not sure if the country had a functioning government in the hours following the massacre.

"So who is taking the moral responsibility over the massacre ... the Defence Minister or the Minister for Royal Palace Affairs," Lohani said.

Prime Minister Koirala is also the Minister for Royal Palace Affairs.

"Where is the commitment expressed by Koirala eight years ago when he was also the premier then. He is moving against all that he committed," Lohani said.

Rajendra Mahato of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) also termed the government policies as "mere formality" and went on criticising the government for the Royal Palace massacre.

In his speech given out in Hindi, he also demanded to know the government version on the present status of the Citizenship Bill.

Likewise, referring to history when rulers overtook Kingship by various means, Chitra Bahadur KC of National Peoples’ Front termed the June 1 Narayanhity Palace massacre as "not upto the modern times."

The debate will continue until the end of the week after which the Prime Minister will reply to the concerns raised by the lawmakers.


Reform oriented budget on anvil: FM

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 2 - Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the forthcoming budget for the fiscal year 2001/02 would introduce programs central to poverty reduction, revival of domestic industries, financial sector reform and maintaining fiscal discipline.

There would be some serious programs in the budget to reduce regular expenditure and such programs are introduced in keeping with the political and social aspects as well, said FM Mahat.

He said that the coming budget would bring all the poverty alleviation programs like Bishweshwor with the Poor, Jagriti and other 19 poverty targetted programs introduced in the current budget under one umbrella. The programs have the same model and there is no coordination among them. This has resulted in duplication of works. Therefore, the coming budget will make them result oriented.

Talking to economic reporters at his chamber today, the finance minister said that the budget would also focus on financial sector reform. New programs would be introduced in the budget to reform state-owned banks, private commercial banks, finance companies and other private sector financial institutions. Such reform program was also included in the current budget, but the implementation remained very weak.

In order to revive the domestic industry, the budget would introduce special program as per the government’s programs and policies outlined in the Royal Address to the joint session of the Houses of the Parliament. The program has a slogan of "Let’s be self-dependent, let’s use domestic products".

The budgetary provision would require government offices to buy locally produced goods especially in big construction and development works. Additional financial facility will be given to boost local investment. This is expected to boost the domestic industries.

Talking about the difficulty in realizing the target of revenue mobilization, the finance minister said there is a need to correct the anomalies in the financial administration. The process of tender will be revised, sources of income would be identified and the potential tax payers would be brought under the tax net.

He said that the coming budget would have no new ambitious programs and would focus on consolidation and sustainability of the national economy. The finance minister also said that the budget would make necessary provisions to cut down expenses on pension and gratuity as the so-called independent organizations decide on pension and gratuity and more than 150 development committees are also following suit, pushing the regular expense high.

He also said that the budget would introduce programs to encourage the information technology (IT) entrepreneurs in order to tap the potential of the IT industry. he also hinted that the forthcoming budget would resolve the problem of tax deductible at sources (TDS) of the internet service providers (ISPs).

Replying to a query on financial sector reform process, he said the donor agencies are sympathetic towards us. The World Bank has agreed to open new line of credit. The donor agencies have graduated us from the low case to base case and Nepal is not one of the highly indebted countries, he added.


Disasters, epidemics claim 125 lives in 3 months

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 2 – About 125 people have died throughout the country due to various kinds of natural disasters and epidemics, so far this season, government officials say. The figure includes all those who have died in landslides, floods, fire and outbreaks of various epidemics since the beginning of Baisakh 2058 (April/May 2001).

Various kinds of natural calamities have been taking numerous toll in the country in the past years. In fact most number of people die every year in Nepal due to natural disasters and various epidemic, with gastroenteritis toping the list.

"The government has been compensating the affected families according to the established ruled," says Min Bahadur Paudel, Director of the Disaster Management Cell at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Home Ministry has been providing Rs 10000 per person as compensation to the families of people who have died due to all natural calamities other than epidemic outbreaks. The epidemic outbreaks fall under the working area of Ministry of Health.

The Home Ministry has also been providing Rs 4000 per family whose houses have been completely destroyed or washed away. Those families have been also supplied with 50 cubic meter of wood each, by flood or landslides, food for few days and Rs 500 to buy cooking utensils, says Paudel. According to Dr Mahendra Bahadur Bista, the director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) gastro-enteritis alone this year has claimed the lives of 75 persons.

"The district dispatches received so far claim that 23 people in Bajhang, 21 in Doti, 7 in Baitadi and 4 people each in Gorkha and Syangja have died in epidemic outbreaks this year," he says. He adds that over 2600 patients were successfully treated by district hospitals and other health institutions in different districts.

"Last year, 10,000 people were affected by various epidemics and 500 of them had died," he says. This year the EDCD has set up a hotline information desk and also a rapid response team in all 75 districts in order to save most of the patients by providing proper medication in time, Dr. Bista informs.

" We have set six regional medical stores throughout the country and provide and stocked medicine in all the affected districts. Apart from them, we directly dispatch the medicine as per the demands made to the centre," he says.

Dr Bista blames poor sanitation, malnutrition and lack of awareness for the rapid spread of this deadly disease. But, at the same time, he said that the practice of proper oral-rehydration technique has been on the rise even among illiterate villagers which has helped to lower death tolls.

Although it is too early to say anything comparatively, so far epidemic outbreaks have been less this year compared to previous years but landslides, floods and fire outbreaks have remained almost the same. "We can only say how things have gone this year at the end of the season," says Paudel.

The season ends around August/September, normally when the monsoon is over.


Police to get fund for helicopters

Post Report

KATHMANDU, July 2 - The Finance Ministry has pledged Rs. 250 million towards purchasing two helicopters for the Nepal Police, officials said today.

Secretary at the Finance Ministry Bimal Koirala told the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee that the ministry was ready to allocate the sum as soon as they receive a formal application from the Home Ministry.

The Home Ministry had initially asked for Rs. 570 million to purchase a Russian-built MI-17 to ship cargo and personnel and a smaller craft with capacity to transport nine people. In the proposal the Ministry has also asked for additional Rs. 20 million to be used as maintenance costs.

Koirala said the Finance Ministry had dithered in the beginning because the demand was made for Rs. 590 million, which was not possible at a time, when budget is scarce.

He also said that last year the Cabinet had already approved a Rs. 230 million package for the helicopters, but since the budget was announced the very next day, it was not possible to include it then.

Inspector General of Police Pradeep Sumsher Rana said that they estimate the two craft to cost about Rs. 350 million.

The Home Ministry has already spent Rs. 620 million chartering helicopters from private airline operators to airlift personnel and supplies to remote mountainous regions since the Maoist rebels began to wage guerrilla war in 1996.

Since the rebels began the "people’s war" from the hills of central and mid-western Nepal, over 1,600 people have been killed. There have also been heavy casualties on the police side and in the recent months, the rebels have launched daring attacks on police outposts.

In the past 10 months of this fiscal year alone, the government has spent Rs. 240 million to charter the helicopters.

The 40,000 plus police force has no helicopter in its possession. The Royal Nepal Army has at least four helicopters on its fleet besides two aircraft.


Thunderbolts kill 6, injure 3 in Nuwakot

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BIDUR, Nuwakot, July 2 - At least six people were killed on the spot and three others seriously injured in two separate incidents of lightning at remote Hwanmang and Purgaon villages of Betini VDC-7 and 8 on Friday evening, according to the VDC Vice-Chairman. A VHF telephone system was also damaged by the thunderbolt.

The VDC, located about 45 km east of here, the district headquarters, borders Sindhupalchowk district. Though details were sketchy, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Bikram Singh Thapa, said that a police rescue team has been sent to the site three days after the incident.

The VDC Vice-Chairman, Mansingh Tamang, told over telephone that Kajiman Tamang, 24, Sanu Kanchha Tamang, 20, and Tokten Tamang, 20, were struck to death when the thunderbolt hit Indra Man Tamang’s house located at VDC-7.

Likewise, three others were also killed by lightning at Purgaon village on that same fateful evening. Those who succumbed to the incident have been identified as Gore Tamang, 20, Tule Tamang, 29, and an unidentified one year old toddler.

Vice-Chairman Tamang said that three others, who sustained serious injuries are still unconscious since the day. A local shaman was trying his best to heal the unconscious persons till Monday, he said.

He said that the ill-fated people were waiting at Indraman’s house for the food in the Thulo Kolpu River to subside when they were hit by the thunderbolt. All of them were returning home after planting paddy in their fields.

Chief District Officer, Modraj Dotel, said the government would provide Rs 10,000 to each of the bereaved family of the deceased for their last rites and would also bear the costs of treatment of the injured ones. CDO Dotel said that he had advised the locals to rush the injured to Kathmandu for treatment.


Women accuse policemen of harassment

By Seema A Adhikari

KATHMANDU, July 2 - Religions the world over define man and woman as two wheels of the  chariot and deem them equal. Hinduism goes a step forward, often describing woman as an incarnation of goddesses and so on.

But scenarios in the streets of Kathmandu, the Hindu capital, are not quite like that - whatever the religious faiths, or family or social formalities.

And what is really intriguing, if not infuriating, is the fact that girls and women moving about the city thoroughfares are not only harassed by road-side Romeos but also by the police personnel, who are supposed to nab and punish the Romeos or the eve-teasers, are resorting to harassing girls and women.

While incidents of such "petty crimes" go unnoticed during busy office hours and afternoons, the tendency takes a nasty turn as dusk to sets in. If you think that the bar or the bhatti-returnees are the only ones involved in harassing womenfolk then you are mistaken.

Working women - among them medical staff, journalists and hotel employees - have started to complain that they are being routinely harassed by night-time-wanderers, and even by the traffic police personnel, who stand in groups at the capital’s major thoroughfares for what they call "on-the-spot checking".

"It’s nice to have the government ensuring smooth, safe and less chaotic traffic checking," says Sujata Singh, 27, who is an employee at a star hotel. "However, it is disappointing that girls walking or returning home on a motor bike late at night are teased and harassed."

While a lady journalist working for a national daily explains how a few policemen have embarrassed her by "treating us as flesh traders", Rekha Rajbhandari, 23, a nurse with a private nursing home recalls a bitter moment the other night when police interrupted her with questions like - Disco gayera aayeu ki kyaho maiya? (Returning from Disco, sweety?) Such examples are many, and complain countless.

Since coping with competitive life of Kathmandu is not that simple and needs a lot of toil for daily dole. Women have to be bold enough to work even after dusk. And these workers are not allowed to go to their job without being intervened "Intimidating presence" of "Romeos" at every stop has not only disturbed many a working women, but also leave them stranded at several points on pretext of being interrogated.

Chanda Lama, 22, whose father is lodged at B&B Hospital says she has been interrupted a number of times in the evenings when she has to fetch food for her father undergoing treatment. "Police themselves tease girls, let alone ruffians," she bursts out.

When asked if the complaints about girls are true, one of the traffic police on his duty said, "I don’t know about this but we are doing vigorous patrolling for every commoners safety. We definitely question the girls who stroll around until 2 o’clock in the morning."

Keshav Prasad Baral, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) at the Valley Traffic Police Office defended that the entire police organization is not involved in such acts. "The traffic police are instructed every day to maintain discipline and behave cordially with the public. In fact, there exists a rule to take actions against those police officers, against whom complaints are filed."

He added, "However, all of us have to take in mind that this kind of intervention with the public walking around during late nights are done aimed at maintaining peace and security in the community".


KMC to put garbage bins

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KATHMANDU, July 2 -In an attempt to manage the growing problem of city garbage disposal, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is soon introducing garbage bins at major parts of the Capital city, an KMC official said today.

The chief of Solid Waste Management Section, Rajesh Manandhar said Monday that KMC is launching a new system of placing garbage bins along the major streets. "To start with, 26 cylindrical net-bins are being placed at New Road, the busiest shopping centre of the city from Wednesday," he said.

Though KMC spends Rs 80 million annually on urban sanitation alone, the city remains far from being neat and clean. Seven sweepers are engaged to clean the New Road area alone.

Manandhar said that the city areas continue to remain untidy even after the sweepers sweep twice a day because the people have the habit of throwing and dropping rubbish carelessly and litter the streets.

And at the same time the metropolitan office too had refrained from installing garbage bins. "We did try to introduce it earlier but we experienced that there is a larger possibility of people simply ignoring to use them, or burning garbage unsystematically, and destroying them during demonstrations."

Each new 100-litre capacity bins costing Rs 1,500 is being distributed by Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme (KVMP). The bins will be emptied twice a day and couples of cleaning staff will also collect the scattered garbage and litter for some weeks.

KVMP has a plan to distribute 510 bins around the central areas of the metropolis which includes Soaltee-Bishnumati Bridge, Bishnumati Bridge-Tripureshwor, Tripureshwor-Sundhara, Tundikhel Area, Ratna Park-Jamal-Tridevi Marga, Royal Palace-Indian Embassy, Kamaladi area, Old Bus Park area are to follow after the New Road scheme becomes a cleaning success.

But Manandhar warned the citizens: "We need public help. We are placing the bins on trial for three months. If 20 per cent of the bins are stolen during that period, it is likely that the whole programme will have to be terminated."

The former Mayor PL Singh during his tenure in office introduced the system of placing garbage bins but it went in ruins later as the citizens did not mind to utilise them and the upkeep and maintenance was costly too.


Nepal-India officials’ meet concludes in UP

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DHANGADI, July 2 – Nepal and India officials meeting concluded recently in Lakimpur Khiri of Uttar Pradesh, India agreeing, among other, better coordination to curb cross-border criminal activities and providing at least one week permission for Nepalis vehicles to take sick patients to Indian cities.

According to a press release issued by Kailali Chief District Office, both sides have agreed that Kailali and Kanchanpur Chief District Officers could issue such permits to Nepalis vehicles that could take sick patients to India from Nepal.

Likewise, Nepal and India have also agreed to initiate a joint technical team that could conserve natural habitat of wildlife in the border areas, the release states. "The Indian authorities have also assured to be more serious in halting Nepalis women who are trafficked to Indian cities," the release further states.

The Nepalese and Indian delegation, headed by Far Western Regional Administrator Sushil Bhattarai and Shaurav Chandra – Commissioner at Lukhnow, Uttar Pradesh - had met last Thursday to discuss various border related issues. Madav Raj Sharma, CDO at Kailali, Binod Khanal, CDO at Kanchanpur, District Police Chief, and officials related to customs, investigation, forestry were also in the Nepalese team.

Furthermore, the two sides also discussed the works of the commission to look after the border issues and agreed to keep on maintaining and conserving the border pillars along the Nepal-India border.


N-PABSON flays Education Report

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KATHMANDU, July 2- National Private and Boarding Schools’ Association Nepal (PABSON) today strongly criticized the recommendations made to the government by the High Level Committee, saying that the report has "solely gone against the private and boarding schools."

In a press release issued here today, National PABSON has also stated that the report has failed to find concrete and practical solution to the existing ills in the education sector.

"Despite devising a scientific fee-structure and finding a concrete policy, the report has simply gone against the privately owned schools run since the last 51 years," states a release signed by Geeta Rana, the President of National PABSON.

"The report has even barred the private schools from running kindergarden classes and has recommended handing over the management to politicians involved in Village Development Committees and Municipalities," the release adds.

In a recommendation made to the government last Friday, the High Level Committee formed by the government had further suggested that no reference books be allowed to the children beyond the recommendation.

"The report has suggested to restrain private schools from receiving government grants that come from 17 per cent of the total national budget…It would have been better it had suggested the abolishing of privately run schools themselves," the release adds.


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