News of Nepal

भारतले पूर्वका १० ठाउँमा सीमा मिचेको पुष्टि, स्तम्भसमेत गायव

2010-03-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

खिलानाथ ढकाल, इलाम, फागुन २०- भारतले इलामको पूर्वी सीमावर्ती क्षेत्रका १० ठाउँमा अतिक्रमण गरेको पुष्टि भएको छ। सीमा प्रशासन, इलाका प्रहरी कार्यालय पशुपतिनर र नागरिक समाजको संयुक्त टोलीले स्थलगत अनुगमनपछि १० ठाउँ मिचेको पुष्टि गरेको हो। टोलीले गरेको अनुगमनमा सीमा क्षेत्रका पाँच वटा सीमा स्तम्भसमेत गायव भएको तथ्य फेला परेको छ।

पशुपतिनगर–४ हिलेभञ्ज्याङ क्षेत्रमा रहेका ७१/२१, ७१/२२, ७१/२३ पशुपतिनगर र श्रीअन्तु गाविसमा पर्ने दीपकमल वनक्षेत्रभित्र रहेका ७२/३ र ७२/४ नम्बर सिमास्तम्भ गायव छन्। सन्दकपुर, मानेभञ्ज्याङ, सिमाना बजार, पुलखोला, फाटक, पेनल हिले भञ्ज्याङ, गुफापातल र छब्बीसे भारत पक्षबाट अतिक्रमण भएको टोलीका सदस्य देवेन्द्र पाण्डेले बताए।

'अनुगमनमा अतिक्रमण नभएका तर विवादमा परेका ठाउँ भेटिए'- उनले नागरिकसित भने। अनुगमनपछि तयार पारिएको प्रतिवेदनमा पर्यटकीयस्थल सन्दकपुरमा नेपाली भूमि अतिक्रमण गरी भारतले आधुनिक, पर्यटकीय स्थलको रुपमा सुविधा सम्पन्न होटल स्थापना गरेको उल्लेख छ। 'कालपोखरी–सन्दकपुर क्षेत्रमै नेपाली भूमि मिचेर होटलहरू बनाइएको र पर्यटक पदमार्ग समेत नेपाल खण्डमा बनाई सीमा स्तम्भहरू समेत विवादित अवस्थामा पुर्‍याएको भेटायौं'- पाण्डेले भने।

पशुपतिनगर–५ स्थित पुल खोलामा भारतीय पक्षबाट दशगजा मिचेर भारतीय सीमा सुरक्षा बल एसएसबीले क्याम्प राखेको छ। पशुपतिनगर–४ को फाटकमा सीमास्तम्भ मिचेर पश्चिम बङ्गाल दार्जिलिङ प्रहरीको चेकपोष्ट राखिएको छ। पशुपतिनगर–४ कै पेनलमा नेपाल–भारत सीमा स्तम्भसँगै जोडेर एसएसबीको क्याम्प राखिएको छ। सीमा क्षेत्रको घुमाउरो डाँडा नेपाली भूमिमा रहे पनि दशगजासमेत नछाडी तारबार गरेर एसएसबीले क्याम्प बनाएको छ।

श्रीअन्तु–८ को २६ नम्बर सीमास्तम्भ रहेको ठाउँमा नेपाली भूमि मिचेर भारतीय नागरिकले घर बनाएका छन्। छब्बीसेमा दशगजा खण्डमा विद्यालयको ग्राउण्ड कायम गरी जवाहर नवोदय विद्यालय निर्माण गरिएको छ। पशुपतिनगर–४ को हिले क्षेत्रमा वर्षौंदेखि बसिरहेका नेपालीहरूको सात घर भारततर्फ पर्ने गरी सीमास्तम्भ कायम गरिएको टोलीले जनाएको छ।

टोलीका सहभागी मिलन क्षेत्रीका अनुसार स्थलगत अध्ययनमा दुबैपट्टिको दशगजा स्पष्ट छैनन्। उनका अनुसार सीमा क्षेत्रमा भारतीय पक्षबाट बनाइएका घरका कारण नेपाली भूमि मिचिएको छ। 'मर्मत नहुँदा केही सीमा स्तम्भसमेत भत्किसकेका छन् भनेर धेरैजसो जीर्ण अवस्थामा'- उनले जानकारी दिए।

गोर्खे–४ मर्च्याङ्गको १९/१ र १९/३ का बीचका सीमा स्तम्भ र श्रीअन्तु –८ को ७२/७ नम्बरको सीमा स्तम्भ पूर्णरुपमा क्षति भएका छन्। अध्ययन टोलीले अधिकांश सीमास्तम्भ टुटफुट भएको र मर्मत गर्नुपर्ने बताएको छ। माइमझुवा गाविसका ५८/१ र ५८/२, जमुना–७ का ६१/२, ६१/१३, जोगमाई–३ तुम्लिङडाँडाका ६४ र ६४/१, जोगमाई–३ तुम्लिङ बजारका ६४/२ देखि १६,जोगमाई–३ मेग्मा गुम्बामाथिको ६५/१, जोगमाई–३ लामाधुराको १९, गोर्र्खे–४ लामाधुरामुनिको जङ्गलको १९/१, गोर्खे–४ चित्रेको १९/३, चित्रेकै २०/१, गोर्खे–९ मानेभञ्ज्याङ बजारको ६८/२१, पशुपतिनगर–५ टासीगाउँको ७०/९, पशुपतिनगर–४ चारमाइलको ७१/७, पशुपतिनगर–४ पेनलडाँडाको ७१/१० र पशुपतिनगर–४ र हिले बजारको ७१/२४ सीमा स्तम्भ भत्किएका छन्।

सीमा क्षेत्रका ४ स्तम्भको नम्बर नभएको बताइएको छ।

source: nagariknews.com

SLC questions to be printed in India; JEMS smells rat

2010-02-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, FEB 14 - Despite the import of hi-tech Japanese printing machines four months ago by the Examination Controller Office, this year’s School Leaving Certificate (SLC) question papers will be printed in India.

The printing machine imported with Rs. 13 million financial assistance of Asian Development Bank and Denmark is kept at Janak Education Material Centre (JEMC).

Printing of SLC question papers is not taking place at home, said Managing Director of JEMC Birendra Kumar Das.

Following the Education Ministry’s decision to allow JEMC to print question papers of SLC exam starting from March 25-April 2 we had made necessary preparations but the decision has been averted, Das said.

“Sixty employees were specially trained and necessary preparation for maintaining secrecy was complete. But our investment is going in vain now,” he said.

JEMC officials have suspected foul play over the move to print question papers in India spending more money despite the possibility of economical printing at home.

According to the exam control office, SLC questions were sent to India in Nov. for printing. Around 425,000 students are sitting for this year’s SLC exam.

source: ekantipur.com

After Haiti, Nepal braces for big quake

2010-02-10T23:17:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, FEB 10 - As Haiti counts the cost of last month's devastating earthquake, experts are warning of the potential for an even greater disaster in another of the world's poorest countries, Nepal.

Geologists said it is only a matter of time before a major earthquake hits Nepal's densely populated capital Kathmandu, where 2.5 million people live in cramped, poorly-built housing with little or no awareness of the dangers.

Nepal sits on the border between two huge plates that have moved together over millions of years to form the Himalayas.

Geologists believe it is at risk from an earthquake with a magnitude of around eight - 10 times as powerful as the Haiti shock that killed more than 212,000 people.

Nepal has not suffered a major quake for decades, and expert David Petley believes the troubled country is woefully unprepared.

"From a geological perspective the risk seems to be very large indeed," said Petley, Wilson professor of hazard and risk at Britain's Durham University.

"The area to the west of Kathmandu is undergoing the processes that drive earthquakes, and there has not been a quake on that section of the fault for hundreds of years.

"The larger the time gap (between quakes) the larger the quake is going to be."

Many other major cities in the region are vulnerable to large earthquakes.

But a 2001 study by GeoHazards International, a US research group set up to reduce the human impact of natural disasters, found Kathmandu would suffer the worst losses.

Very low building standards, weak infrastructure and the fact that Kathmandu is built on the soft sediment of a former lake bed all contribute to the high risk level.

Like Port au Prince, Kathmandu is served by just one single-runway airport, but unlike the Haitian capital it has no port, and experts believe the only three roads into the city would likely be destroyed in a major quake.

A decade-long civil war and years of political instability have also taken their toll on Nepal, whose capital Kathmandu has just eight working fire engines.

Experts warn that few of the hospitals and government buildings could withstand a major quake.

"What has been made clear in Haiti is that when a quake affects the capital and government infrastructure is destroyed, organising help becomes very difficult indeed," said Petley.

Geologist Amod Mani Dixit was working for the Nepal government on landslide prevention in 1988 when a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the east of the country.

The high death toll and damage caused by the quake prompted him to set up the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) to raise public awareness of the dangers and help make schools and hospitals safer.

"It was a moderate earthquake, but the impact was huge. It killed 720 people and caused five billion rupees (US$67 million) worth of damage, 25 per cent of Nepal's GDP for that year," said Dixit.

"I was shocked. If even a moderate quake like that could cause such large amounts of damage, the question was what had we failed to do."

After discovering that none of Nepal's government schools had been built to withstand quakes, Dixit launched a programme to make school buildings more earthquake-resistant.

His organisation is retro-fitting around five schools a year to strengthen them against quake damage, and he also runs training for masons on constructing quake-resistant buildings.

But he said much more needs to be done in Nepal, where awareness of the risk remains very low.

"It is not just buildings, but also a lack of knowledge that kills. Mindsets and practices need to be changed," he said.

"Awareness levels have increased tremendously in the past 10 years, but it is not enough. Nepal is a fatalistic country and to bring people out of their slumber takes time."

In 2003 the government introduced building codes to try to improve standards in construction, and now runs training for masons.

But Amrit Man Tuladhar, head of the Nepal government's earthquake preparedness programme, admits the regulations are often ignored, and said the older buildings in Kathmandu are a cause for concern.

"We believe more than 80 per cent of old buildings could collapse," he said.

"Many of the buildings in the Kathmandu Valley are very old. If a quake struck at night, people would not be able to escape their houses."

The last major earthquake to hit Nepal struck to the east of the capital in 1934. It measured 8.4 on the Richter scale and killed more than 8,500 people in Nepal and neighbouring India.

Mohan Bikram Thapa was living in Kathmandu with his parents when it hit and, 76 years on, he still remembers the massive devastation it caused.

"Suddenly everything began to shake and the houses started collapsing, filling the air with dust," recalls Thapa, 86. "All the tallest buildings fell into pieces.

"Later, at about five o'clock, people started bringing out the dead bodies to be burned.

"In those days, Kathmandu was like a small village. If the same thing happened now, it would be very dangerous."

source: ekantipur.com

Nepal, Singapore ink new air services agreement

2010-02-03T00:38:00.001-08:00

Nepal and Singapore on Tuesday signed a new air services agreement with Nepal which allows air carriers of both countries to operate 28 weekly passenger services apart from 14 weekly cargo services.

The pact to this effect was inked on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, Secretary for Nepal's Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Choi Shing Kwok, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Transport, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries.

The air services agreement is expected to give a further boost to the air transport between both countries and pave the way for strong air traffic growth.

Presently, Singapore's Silk Air currently operates six weekly passenger services between Singapore and Kathmandu.

source: nepalnews.com

Electricity tariff to go up soon

2010-02-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

The government will soon declare increment in electricity tariff. Energy Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat said that the electricity tariff commission would recommend the increment rate in a “scientific manner”.

According to Dr Mahat, the new tariff rate will vary for common users, large industries and other sectors demanding huge energy.

“The electricity tariff has remained the same for a decade. And, the Nepal Electricity Authority had been incurring losses due to low rate of electricity. As such, the increment of the tariff is simply essential,” he justified.

Earlier, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey had also echoed the same voice.

Minister Mahat also made it a point to relate that the power outages would exceed 12 hours a day this year.

According to Mahat, the government is planning to repair defunct thermal plants installed at Biratnagar and Hetauda. A company from the United Kingdom and another from Finland have been hired for the purpose.

source: nepalnews.com

Drinking water being supplied without treatment in Kathmandu

2010-02-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) has admitted about half of the water it has been distributing in Kathmandu is distributed without proper treatment, Nagarik daily reported.

Only four out of 14 water treatment plants in Kathmandu valley are operating at present. These treatment plants, constructed with the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), located in Mahankal, Bansbari, Maharajgunj and Bhaktapur have a capacity to treat 20 million litres of water daily.

The rest of the water supplied is distributed after a chlorine treatment. KUKL supplies about 150 million litres of water daily.

"It is difficult to treat water at different places as there is no single supply for water distribution in Kathmandu, said Rameshwar Shrestha," spokesperson of KUKL. "We have tried to purify water using chlorine in some places."

Some of the treatment plants have been affected due to load shedding. KUKL has installed treatment plants with a capacity to treat 2.5 million litres of water a day in 10 out of its 25 distribution centres. However, they are rarely operated due to lack of power.

source: nepalnews.com

Govt preparing to ban import of inverters

2010-02-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

The government is preparing to ban the import of inverters citing aggravation in the ongoing power crisis due to overuse of inverters.The energy ministry has written to the supply and commerce ministries to stop the import of inverters Tuesday.

Talking to select journalists at his office Tuesday, energy minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said, we have began the process to ban import of inverters to prevent the power crisis from worsening.

People are charging batteries using inverters when there is power. This has forced us to increase the load shedding hours. So, we decided to ban the import of inverters for the welfare of those who can't afford to buy inverters.

The ministry has also instructed Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to stop all leakages. Currently there is a leakage of about 27 percent including technical and non-technical.

According to Shersingh Bhat, director of load dispatch centre at (NEA), 20 percent more power is consumed when it is used through inverters. There is no meaning of load shedding when people start using inverters, he said.

NEA has also mentioned load shedding could be reduced by up to two hours a day at the present rate of supply and demand if the use of inverters is curbed.

Meanwhile, NEA has started importing 30 MW more power from India this week. 15 MW power is imported through the Kataiya-Duhabi transmission line and another 15 MW is imported through Ramnagar-Gandak transmission line.

The additional electricity is imported at the commercial rate of Rs 10.72 per unit with India's Power Trading Corporation (PTC).

source: nepalnews.com

Nepal students rail against British visa suspension

2010-02-01T23:20:00.001-08:00

KATHMANDU, FEB 02 - Students in Nepal on Monday reacted angrily to a British decision to suspend their visa applications, accusing the authorities in London of “playing with people's lives”.

Many said they had already paid thousands of pounds for courses in Britain, which they now feared they would not be able to attend.

“I have spent a whole year applying for higher education in Britain and now I don't know what I am going to do,” said Rabin Bhattarai, 22, who was hoping to study in London.

“My classes start on February 10 and I have already paid 3,600 pounds (5,700 dollars) to the college.”

Britain said Sunday it had temporarily suspended student visa applications from northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh to investigate a sharp rise in the number of applicants.

The suspension followed recent media reports that unscrupulous businessmen were helping thousands of migrants from south Asia to obtain places at bogus colleges in Britain.

source: ekantipur.com

वेपत्ता युवकको घरमा गिद्धको अनौठो चर्तिकला/हेर्नेको घुइचो

2010-01-30T22:39:00.000-08:00

पाल्पा, २०६६ माघ १७ - पश्चिम पाल्पाको खस्यौली गाविस २ देवलडाडाका एक युवक ८ दिन देखि वेपत्ता भएका छन् । वेपत्ता ३१ वर्षीय युवक घनबहादुर रुचालको प्रहरी र स्थानीय बासिन्दाले खोजी कार्य गरीरहेका बेला शनिवार साँझ भने सोहि घरमा अनौठौ घटना भएको छ ।

वेपत्ता छोरा र श्रीमान् आउलान् भनि आस गरेर बसेका बेला लोपोन्मुख गिद्धले अनौठौ क्रियाकलाप गरेपछि यस भेगका मानिसहरुलाई नै चकित तुल्याएको छ । मांसाहारी पंन्छि गिद्धको अनौठौ क्रियाकलाप हेर्न शनिवार साझ देखि रातभर नै यहा भिड लागेको छ । भिड आइतवार विहानसम्म पनि जारी छ ।

पाल्पाको सदरमुकाम तानसेन देखि १२ किलोमिटर पश्चिममा भएको यो अनौठौ प्रकृतिको घटना हेर्न राति नै जिल्ला जिल्ला बाहिरबाट मानिसहरुको घुईचो लागेको छ । प्रहरीले सुरक्षा दिई व्यवस्थित पार्नु परेको स्थानीय चिरन्जीवी अमात्यले बताए ।

माघ ९ गते देखि रुचाल घरबाट वेपत्ता छन ् । स्थानीय बासिन्दाले कतै गएकोहोला आउला भनी दुई चार दिन विताएपनि कहि कतैवाट उपाय नलाएपछि शनिवार ५० जना भन्दा बढी भेला भएर खोजी कार्यमा जुटेका थिए ।

१५ जना जति घरमै भएका बेला अचानक ठूलो आवाजमा मान्छेकै भीडमा ठूलो गिद्ध बस्न आएको वेपत्ता रुचालका काका जगतबहादुरले बताए । उनका अनुसार मान्छेकै बीचमा आएर अचानक गिद्ध बसेपछि सबैमा त्रासको वातावरण छायो ।

हेर्दा हेदै गिद्ध बाटैबाट घरमा र घरको गोठ तीर गयो र वेपत्ता रुचालको श्रीमती २७ वर्षीया विमलाको ओढ्ने पछ्यौरा र वेपत्ता भएका घनबहादुरको जुत्ता चप्पललाई मात्र तान्ने, ठुङ्ग्ने गर्न थालेपछि अनौठो क्रियाकलाप भएको महसुश भएको अर्का काका पर्ने केशर बहादुर रुचालले बताए । मांसाहारी गिद्धले भान्सामा गएर कसौडीको चामलको भात खाएपछि यहा सबैले अनौठौ मानेका छन् ।

नवलपरासीको परासी बजारमा जुत्ता सिलाउने पेशा गर्दै आएका घनबहादुृर जण्डिस रोगी भएपछि आफ्नै पाल्पा खस्यौली स्थित घरमा आएर बसेका हुन् । श्रीमती विमलाका अनुसार जण्डिस सन्चो भैसकेको थियो । तर, पछिल्लो समयमा वरवराउने, असामान्य क्रियाकलाप गर्ने गरेका थिए ।

काका जगतबहादुरले दुई तीन दिन अघि अचानक वेहोस् भएर ढलेको र त्यसपछि असामान्य क्रियाकलाप गरेको बताए । जिल्ला प्रहरी कार्यालय, हार्थोक प्रहरी चौकीवाट समेत यस घटनाको अनुसन्धान भइरहेको छ ।

स्थानीय बासिन्दाले अनौठौ क्रियाकलाप भएपछि लामाधामी गरेका छन् । वेपत्ताको खोजीको लागि भनि गरिएको लामा अजिम मियाले झांकिदै ४५ दिन भित्र लामा, झांक्री बनेर आउने आश्वासन गिद्धलाईअगाडि राखेर दिएका छन् । उनले उत्तर तर्फ कहि गुफामा लुकेको र उनलाई खोजी गर्न नपर्ने बताएपछि सबै जनाले पत्याएका समेत छन् ।

source: ekantipur.com

कर्णालीमा माओवादी अवरोध/ भारतद्वारा सबै लगानी प्रभावित हुने चेतावनी

2010-01-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

काठमाडौ, २०६६ माघ १७ - माओवादीले माथिल्लो कर्णालीमा गरेको अवरोधले नेपालको समग्र लगानी वातावरणमा गम्भीर असर पर्ने चेतावनी भारतले दिएको छ । यता नेपाल सरकारले जलविद्युत आयोजनाहरू र लगानी सुरक्षाबारे सरकार गम्भीर रहेको उल्लेख गर्दै यस्ता घटना (बाधा अवरोध) बाट विचलित नहुन सबैलाई अनुरोध गरेको छ ।

नेपालको शान्ति प्रक्रिया तार्किक निष्कर्षमा पुगी राजनीतिक स्थिरताको प्रतीक्षा गरिरहेका भारतीय लगानीकर्तालाई माओवादीको यस्ता बाधा अवरोधले गम्भीर प्रभाव पर्ने र त्यसबाट अन्ततः नेपालको आर्थिक विकासमा असर पर्ने चेतावनी भारतीय दूतावासका अधिकारी र कम्पनीका प्रतिनिधिले दिएका हुन् ।

'नेपालको शान्ति प्रक्रिया र राजनीतिक स्थिरताबारे भारतीय लगानीकर्ता नजिकबाट नियालिरहेका छन्,' ती अधिकारीले शनिबार कान्तिपुरसित भने, 'उनीहरू -लगानीकर्ता) उच्च राजनीतिक जोखिम मोलेर नेपाल आउँदैनन् र यसले लगानीको वातावरण बिथोल्नेछ ।'

अघिल्लो साता भारतीय विदेशमन्त्री एसएम कृष्णाले नेपाल भ्रमण क्रममा भारतीय लगानी तथा संयुक्त उद्यमलाई प्रभावित पार्ने वातावरणप्रति नेपाल सरकारको ध्यानाकर्षणसमेत गराएका थिए ।

माओवादीले केन्द्रीय समितिको बैठक भन्दै आयोजनास्थलमा भइरहेका सम्पूर्ण काम यही शनिबारदेखि रोक्न माथिल्लो कर्णालीका प्रवर्द्धक कम्पनी जीएमआर आईटीडी कन्सोर्टियमलाई दबाब दिएको थियो । उसले भारतविरुद्ध स्वाधीनताको लडाइँ भन्दै भारतीय लगानीकर्ता फिर्ता हुन चेतावनी दिएको हो ।

जीएमआरका कन्ट्री हेड नेपालका हरविन्दर मनोचाले माथिल्लो कर्णालीको ७८ प्रतिशत अध्ययन काम पूरा भएको र लगानीका लागि विभिन्न वित्तीय संस्था, भारतीय नियामक निकाय, पावर ग्रीड, ऊर्जा कम्पनीहरूसँग छलफल भइरहेका बेला माओवादीको यस्तो धम्कीले नेपालको समग्र लगानी वातावरण बिथोलिने बताए । 'यस्ता गतिविधिले लगानीकर्ताको रुचि खत्तम पार्छ भने अर्कातिर ऋण लगानी गर्ने वित्तीय संस्थाहरूमा विश्वासको संकट पार्छ,' मनोचाले शनिबार कान्तिपुरसित भने ।

माथिल्लो कणर्ालीमा करिब ७५ प्रतिशत ऋण वित्तीय संस्थाबाट र २५ प्रतिशत मात्र कम्पनीले लगानी गर्ने भएकाले राजनीतिका कारण वित्तीय संस्थाहरूमा विश्वासको संकट पर्न जाने उनले बताए । उनले माथिल्लो कणर्ाली भारतको मात्र नभई नेपालको पनि भएको र यो सार्वजनिक कम्पनी भएकाले राजनीतीकरण गर्न नहुने उल्लेख गरे ।

सरकारले निर्यातमूलक आयोजनाका रूपमा विकास गर्न प्रतिस्पर्धाको माध्यमबाट प्रवर्द्धकहरूको छनोट गरी माथिल्लो कर्णाली जीएमआरलाई बनाउन दिने निर्णय गरेको हो । यसबाट सरकारले १२ प्रतिशत सित्तैमा बिजुली र २७ प्रतिशत निःशुल्क सेयर पाउनेछ ।

अध्ययन करिब पूरा हुन लागेको र लगानीका लागि भारत तथा अन्य अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय वित्तीय कम्पनीसँग छलफल भइरहेका बेला माओवादीको यस्ता गतिविधिले आयोजनामा गम्भीर असर पुग्ने पनि उनले बताए । 'माओवादीको भारत सरकारसँग कुनै चासो भए उसैसँग वार्ता गर्नुपर्ने र माथिल्लो कर्णालीराजनीतिबाट अलग हुनुपर्छ,' उनको भनाइ थियो ।

आगामी सन् २०११ को हिउँददेखि निर्माणमा जाने गरी विस्तृत अध्ययन, डिजाइन, वातावरणीय प्रभाव मूल्यांकन लगायतका कामहरू धमाधम भइरहेको मनोचाले जानकारी दिए ।

उनले माओवादी दबाबपछि सरकार, विभिन्न राजनीतिक दल र सरकारका उच्च पदाधिकारीहरूसँग छलफल भइरहेको जानकारी दिए । ऊर्जामन्त्रीसँगको आफ्नो भेटमा सरकारले आयोजना कार्यान्वयनमा पूरा सहयोग गर्ने प्रतिबद्धता व्यक्त गरेको पनि मनोचाले बताए ।

उनले आयोजनामा आफ्नो गल्ती भए देखाउन र त्यस्तो गल्ती सच्याउन आफू तयार रहेको समेत बताए । 'हाम्रो गल्ती के हो, त्यो -माओवादीले) भन्नुपर्‍यो,' मनोचाको भनाइ थियो ।

यसैबीच नेपाल सरकारले राजनीतिक उद्देश्यबाट प्रेरित माओवादीका यस्ता प्रकृतिका बाधा अवरोधले लगानीकर्ता हतोत्साही भई देशको छविमै नकारात्मक असर पर्ने जनाएको छ । ऊर्जा मन्त्रालयले विज्ञप्ति जारी गरी अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय प्रतिस्पर्धाको माध्यमबाट पारदर्शी रूपमा राज्यलाई अधिकतम लाभ प्राप्त गर्ने सुनिश्चितता भएको माथिल्लो कर्णालीमा बाधा अवरोध कार्य तत्काल बन्द गर्न आग्रह गरेको छ ।

मन्त्रालयका सहसचिव अनुपकुमार उपाध्यायको हस्ताक्षरमा जारी विज्ञप्तिमा 'जलविद्युत आयोजनाहरू र लगानीकर्ता सुरक्षाबारे सरकार गम्भीर भएको र यस प्रकृतिका घटनाबाट विचलित नहुन सम्पूर्ण जलविद्युत लगानीकर्तालाई अनुरोध गर्छ' उल्लेख छ ।

जनआन्दोलन २०६२/६३ पछि गठित तत्कालीन व्यवस्थापिका संसदको सर्वदलीय प्रतिनिधित्व रहेको प्राकृतिक स्रोत तथा साधन समिति र अर्थ समितिले सरकारलाई दिएको निर्देशनका आधारमा नेपाल सरकार, मन्त्रिपरिषदबाट २०६४ पुस १५ गते निर्णय गरी आर्थिक प्राविधिक रूपमा उत्कृष्ट ठहरिएको जीएमआरलाई आयोजना प्रवर्द्धन गर्न दिएको थियो ।

source: ekantipur.com

न्याय माग्दा बलात्कृत

2010-01-30T22:10:00.000-08:00

कैलाली , २०६६ माघ १७ - न्याय माग्दा सतित्व नै गुमाउनुपर्ला भन्ने कहिल्यै सोचेकी थिइनन् रामकुमारी लोनियाले ।

आˆनै देवरानीसागको घरायसी झगडाका कारण न्याय माग्न हिडेकी उनले न्याय पाउन त परै जाओस् उल्टै आˆनो सतित्व नै गुमाउनु पर्‍यो र अहिले सोही कारणले उनी समाजबाट बहिष्कृत हुदैछिन् ।

ल्ाालबोझी गाविस वडा नं. ३ की लोनिया आˆनै देवरानी पचैया लोनियासगको घरायसी विवादका कारण न्याय माग्न गत पुस २५ गते माओवादी गाविस जनपरिषद् अध्यक्षसमेत रहेका विप्लव कहा पुगेकी थिइन् ।

सबैले माओवादीलाई भनेमा न्याय पाइन्छ भनेकाले आफू विप्लवकहा गएको उनी बताउछिन् ।

सबै कुरा बताएपछि माओवादी नेताले अहिले माघी चलिरहेकाले दुई-तीन दिनपछि आउनु भन्ने जवाफ दिएका थिए । तर उनीसगै रहेका वाइसिएल कार्यकर्ता उस्मान खाले आजै न्याय दिलाइदिन्छु भन्दै स्थानीय जङ्गलमा लगेर बलात्कार गरेको लोनिया बताउछिन् ।

'आफूले तिमी छोरा उमेरको मान्छे हौ यस्तो कुकृत्य किन गर्छौ भन्दाभन्दै राक्षसले मेरो सतित्व लुटयो मैले आˆनो धर्म बचाउन सकिन' भक्कानिदै लोनिया भन्छिन् ।

घटनाबारे लोनियाले इलाका प्रहरी कार्यालय, भजनीमा उजुरी त दिइन् तर प्रहरी निरीक्षक हेमबहादुर शाही भने आफूले तीन-चारपटक उक्त घरमा छापा मार्न लगाए पनि कोही फेला पर्न नसकेको भन्दै दोषीलाई राजनीतिक संरक्षण भएको बताउछन् ।

प्रहरी पुगेको सूचना पाउने बित्तिकै खा भारतीय सीमापारि भाग्ने गरेकाले पीडितलाई न्याय दिलाउन नसकिएको प्रहरीको भनाइ छ ।

पाच सन्तान र दुई नातिनातिनीकी हजुरआमा रहेकी अन्दाजी ४५ वर्षीया लोनियाका श्रीमान् पाच महिनादेखि भारतको महाराष्ट्रमा नोकरी गर्न गएका छन् भने छोराहरु पनि परिवारसहित उतै बस्छन् ।

उस्मानले घरमा आई अब जे हुनु भैगो गाउमै मिलौ भनेको थियो तर आफूले दुष्टलाई कारबाही गर्नैपर्छ भनेपछि ऊ फर्केर गयो-पीडित लोनियाले भनिन् ।

तर पीडितका छिमेकी मगुल लोनिया र काशिराम यादवका अनुसार मुसलमानबाट बलात्कृत भएकीले पीडितको हातको पानी नखाने र उसको मुख पनि हेर्न हुदैन भनी पीडितका गोतियार -बिरादरी) ले सल्लाह गरी सामाजिक बहिष्कार गर्ने तयारी गरिहेका छन् ।

घटना भएको लामो समयसम्म पनि महिला अधिकारकर्मी तथा मानवअधिकारवादीले कुनै सहयोग नगरेको पीडितको गुनासो छ ।

source: ekantipur.com

नेपाल ल्याइँदै गरेको ठूलो संख्यामा विस्फोट पदार्थ बरामद

2010-01-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

काठमाडौँ, माघ १६ (नागरिक)-दुई लाख डिटोनेटरसहित ठूलो संख्यामा विस्फोटक पदार्थसहित राजस्थानबाट नेपालको वीरगञ्ज आउँदै गरेको एउटा ट्रक भारतको पटनामा प्रहरीले बरामद गरेको छ। भारतीय समाचार एजेन्सी एएनआईका अनुसार, बरामद गरिएको ट्रकमा एक लाख ५० हजार डेटोनेटर इलेक्ट्रिक हुन् भने बाँकी ५० हजार म्यानुअल।

विहार राज्यका गभर्नर र मुख्यमन्त्रीको निवास रहेको स्थानमा ट्रक प्रवेश गरी शंका लागी छानबिन गर्दा ती विस्फोटक पदार्थ बरामद भएको सो समाचार एजेन्सीले जनाएको छ। समाचारमा नरेशप्रसाद शर्मा नामका एक प्रहरी अधिकारीलाई उद्‍धृत गर्दै ट्रकको अगाडि एउटा मारुती कार पनि रहेको भए पनि कार फरार हुन सफल भएको बताइएको छ।

रक्सौल नाका हुँदै नेपाल ल्याउन लागिएको सो ट्रक नेपालको सिनर्जिक पावर डेभलेपमेन्ट प्राइभेट लिमिटेडको नाममा आयात हुँदै गरेको पीटीआईले जनाएको छ।

बिहीबार राति सो ट्रक पटनाको हरताली चोक नजिक पक्राउ परेको भारतीय समाचार एजेन्सी पीटीआईले जनाएको छ।

एभिन्युज टेलिभिजनले भागवतप्रसाद गुप्ताको नाममा सो ट्रकको सामानको चलानी काटिएको जनाएको छ। कसले कुन प्रयोजनका लागि यति ठूलो परिमाणको विस्फोटक पदार्थ नेपाल आयात गरेको हो भन्ने खुल्न सकेको छैन। भारतीय प्रहरीले ट्रकका चालक र खलासीलाई पक्राउ गरी अनुसन्धान जारी राखेको छ।

source: nagariknews.com

Costs of Nepal bandas

2010-01-29T23:10:00.000-08:00

- By Chandan Sapkota.

Organizing strikes (popularly known as bandas) have been the easiest way to either show discontent over government policies or to press for one that serves the interest of a certain group. The people dislike bandas because it never serves their interest. It costs them their freedom, vocation and income. Frustrated by the disruption of normal life, youths have initiated a campaign DIE Nepal Bandh DIE. Even Mother’s Groups in various cities have protested against bandas.

It has been a cancer to the industrial sector, whose contribution to the GDP has nosedived in recent years. A World Food Programme survey conducted last year in Tarai showed that 93 percent of food traders identified bandas as a major constraint to do business. Almost 14 percent of traders were forced to close down their businesses. According to Enterprise Survey 2009, 62 percent of enterprises think instability is the biggest constraint.

What are the costs of bandas to the country and importantly to the public? By looking at the cost incurred by each sector if it is shut down for a day, I did a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation. The numbers are startling: On an average, one day banda would cost Rs 1.96 billion, which is around 88 percent of the total value of goods and services produced in the country in a day. The industrial sector alone would suffer over Rs 346 million per banda day. Yes, you read it right. The country bleeds enormous amount in lost production and revenue.

The economy is divided into three major sectors: Agriculture, industry and service. The agriculture sector consists of two sub-sectors: Agriculture and forestry, and fishery. The industrial sector consists of mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas and water; and construction sub-sectors. The service sector is composed of nine sub-sectors: Wholesale and retail trade; hotels and restaurants; transport, storage and communications; financial intermediation; real estate, renting and business; public administration and defense; education; health and social work; and other community, social and personal services. Each sub-sector’s contribution to GDP is different. Depending on the level of market integration, bandas impact these sub-sectors either fully or partially.

On an average, one day banda would cost Rs 1.96 billion, which is around 88 percent of the total value of goods and services produced in the country in a day. The industrial sector alone would suffer over Rs 346 million per banda day.

Costs of banda (Rs)
Per day (in billions)	1.96
Per hour (in millions)	82
Per day (% of GDP per day)	88
Per capita per day	69
Per capita per day (working population)	117

I look at two scenarios to estimate the cost of bandas. In the first scenario, agriculture and forestry; public administration and defense; education; and health and social work sub-sectors are not affected by bandas. In the second scenario, all sectors except 40 percent of agriculture and forestry sub-sector are affected by bandas. This is a reasonable assumption because bandas do not affect market transactions of all agricultural goods. No matter what, people do trade and consume bare minimum goods for survival. The rigidity value, which I define as the responsiveness of agricultural sector to bandas and assume it to be 40 percent, varies depending on the intensity and breadth of bandas. The less responsive the agricultural sector (i.e. the more rigid), the less it is affected.

Under the first and second scenarios, the cost would be at least Rs 1.23 billion and Rs 1.96 billion per banda day respectively. The second scenario is most likely when there is a nationwide strike. The first scenario is likely when there is a strike in certain parts of the country. Though these numbers might differ from other estimates with different assumptions, they nevertheless give a fairly good picture of the costs associated with bandas.

Based on the second scenario, let me put the costs in perspective. On average, one hour of banda would cost at least Rs 82 million to the economy. In other words, each person in the country would lose Rs 69 per banda day. If we consider the working population only, i.e. 15-64 years, then the cost would be Rs 117 per banda day. Furthermore, if there were a rural employment program that provides jobs and pays Rs 100 per day to people below the poverty line during the lean agriculture season, then one day of banda would have cost over 218,190 rural jobs.

The total cost would be even higher if we add indirect costs. For instance, bandas are complemented with destruction of public and private infrastructures, which costs millions to rebuild. Also, a few hours of economic activity are lost before the sub-sectors bounce back to full gear after bandas. Besides affecting the existing as well as future potential of tourism industry, one of the major sources of foreign exchange for the country, it also causes external migration and decline in exports. Rapid decline in exports is one of the reasons for Rs 20 billion balance of payments deficit in the first quarter of this fiscal year.

Frequent bandas trigger capital flight, which is detrimental to long-run economic growth. Partly due to bandas, multinational companies like Colgate Palmolive ceased production last year. The garment industry is near extinction. It is also putting upward pressure on general prices of goods and services, thus contributing to a double-digit inflation rate.

It is frustrating to see political leaders, who promised to develop Nepal like Switzerland, encouraging and initiating bandas. They are depriving citizens of the potential for an increase in per capita income, freedom to pursue one’s dream and vocation, and to live a peaceful life with a hope for a bright future. Bandas have ripped people off the very things that the organizers promised to bring them. Enough is enough. Say NO to bandas!

(Writer is Junior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.)

schandan@gmail.com

source: myrepublica.com

Nepalese climbers in bid to clean up Everest

2010-01-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 21 - A group of top Nepalese climbers is planning a high-risk expedition to clean up Everest, concerned at the toll that decades of mountaineering has taken on the world's highest peak.
The 20 climbers, led by seven-time Everest summiteer Namgyal Sherpa, will brave thin oxygen and temperatures well below freezing to clear more than two tonnes of rubbish discarded by mountaineers.

Environmental activists say Everest is littered with the detritus of past expeditions, including human waste and mountaineers' corpses, which do not decompose because of the extreme cold.

"Everest is losing her beauty," Sherpa, 30, told AFP. "The top of the mountain is now littered with oxygen bottles, old prayer flags, ropes, and old tents. At least two dead bodies have been lying there for years now."

Almost 4,000 people have climbed Mount Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to conquer the world's highest peak in 1953.

Sherpa's team will begin their ascent in late April, when a small window between spring and the summer monsoon offers the best conditions for climbing the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) peak.

There have been other attempts before to clean up parts of Everest, but Sherpa said his would be the first to penetrate into the so-called "death zone" above 8,000 metres, where there is not enough oxygen to sustain human life.

"We are taking a big risk. Nobody has ever tried to clean up Everest at that height," he said, describing it as a "daring and heroic mission".

"Coping with extreme weather conditions like freezing temperatures, strong winds and blizzards will make our task difficult. But we are confident that we will rise to the challenge."

In all, 31 people will take part, including cooks and porters.

But only the 20 most experienced climbers -- all of whom have reached the summit before -- will go above 7,000 metres.

Each will have to make repeated journeys into the death zone, carrying down 15 kilogrammes of rubbish at a time.

Climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to reach the summit, but Sherpa said few paid much attention to the rubbish they left behind.

Nepal's Sherpa people, who are Buddhists and believed to be of Tibetan origin, make up most of the population in the harsh Everest region and have long revered the world's highest peak as sacred.

Government officials said Everest expeditions were expected to bring down all their rubbish themselves, but the rules were impossible to enforce.

"Our officers accompany the expedition teams but they cannot go to the top, so our monitoring is weak," said Jitendra Giri, a mountaineering specialist at the tourism ministry.

"We receive lots of complaints about mountaineers discarding tins, bottles and used batteries, but there's nothing we can do."

Sherpa's clean-up campaign has won the support of Nepal's prime minister, and now the team are trying to raise 15 million rupees (200,000 dollars) to fund the expedition.

"We hope that our effort will open the eyes of the government and mountaineering fraternity to the need to preserve Everest," he said.

"Everest has given fame to lots of mountaineers. Sadly, very little has been done to preserve the sanctity of the mountain.

"There is only one Everest and we must preserve it. We need the mountain for our future generations.

source: ekantipur.com

Nepali players, official hurt in Dhaka elevator collapse on SAG opening day

2010-01-29T03:48:00.000-08:00

At least seven Nepali players including an official were injured in a hotel lift collapse in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka where they recently arrived to participate in the 11th South Asian Games (SAG) on Friday.
They were injured after the elevator they had taken suddenly broke down and fell rapidly from the fourth floor of the Imperial Hotel which is located nearby the Bangabandhu National Stadium where the grand ceremony to officially kick off the eight nations sport extravaganza is taking place today.

The injured players are Gyan Bahadur Shrestha and Gopal Bahadur Shrestha of weight-lifting and Radha Devi Rai, Kalu Man Tamang, Ramesh Magar, Prasuram Chaudhary and Debu Thapa of Judo including official Dhyan Basnet.

They have been taken to the nearby local hospital for treatment. It is learnt that the players are in serious condition.

It is not clear whether the incident will hamper Nepal chances of winning more medals as the country has high hopes from its judo contingent.

source: nepalnews.com

Hubby kills 'better half' for Rs 5000 dowry

2010-01-29T03:27:00.000-08:00

RAUTAHAT, JAN 28 - One Rambachan Sah of Santapur VDC-6, Rautahat district killed his wife and charred the body in fire on Wednesday night saying that the latter's family did not provide the promised dowry sum.

Police personnel at Chandanigapur Area Police Office recovered the charred body of Manjudevi Sah, 19, in a forest some 1.5 Km away from her home.

Meanwhile, police have detained the father-in-law of deceased Manjudevi.

According to Manjudevi’s brother Shambhu Sah, his sister was killed after they failed to provide the promised sum—Rs. 5000 short of 15,000—due to their poor economic condition.
The alleged uxoricide convict Sah is still at large, police said.

source: ekantipur.com

Dead body found

2010-01-29T03:23:00.000-08:00

SINDHUPALCHOWK, JAN 28 - One Hutanath Neupane,33, of Thokarpa VDC, Sindhupalchowk has been found dead, a month after he had gone missing.

A student of bachelor's level at the local Thokarpa College had gone missing since Jan 4, 2010.

His body was found at Kalika VDC-4 with injuries in the neck and hand, and some blue mark at the back, Arjun Prasad Poudel, Teacher at the Baghbhairav Higher Secondary School, Thokarpa said.

The dead body has been sent to the primary health centre for a post-mortem and investigation has been launched into the murder, District Police Office said.

source: ekantipur.com

Maoists lash out at govt silence on Indian hegemony

2010-01-29T02:42:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 29 - The UCPN (Maoist), which has been concentrating its agitating for national sovereignty lately, on Friday lashed out at the government for not responding to the demonstrations by Indian citizens at Nepal-India border.

A meeting of the Maoist Standing Committee held at the party headquarters in Koteshwor this morning concluded that the ongoing mistreatment of Nepali by Indian Seema Surakshya Bal (SSB) personnel at the bordering regions is the continuation of Indian hegemony. The meeting also expressed displeasure at the government’s indifference to the same.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma said the government has once again gave proof that it is the puppet of India as it did not respond to the excesses by the Indian Seema Surakshya Bal (SSB) personnel on Nepali people.

”The government should express its response when an entire nation (India) resorts to the protest against Nepal and its national sovereignty over the objection raised by a political party (Maoist) against its expansionist and hegemonic policy,” said Sharma.

The Maoist party concluded that the protest carried out in Indian soil against its Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has proved Indian expansionism.

Sharma claimed that the Indian side demonstrated against the Maoist in the border areas to ‘provoke and incite the party’.

At today's meeting, central member duo Barsa Man Pun and Dev Gurung expressed their views on the proposal tabled by party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Pun stressed on the need to move ahead by institutionalising democratic republic in the country.

Gurung opined that there is no alternative to People's War as the Maoist has been besieged from all sides sources said.

source: ekantipur.com

सीमाका २ सय ३६ स्तम्भ गायब

2010-01-27T00:27:00.000-08:00

अमर खड्का, इटहरी माघ १२- नेपाल–भारतको सीमा छुट्याउन पूर्वी नेपालका सात जिल्लामा गाडिएका २ सय ३६ सीमा स्तम्भ गायब भएका छन्। यस्ता स्तम्भ धमाधम हराउन थालेपछि सशस्त्र प्रहरी पूर्वी क्षेत्रीय मुख्यालय बराहबाहिनी पकलीले गरेको स्थलगत सर्वेक्षणमा सीमा स्तम्भ गायब भएको पत्ता लागेको हो।

सशस्त्र प्रहरीले गरेको सर्वेक्षणको रिपोर्टमा ताप्लेजुङ, इलाम, झापा, मोरङ, सुनसरी, सप्तरी र सिरहामा सीमा स्तम्भ गायब भएको उल्लेख छ।

स्थलगत सर्वेक्षणअनुसार ताप्लेजुङमा पाँच स्तम्भ गायब भएको पाइएको छ। यो जिल्लामा चार वटा दुरुस्त छन् भने एउटा जीर्ण भई मर्मत सम्भारको अवस्थामा छ। ताप्लेजुङका केही भू–भाग चीनसँग पनि जोडिएको छ। तर, भारतीय सीमा जोडिएका स्थानमा सीमा स्तम्भ गायब छन्। इलाममा १ सय १९ वटा सीमा रहेकामा ९ वटा गायब भएका छन्, जसमा दुईवटा मर्मत सम्भार गर्नुपर्ने र १ सय ८ वटा दुरुस्त छन्।

यस्तै, झापामा २० स्तम्भ गायब छन्। १ सय ७५ स्तम्भमध्ये १ सय १२ वटा जीर्ण भई मर्मत गर्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा छन् भने ४३ वटा जस्ताको तस्तै छन्। झापाको तुलनामा मोरङमा दोब्बर सीमा स्तम्भ गायब छन्। मोरङका १ सय २४ स्तम्भमध्ये २२ वटा जीर्ण अवस्थामा छन्, बाँकी दुरुस्त छन्। सुनसरीमा ३९ वटा गायब भएका छन्। २ सय ८३ वटा स्तम्भमध्ये ६१ वटा जीर्ण अवस्थामा छन्। बाँकी भने जस्ताको तस्तै पाइएको छ।

सबैभन्दा बढी सप्तरीमा १ सय २१ स्तम्भ गायब भएका छन्। ३ सय ८३ स्तम्भमध्ये ३९ वटा मर्मत सम्भार गर्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा छन्। सीमा स्तम्भ मर्मत सम्भार गर्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा सबैभन्दा बढी सिरहामा छन्। त्यहाँ १ सय २६ वटा मर्मत सम्भार गर्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा सीमा स्तम्भ छन्। मर्मत सम्भार गर्नुपर्नेबाहेक दुई वटा गायब छन् भने १ सय ५३ वटा दुरुस्त छन्। सिरहाको पछिल्लो तथ्याङ्क आउन बाँकी नै रहेकाले दुईवटा मात्र स्तम्भ गायब भएको तथ्याङ्क पूर्वी मुख्यालयसँग रहेको उल्लेख छ।

सिरहामा अरु बढी स्तम्भ गायब भएको दावी गरिएको छ। भारतसँग सीमा जोडिएको पाँचथरमा भने स्तम्भ गायब छैनन्। तर, यो जिल्लामा ३ वटा जीर्ण भएर मर्मत गर्नुपर्ने अवस्थामा छन्। एसएसपी जानकीराज भट्टराईका अनुसार पूर्वी नेपालको नौ जिल्लामा गरेको स्थलगत सर्वेक्षणमध्ये चीनसँग सीमा जोडिएको सङ्खुवासभामा स्तम्भ दुरुस्त अवस्थामा छन्।

४ फिटदेखि ८-१० फिटसम्म अग्ला सिमेन्ट र कङ्क्रिटले बनेका सीमा स्तम्भ पूर्वी नेपालका नौ जिल्लामा १ हजार ४ सयको सङ्ख्यामा छन्।

source: nagariknews.com

माओवादीको विरोधमा जोगबनी नाका बन्द, अरु सीमा क्षेत्रमा पनि कडाइ

2010-01-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

अजित तिवारी, विराटनगर, माघ १३- एकीकृत नेकपा माओवादीको पोस्टरमा भारतको राष्ट्रिय झण्डा र अशोक स्तम्भलाई जुत्तामा अंकित गरेको आक्रोशमा सीमावर्ती जोगवनीका भारतीय नागरिक प्रदर्शनमा उत्रिएका छन्। जोगबनीवासीले अनिश्चितकालका लागि नाका बन्द गरेका छन्।

माओवादीले सार्वजनिक माफी माग्नुपर्ने अडानमा रहेका प्रदर्शनकारीले मंगलबार दिनभर दशजगा क्षेत्रमा प्रदर्शन गरे।

‘भारतविरोधी गतिविधि बन्द गर' र ‘प्रचड मूर्दावाद' लेखिएको प्लेकार्ड बोकेका प्रदर्शनकारीको विरोधले स्थिति अप्रिय हुनसक्ने भएकाले भारतीय र नेपाली सुरक्षाकर्मी सीमाक्षेत्रमा हाइएलर्टमा बसेका छन्।

दसगजा क्षेत्रमा बिहानैदेखि माओवादीविरुद्ध भारतीय प्रदर्शनमा उत्रिएपछि सीमा सुरक्षा बल (एसएसबी) र बिहार प्रहरीले प्रदर्शनकारीलाई उत्तेजित नहुन सम्झाइरहेका छन् भने नेपाल प्रहरी र सशस्त्र प्रहरीको तैनाथी सीमाक्षेत्रमा बाक्लो पारिएको छ। भारतीयले माओवादी अध्यक्ष पुष्पकमल दाहालको पुत्ला पनि जलाएका छन् भने उनीविरुद्धमा कडा रूपमा प्रस्तुत भएका छन्।

पोस्टरमा देखाइएको दृश्यले भारतीयको अपमान गरेको भन्दै जोगवनीवासी बिहानैदेखि सडक अवरुद्ध गरेर माओवादीविरुद्ध प्रदर्शनमा उत्रिएपछि उक्त क्षेत्रको स्थिति तनावपूर्ण बनेको थियो। भारतीयको बिरोधलगत्तै जोगवनीको सीमाक्षेत्रमा माओवादीले टाँसेका पोस्टर च्यातिएका छन्।

राष्ट्रिय स्वाधीनताको रक्षा गर्न अपिल गर्दै १५ दिनअघि माओवादीको केन्द्रीय समितिले मोरङ पार्टी कार्यालयमा पठाएको पोस्टर राष्ट्रिय जागरण भण्डाफोर अभियानअन्तर्गत सीमाक्षेत्रमा टाँस्ने क्रम जारी छ। ‘पहिलो खेपमा १० हजार प्रति पोस्टर आएको छ, गाउँ र इलाका कमिटीबाट माग आइरहेकाले थप मगाएका छौं,' माओवादी मोरङका सहइन्चार्ज गणेश उप्रेती(सुशील)ले नागरिकसँग भने, ‘इन्डियन बुटले नेपाली भूमि कुल्चनुले सांकेतिक अर्थ बोकेको छ, भारतीयले गलत अर्थ लगाए।'

पाँचवटा नारा लेखिएको माओवादीको उक्त पोस्टरमा तीनवटा माग भारतसँग सम्बन्धित छन्। सन् १९५० को सन्धि खारेज गर्न, सीमा अतिक्रमण बन्द गर्न र भारतीय सेनालाई नेपाली भूमि छोड्न आग्रह गरिएको पोस्टरमा नेपाली नक्साको दक्षिण, पूर्व र पश्चिम कुनामा बनाइएको ६ वटा कालो जुत्तामा अशोक स्तम्भ र भारतको राष्ट्रिय झण्डा अंकित गरिएको छ। १८ इन्च चौडाइ र २४ इन्च लामो पोस्टरको जुत्तामा झण्डा र अशोक स्तम्भ अंकित गरेकामा भारतीय आक्रोसित छन्।

‘हाम्रो ठाउँको शोभा र गरिमालाई माओवादीले जुत्तामा राखेर अपमान गरेका छन्,' जोगवनीका जाकिर हुसैन खाँले नागरिकसँग भने, ‘माओवादीले माफी नमागेसम्म आन्दोलन जारी रहनेछ।' माओवादीविरुद्धको भारतीय नागरिकको आन्दोलनमा त्यहाँका राजनीतिक दलको सहयोग नरहे पनि पार्टीका स्थानीय नेता प्रदर्शनमा देखिएका थिए। रामविलास पासवान अध्यक्ष रहेको लोक जनशक्ति पार्टीका अररिया जिल्ला तहका नेता प्रदर्शनमा छन्। प्रदर्शनको नेतृत्व अररिया प्रान्तका पूर्व विधायक जाकिर अनवरले गरेका छन्।

‘भारतीयको सम्मानमा चोट पुग्ने पोस्टरमा केही पनि छैन,' माओवादी मोरङ इन्चार्ज शिवकुमार मण्डलले भने। मण्डलले भारतीय नागरिकको बिरोधलाई पार्टीले स्वभाविक रूपमा लिएको प्रतिकृया दिए। उनले मिचेको भूभाग माग्दा भारतीय सुरक्षाकर्मीले माओवादी नेता, कार्यकर्तालाई उग्रवादी सूचीमा राखेर खोजी गर्ने, भारतीय जनता उस्काएर अपराध ढाकछोप गर्ने प्रयासमा रहेको बताए। भारतीय भूमिमा पार्टीको झण्डा गाडेकोमा एसएसबीले मोरङका १० जना माओवादी नेताको सूची बनाएर खोजी गरिरहेको छ।

भारतीय प्रदर्शनकारीले मंगलबारै मोरङका प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारी शशिशेखर श्रेष्ठलाई स्मरणपत्र समेत बुझाएका छन्। स्मरणपत्रमा भारतबिरोधी गतिविधि बन्द, माओवादी अध्यक्ष दाहालले माफी माग्नुपर्ने र नेपाल-भारत सम्बन्ध बिगार्ने तत्वलाई कार्बाहीको माग गरिएको छ। मोरङका प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारी श्रेष्ठले सीमाक्षेत्रमा भारतीय प्रदर्शनबारे सरकारलाई जानकारी गराइसकिएको बताए। उनले भने, ‘नेताहरूसँग जोडिएको विषयमा हामी केही गर्न सक्दैनौ।'

पूर्व क्षेत्रीय प्रहरी कार्यालय विराटनगरका प्रमुख डिआईजी भीष्म प्रसाईंले पनि गतिरोधका विषयमा गृह मन्त्रालयलाई जानकारी गराइसकिएको बताए। उनले भने, ‘कुटनीतिक रूपले गतिरोध अन्त्य हुने भएकाले स्थितिबारे मन्त्रालयलाई जानकारी गराइसकिएको छ।'

माओवादीविरुद्ध भारतीय प्रदर्शनका कारण मुलुककै ठूलो विराटनगर भन्सारको कारोबार मंगलबार ठप्प भएको छ। भन्सार कार्यालयका अनुसार नाका अवरुद्ध हुँदा दैनिक संकलन हुने करिब २ करोड ५० लाख राजस्व असुली भएन। भन्सार प्रमुख मित्रलाल रेग्मीले भारतीय नागरिकको प्रदर्शनका कारण मालसमान जाँचपास हुन नसकेको बताए।

अरु सीमाक्षेत्रमा पनि कडाइ

रुद्र खड्का, कालाफाँटा (बाँके), माघ १३- एकीकृत माओवादीको 'राष्ट्रिय स्वाधीनता' आन्दोलनको कारण सीमावर्ती क्षेत्रमा सुरक्षा कडा हुँदा सर्वसाधारणले समस्या भोगिरहेका छन्।

भारतीय पक्षबाट सीमा मिचिएको भन्दै दुई साताअघि माओवादी उपाध्यक्ष नारायणकाजी श्रेष्ठले सीमावर्ती गाउँ नरैनापुरमा गरेको भाषणका कारण भारतीय सुरक्षाकर्र्मीले थालेको कडाइले सर्वसाधारण समस्यामा परेका हुन्।

श्रेष्ठले भाषणमा भारतको विरोध गरेकाले एसएसबीले सीमावर्ती गाउँमा बसोबास गर्ने नेपालीलाई आवतजावतमा कडाइ गर्नुको साथै हप्कीदप्की सुरू गरेको माओवादीले सभा आयोजना गरेको स्थानदेखि नजिकैको गाउँ कालाफाँटाका स्थानीयले बताए।

'भारतले जति सहयोग गर्दा पनि नेपालका नेताले भारतको विरोध गरेको भन्दै एसएसबीले सर्वसाधारणलाई हप्कीदप्की सुरू गरेका छन्,' कालाफाँटा-२ का सावलप्रसाद श्रीवास्तवले भने, 'एसएसबीले भारतबाट सामान ल्याउन पनि रोक लगाएको छ।'

माओवादीको विरोध सभाअघि स्थानीयले खुल्ला नाकाबाट दैनिक गुजाराका लागि नुन, रासायनिक मल चाहिएजति ल्याउँथे। माओवादी उपाध्यक्ष श्रेष्ठले पुस २७ गते भारतीय भूमि हँदै सीमावर्ती गाउँ नरैनापुरमा पुगेर भारतले नेपालको आन्तरिक मामिलामा हस्तक्षेप गरेको उल्लेख गर्दै नेपाली जनता भारतविरुद्ध लाग्नुपर्ने बताएका थिए।

माओवादीका कालाफाँटा गाउँ कमिटी उपाध्यक्ष मोहम्मद अली शेखका अनुसार भारतविरुद्ध आमसभा गरिएको भोलिपल्टदेखि नै एसएसबीले सर्वसाधारणलाई सामान ल्याउन रोक लगाएको हो। स्थानीय उदयराज शर्माले भने, 'नेपालका नेताले जनतालाई कहिल्यै पनि सहज रूपमा बाँच्न नदिने भए। सीमामा भारतविरोधी कार्यक्रम गरेर भारतका सुरक्षाकर्मी चिढिएको र त्यसको मारमा जनता परेको उनले गुनासो गरे। भारतविरोधी चर्का भाषण गर्ने नेतालाई सीमाको पीडा थाहा पाउन केही दिन सीमामै बस्न पनि उनले आग्रह गरे। 'एक दिन आएर भाषण गरेर मात्र केही हुँदैन,' उनले भने, 'सीमावर्ती गाउँमा भारतको सहयोगबिना बाँच्न सकिदैँन। नेताहरू जनतालाई सुविधा दिने कुरा गर्दैनन्। खाली विरोध मात्र गर्दा समस्या भयो।'

सीमामा बस्दा प्रायः भारतीय सुरक्षाकर्मीको दुव्यर्बहार सहने गरेका सीमावासीले माओवादीको भाषणपछि दैनिक गुजाराको सामान पनि ल्याउन नपाएपछि नेपाल सरकारलाई नै सर्वसाधारणलाई चाहिने सामान उपलब्ध गराउन माग गरेका छन्। सीमावर्ती गाउँमा बसोबास गर्नेहरूले लामो समयदेखि भारतीय सहरबाट उपभोग्य सामान ल्याएर गुजारा गर्दै आएको बताउँछन्। राप्तीनदीवारि वस्ने अधिकांश सदरमुकाम नेपालगन्ज नपुगेको बताउँछन्। कालाफाँटा प्रहरी चौकीका प्रमुख गंगाराम थापा केही दिन यता भारतीय सुरक्षाकर्मीले सामान ल्याउन कडाइ गरेको गुनासो सर्वसाधारणले गरे पनि सहयोग गर्ने अवस्था नरहेको बताउँछन्।

माओवादीले भने नेपालभित्रै आमसभा गरेका कारण सर्वसाधारणलाई दुःख दिनु भारतको अर्को दादागिरी भएको बताएको छ। माओवादी केन्द्रीय सदस्य महेश्वरजंग गहतराजले भने, 'आमसभा गरेकै कारण जनतालाई दुःख दिनु दादागिरीको चरम रूप हो। भारतीय भूमि हुँदै लक्ष्मणपुर बाँधको निरीक्ष्ण गरी नरैनापुर आमसभामा पुग्दा भारतीय सुरक्षाकर्मीले श्रेष्ठको स्वागत गरेका थिए।

बाँकेका नौ गाविस रहेको राप्तीवारिको जनसंख्या करिब १ लाख छ। विकट क्षेत्र भएका कारण अधिकांशले भारतीय सहरबाट दैनिक गुजारा व्यवस्था गर्छन्।

यसैगरी धनगढीस्थित नागरिक संवाददाता दिलबहादुर छत्यालका अनुसार गौरीफन्टा नाकामा पनि सुरक्षा कडा गरिएको छ। भारतले करिब डेढ सातायता सीमामा कडाइ गरेपछि दैनिक उपभोग्य सामग्री खरिद गर्न ओहोरदोहोर गर्ने र भारतका विभिन्न शहरवाट मजदुरी गरेर आउने नेपालीले सास्ती व्यहोरेका छन्।
उता लक्ष्मणपुर बाँध र त्यससँग जोडिएको एफ्लक्स बन्डको सुरक्षाका लागि भारतीय प्रहरीले आधुनिक हतियारसहितको बिशेष सुरक्षा युनिट तैनाथ गरेको छ।

source: nagariknews.com

Govt bans export of sand, stones

2010-01-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, Jan 27: The Ministry for Commerce and Supplies banned the export of sand and stones from Wednesday.

Issuing a ‘very important notice’, the ministry said that the export of stones and sand from Nepal has been banned until the next notice in accordance with Clause 3 of Export and Import (Control) Act 1957.

Clause 3 of the Act authorizes the government to prohibit and control export and import of any goods by a notified order.

“Studies and analysis are being carried out by various committees and concerned authorities about the effects of the excessive mining of the natural resources and exports on the nation’s environmental balance and natural sustainability and to find out prohibitive or preventive measures,” the notice said.

“In the context, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Nepal Government, using the authority of the clause prohibits exports of stones and sand until another notice,” it added.

The Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means had instructed government to ban the export of natural resources to India following the environmental concerns.

It was estimated that hundreds of thousands of tons of sand and stones have been exported to India for the construction of a national highway connecting Indian capital Delhi to Guwahati in last few years. Environment exports had been expressing concerns over the damage caused by quarrying stones and sands.

source: myrepublica.com

High security alert at international airport

2010-01-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered heightened security vigil at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu following warnings from India that al-Qaeda-linked militants are plotting plane hijacks in the South Asian region.

Police and army personnel deployed at the airport have bee ordered to take extra measures and remain in high alert, according to TIA officials. Similarly, passengers are told to be in queue for longer time to clear security checks.

India has already issued warnings in all its international flights and intensified security checks at the airport.

source: nepalnews.com

Gang breaks into house, stabs youth

2010-01-26T23:44:00.000-08:00

A gang of nine broke into the house of Krishna Bahadur Lama in Nepaltar, and stabbed 18-year-old Rajkumar Lama and Krishna Pandey. The victims have been taken to the Balaju-based Janamaiti Hospital for treatment and are said to be out of danger.

The police later arrested five members of the group and recovered two khukuris.

source: ekantipur.com

11 hrs of load shedding from Thursday

2010-01-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 27 - With the onset of dry season, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has once again increased the load-shedding hours effective from Thursday.

The state-owned power supplier has increased the power outage to 11 hours per day from the previous nine hours a day.

With this there will be power outage for 77 hours a week.

The NEA said the drop-off in electricity generation owing to the decreasing water level have led to the increased power-cut.

Last year, Nepali people had to face power outage of up to 18 hours per day.

In an effort to reduce the load-shedding hours, the government has been mulling over generating the electricity through thermal plant and importing additional electricity from India to meet the rising demands.

source: ekantipur.com

Blanket ban on foreign employment via India

2010-01-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 26 -
In a bid to curb the use of Indian routes for foreign employment, the Foreign Ministry has decided to write to the Government of India not to permit Nepalis to use Indian routes to go to Gulf countries, Lebanon and Malaysia for jobs.
Nepali missions based in Gulf countries had complained that many Nepalis who reached there for blue collar jobs found themselves in trouble as they did not have prior approval of the government.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala decided to this effect on Monday. The ministry will be writing to the New Delhi mission on Tuesday asking Indian authorities to take strict measures against Nepalis who want to go to third countries with ordinary passports.

“Those who use Indian airports to go abroad for jobs are taking illegal channels and measures. Persons who travel via India with ordinary passports to seek employment in a third country are illegal migrants and the means they use are not compatible with Nepali domestic labour laws. So, we have asked Indian authorities to check these Nepalis and send them back to Nepal,” the decision reads.

Most Nepali women have been using New Delhi and Mumbai airports to fly to their labour destinations in violation of local rules. Those who used Indian routes and did not take approval from the Labour Ministry, reached their destinations through individual brokers without adequate documents from recipient countries.

According to the Foreign Employment Act, 2008, those who want to go for foreign employment should use Nepal’s airport and take permission from the government.

“We should take immediate measures to control the flow of Nepali domestic workers via Indian airports—specifically women from different parts of Nepal—to the Gulf. Rather, they should fly only from Nepal and with government permission,” said Nepal’s envoy to Kuwait Madhuban Poudel.

The recent measures will apply both to men and women, said Arjun Panta, under secretary at the ministry.

As most workers, mainly women who come as housemaids, have come here in an unorganised way out of ignorance or in an adventure-like situation, they have mostly landed in trouble for some reason or the other, said Poudel.

source: ekantipur.com

नेपालले भारतबाट महँगोमा बिजुली किन्ने

2010-01-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

बलराम बानियाँ, काठमाडौं, माघ ११- नेपालले भारतसित लोडसेडिङ कम गर्न व्यावसायिक मूल्यमा थप ३० मेगावाट बिजुली किन्ने भएको छ।

दुई देशका ऊर्जा अधिकारीहरूबीच भारतको नयाँ दिल्लीमा शनिबार सम्पन्न भएको वार्तामा नेपाललाई थप दुईवटा बिन्दु ढल्केबर-मुजफ्फपुर र गण्डक क्षेत्रबाट महँगो दरमा १५/१५ मेगावाटका दरले बिजुली दिन भारत तयार भएको हो

भारतले त्यहाँको ऊर्जा दलाल कम्पनी (पीटीसी) मार्फत् महँगो दरमा बिजुली उपलब्ध गराउनेछ। सहमतिअनुसार नेपालले पीटीसीमार्फत् भारु ६.७० अर्थात् नेपाली १० रुपैयाँ ७२ पैसामा विद्युत् आयात गर्नेछ। भारतीय विद्युत प्राधिकरणले प्रतियुनिट बिजुली सालाखाला साढे सात रुपैयाँका दरले उपभोक्तालाई वितरण गर्छ। यसमा तीन रुपैयाँ प्रसारण लाइनबाट हुने चुहावटमा खर्च हुन्छ। ऊर्जा मन्त्रालयका अधिकारीले भारतले दिने थप बिजुलीबाट यस वर्षको हिउँदमा लोडसेडिङ बाह्र घन्टाभन्दा बढी हुन नदिने दाबी गरेका छन्।

सहमतिमा भारतले नेपाललाई ढल्केबर-मुजफ्फपुरबाट १५ र गण्डक क्षेत्रबाट १५ मेगावाटका दरले बिजुली दिने उल्लेख छ। भारत-नेपालबीच सहुलियत दरमा ५० मेगावाट बिजुली आदानप्रदान गर्ने सम्झौता छ। नेपालले लोडसेडिङ कम गर्न भारतबाट यसअघि नै सम्झौताभन्दा बढी २० मेगावाट बिजुली व्यापारिक दरमा आयात गरिरहेको छ।

नयाँ सहमतिअनुसार नेपालले अब सहुलियत दरमा ५० र व्यापारिक दरमा ५० गरी भारतबाट एक सय मेगावाट विद्युत् आयात गर्नेछ। सहुलियत दरको बिजुलीको महसुल प्रतियुनिट झन्डै ५ रुपैयाँ छ। भारतबाट थप बिजुली आयात गर्न भएको सहमतिले यस वर्ष १२ घन्टाभन्दा बढी लोडसेडिङ हुन नदिने जानकारी ऊर्जाका अधिकारीले दिएका छन्।

प्रसारण लाइन दुई वर्षमा बनाउने सहमति नेपाल र भारतबीच ठूलो मात्रामा विद्युत् आदानप्रदान गर्न २ वर्षभित्र अन्तरदेशीय प्रसारण लाइन निर्माण गरिसक्ने सहमति भएको छ। सहमति अनुसार मोरङको ढल्केबर मुजफ्फरपुरबीच ४ सय केभी क्षमताको विद्युत् प्रसारण लाइन निर्माण गरिनेछ। पहिलोपटक बन्ने अन्तरदेशीय ठूलो क्षमताको प्रसारण लाइनबाट नेपाल र भारतबीच १२ सय मेगावाट बिजुली आदानप्रदान गर्न सकिनेछ। उक्त प्रसारण लाइन दुई वर्षभित्र निर्माण गरिसक्ने सहमतिमा उल्लेख छ।

नेपाल र भारतबीच बुटवल र गोरखपुरबीच ठूलो क्षमताको अर्को प्रसारण लाइन निर्माण गर्न तत्काल सम्भाव्यता अध्ययन गर्ने सहमति भएको छ। दुई देशबीच जति सक्दो चाँडो अध्ययन सम्पन्न गरी थप नयाँ प्रसारण लाइन निर्माण गरिसक्ने सहमति भएको छ।

source: nagariknews.com

Bin Laden warns of more attacks

2010-01-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

AGENCE FRANCE- PRESSE DUBAI, Jan 24: Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden claimed the botched Christmas Day bombing of a US airliner and threatened further strikes on US targets, in an audio statement broadcast Sunday on Al-Jazeera television.

"The message that was conveyed through the (attacked) plane of the hero Umar Farouk (Abdulmutallab) is to stress earlier messages delivered to you by the heroes of the 11" September attack on the United States, he said.

"That (message) is, that America should not dream of security until we enjoy it as a reality in Palestine," he added.

Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to blow up a Northwest Airline flight over Detroit on Christmas Day but he was thwarted by fellow passengers who pounced on him.

"It is not fair that you (America) enjoy a good life while our brothers in Gaza endure the worst standard of living," bin Laden said.

"Therefore, God willing, our attacks against you will continue as long as you maintain your support to Israel," he warned.

The authenticity of the brief audio statement could not immediately be verified but Al-Jazeera said the voice was that of bin Laden.

Bin Laden, who has a 50-million-dollar bounty on his head and has been in hiding for the past eight years, last made a public statement four months ago when he was quoted on September 25 by SITE Intelligence Group monitoring service as urging European countries to pull their forces out of Afghanistan.

In a similar audio message released in March, Bin Laden accused some Arab leaders of being "complicit" with Israel and the West against Muslims and urged holy war to liberate the Palestinian territories.

Al-Qaeda´s franchise in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, had claimed responsibility for the plane attack, while Washington accused the group of training Abdulmutallab, who had spent some time in Yemen.

The US administration is putting pressure on Yemen to clamp down on Al-Qaeda militants in the impoverished country, and an international meeting to discuss combating militancy in Yemen will be held on January 27 in London.

The Yemeni government has intensified its campaign against Al-Qaeda, whom it insists it can battle on its own, without any foreign military intervention.

A US grand jury has indicted 23-year-old Abdulmutallab on six counts arising from the attempt to blow up the jet packed packed with 279 passengers and 11 crew on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Michigan district court documents accused him of "carrying a concealed bomb" of high explosives inside his clothing on Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

US intelligence chiefs last Wednesday admitted that they missed a slew of warning signs that should have prevented the attempted attack.

National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Michael Leiter, head of the National Counter-terrorism Center, made the joint admission during a grilling from the Senate´s committee on homeland security and governmental affairs.

Conceding that the system "collectively failed," the two officials said the Abdulmutallab, "should not have stepped on that plane."

Intelligence officials, military analysts and other experts have long believed bin Laden is holed up along the remote mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A chronology of past Bin Laden tapes:

2001

- Oct 7: "America has been hit by Allah at its most vulnerable point, destroying, thank God, its most prestigious buildings." (Al-Jazeera audiotape, in reference to September 11, 2001 attacks on United States.)

- Dec 13: "We calculated in advance the number of casualties from the enemy who would be killed based on the position of the tower." (Video said by Washington to have been found by US troops in Afghanistan)

- Dec 27: "Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, which kills our people." (Al-Jazeera video)

2002

- Jan 31: "The battle has moved to inside America. We will work to continue this battle, God permitting, until victory or until we meet God." (Al-Jazeera interview)

- Sept 9: "When we evoke the raids on New York and Washington, we speak of the men who changed the course of history and cleansed the... filth of treacherous rulers and their subordinates." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- Nov 13: Hails terror attacks in Tunisia and Bali and a Moscow hostage-taking. (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

2003

- Feb 11: "All those who cooperate with the Americans against Iraq are hostile to Islam. We stress the importance of martyrdom operations against the enemy." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- Sept 10: "He who wants to learn loyalty, sincerity, magnanimity and courage in support of religion... should follow in the footsteps of (the September 11 attackers)." (Al-Jazeera videotape)

- Oct 18: "We will go on fighting you and we will carry on martyrdom operations. We reserve the right to retaliate... against all countries that take part in this unjust (Iraqi) war, namely Britain, Spain, Australia, Poland, Japan and Italy." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

2004

- Jan 4: "The occupation of Iraq is only a link in the chain of evil of the Zionists and crusaders." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- April 15: "I present a reconciliation initiative... to stop operations against all (European) countries if they promise not to be aggressive towards Muslims." (Al-Arabiya audiotape)

- Oct 29: Tells Americans that US president George W. Bush "is still misleading you." (Al-Jazeera videotape)

2006

- Jan 19: Threatens fresh attacks against the United States but offers American people a conditional "long-term truce." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- April 23: "I call upon the mujahedeen (holy warriors) and their supporters in Sudan and its surroundings... to prepare to lead a prolonged war against the crusader robbers in western Sudan." (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- May 23: Says he masterminded the September 11 attacks and that convicted Frenchman Zacarias Moussaoui had no part in them. (Internet audiotape)

- Sept 7: Al-Jazeera broadcasts previously unseen footage it says shows bin Laden and Al-Qaeda suicide hijackers preparing for September 11 attacks.

2007

- Sept 7: Threatens to escalate war in Iraq (videotape).

- Sept 11: Praises 9/11 hijacker Walid al-Shehri. (audiotape)

- Sept 20: Urges Muslims to overthrow Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. (audiotape)

- Oct 22: Calls on Iraq insurgency leaders to unite against US-led coalition. (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- Nov 29: Urges Europeans to end intervention in Afghanistan. (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

- Dec 29: Warns Muslims against supporting US-backed government in Iraq. (Internet audiotape)

2008

- March 20: Warns Europe of a "reckoning" after controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published. (Internet audiotape)

- May 18: Urges Muslims to help lift Israel´s Gaza blockade. (Internet audiotape)

2009

Jan 14: Warns US president-elect Barack Obama of new fronts in his war against Western interests and calls for jihad to end Israel´s onslaught on Gaza. (Internet audiotape)

March 14: Accuses some Arab leaders of being "complicit" with Israel during Gaza offensive. (Al-Jazeera audiotape)

March 19: Urges radical Islamists in Somalia to overthrow new President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. (Internet audiotape)

June 3: Scorns Obama´s Middle East charm offensive and accuses him of "antagonising Muslims." (Internet audiotape)

Sept 13: Urges Americans to pressure White House to end Iraq, Afghanistan wars. (Internet video/audiotape)

Sept 25: Calls on European countries to end alliance with the United States and withdraw from Afghanistan. (Internet audiotape)

2010

Jan 24: Claims botched Christmas Day bombing of US airliner and threatens more strikes on US targets. (Al-Jazeera audiotape).

source: myreplublica.com

न्युरोडमा लुटेराले गोली चलाए

2010-01-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

व्यस्त बजारबाट लुटेरा फरार-
केपी ढुंगाना, काठमाडौँ, माघ १०- काठमाडौँको न्युरोडस्थित विशालबजारको भूमिगत पार्किङ स्थलमा आज बिहान लुटेराहरुले गोली चलाएका छन्। गोलीबाट कोही हताहत भएका छैनन्।

जनसेवा प्रभागमा प्रहरी निरीक्षक तुलबहादुर कार्कीका अनुसार सुनचाँदी व्यवसायी प्रकाश राजभण्डारीलाई लुट्ने उद्देश्यले उनीहरुले गोली चलाएका थिए। आफ्नो प्रयास असफल भएलगत्तै मोटरसाइकलमा आएका दुई जना त्यहाँबाट फरार भएका थिए

बा २२ प ९५८३ नम्बरको मोटरसाइकलमा फरार रहेका उनीहरुको खोजी भइरहेको कार्कीले बताए। जनसेवा प्रहरी प्रभाग घटनास्थलबाट केही मिटरको मात्र दूरीमा रहेको छ।

श्री सुनचाँदी भण्डार पसलका व्यवसायी सँधै विशालबजारको सो भूमिगत पार्किङमा सवारी पार्क गरेर पसल जाने गरेका थिए। लुटेराहरुले योजनावद्ध रुपमा उनी आउने समय ढुकेर आक्रमण गरेका थिए।

प्रहरीले घटनामा दुई जना संलग्न भएको देखिएको बताए पनि प्रत्यक्षदर्शीले भने दुई जना पार्किङबाहिर ढुकेर बसेका र दुई जना भित्र गएर गोली चलाएको बताएका छन्।

source: nagariknews.com

NEA signs power deal with India

2010-01-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, Jan 24: The government has signed a deal with India to import an additional 30 MW of electricity. The negotiating team of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the only state utility company, reached an agreement in this regard with Power Trading Corporation (PTC) of India on Wednesday in New Delhi.

As per the agreement, 15 MW of power will reach the country via Duhabi-Kataiya transmission line (Biratnagar) and another 15 MW from Balmiki Nagar point in Gandak. The additional power will be imported from the West Bengal State of India as Bihar State itself is said to be facing an acute power shortage at present. It has 2500 MW demand whereas the supply is 900 MW.

"We have reached an understanding to bring 15 MW from Biratnagar and another 15 MW from Gandak," Minister for Energy Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat told myrepublica.com on Saturday confirming the agreement.

Minister Mahat, however, added that the import will not reduce the load-shedding hours entirely, but would help in maintaining the NEA´s plan to not let the hours exceed beyond 12 hours power cut daily. "The import will not bring down the daily nine hours load-shedding that we are currently facing, but we will now be able to maintain the 12 hours daily maximum power cut by the driest month as per the NEA plan," Mahat said.

According to the members of the NEA negotiating team, which arrived in the capital Saturday evening, the power would be imported from February 1 and the per unit cost of the 30 MW will be a whopping Rs 10.72 (IRs 6.70). Nepal is already importing 20 MW from Tanakpur point at the same rate since January 1.

However, an NEA official said that the import of power from February 1 is contingent upon the availability of the transmission line permission to be obtained from Bihar Electricity Board. "There are some bureaucratic hurdles like permission from Bihar Board. Once it is cleared we should be able to get the power," the NEA source said.

The deal was struck after a two months of negotiation. Of the 60 MW request originally made by NEA (more than two months back), the Indian side has already denied 30 MW supply. Similarly, the Indian side also turned down the government request for a 100 MW power at concessional rate. The request was made during Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal´s India visit.

source: myrepublica.com

NTL, STC to ease sugar supply

2010-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 24 -
Retailers have expressed their interest to buy sugar from the state-own companies-National Trading Limited (NTL) and Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STC)-at Rs. 78 kg and sell in the market at Rs. 80 per kg as fixed by the government.

NTL and STC have started buying sugar from domestic mills at Rs. 65. The two companies will also directly sell the commodity to the customers through their outlets in the Valley from Wednesday. But, consumers are still at the receiving end are paying as much as Rs. 90 for one kg of sugar from the retail market.

"The government needs our support to ease the supply of sugar. The price can be balanced if the government sells sugar at Rs. 78 per kg.," said Pabitra Bajracharya, President of Nepal Retailers' Association. "We at least need two rupees margin in every kilogram for transportation and other costs." Earlier, when the government had set the price of sugar at Rs. 53 per kg, the retailers had bought sugar for Rs. 51.50 to sell at Rs. 53 per kg.

Bajracharya said if the government sells sugar at a reasonable price to the retailers, they would help discourage black marketing and also bring down the price which has gone above Rs. 90 per kg in the market in the recent days. "But the government is not interested in providing sugar to us retailers and chances are that big traders will black market," he added.

The government is aiming to intervene in the market with sugar bought from domestic producers to make the supply smooth and check the price hike.

"We have to provide sugar to the retailers to ease sugary supply at the root level. There is no alternative to this," said Urmila Shrestha, General Manager of STC. "We will talk to the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies tomorrow regarding price for the retailers."

NTL and STC have bought around 2,000 tonnes of sugar from domestic producers as of Friday. The state entities bought 750 tonnes from Everest Sugar Mill, 800 tonnes from Mahalaxmi Sugar Mill and are in the process to procure sugar from other six major domestic sugar mills.

The government has asked the domestic producers to provide 5,000 tonnes of sugar at factory gate at the rate of Rs. 65 per kg as an option to ease the supply and control the skyrocketing price before sugar being imported from Brazil and Thailand arrives

Shrestha said that the government was receiving sugar from domestic producers regularly and selling to the customers directly from various outlets of NTL, STC and Nepal Food Corporation at Kalimati, Teku, Nakkhu, Koteshwor and Thapathali in the Valley. "We are also planning to establish temporary outlets. We will be using mobile shops at 15 different locations," she added.

About the government plans to import sugar from Brazil and Thailand, Shrestha said that the Thai supplier was preparing to make shipment within a week. "I just received a call from Thailand, they said that they are all set to dispatch the consignment," said Shrestha.

However, there is still no concrete answer as to when the Brazilian sugar is arriving. "Neither the supplier has fixed the date for shipment nor has it cancelled our demand," said Shrestha. "They have just assured that they will make the shipment soon."

NTL and STC have already opened the letter of credit to import 25,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil and 12,500 tonnes from Thailand.

source: ekantipur.com

More garbage piling up on the streets of Kathmandu

2010-01-23T21:53:00.001-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 24 -
Daily life in the Valley has been disrupted as a strike called by employees of local bodies has meant that garbage has not been collected from the streets of Kathmandu.

Employees of local bodies a announced the indefinite closure of all local bodies on Thursday. With the halt, over 1,000 tonnes of garbage is awaiting disposal.

“Things have become very difficult for us, what with the garbage piling day by day,” said Rabinman Shrestha, chief of the Environment Department at Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), adding, “Despite our requests, the employees are not ready to end their strike and resume garbage collection.” Shrestha added that protesters were using garbage as a tool to put pressure on the government, and emphasised on the need for this strategy to be stopped.

Last month, Kathmandu saw nearly two weeks of obstruction in garbage collection, following a similar closure announced by local bodies from Dec. 15 to Dec. 27.

The employees withdrew their protests after giving the government an ultimatum of 21 days on Dec. 27. They resumed work when the government formed a committee to discuss their demands in coordination with the Minister for Local Development. The committee formed a subordinate committee to study the demands of the employees in the co-ordination with the Ministry’s secretary.

However, employees launched a fresh protest following the government’s failure to address their demands with the ultimatum.

“We waited three weeks, but the government hasn’t show any interest in making amendments,” said Indra Prasad Adhikari, chairman of the Nepal Municipalities Employees Association. “Our protests will continue until the government addresses our demands.”

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Local Development Ministry, Krishna Gyawali said, “The employees should have waited for a few days before announcing the protests.” According to Gyawali, the subordinate committee submitted a study proposal to the ministerial level committee. “The committee is discussing the issue, and I hope a solution is soon reached,” said Gyawali.

source: ekantipur.com

Nepal Telecom gears up to expand 3G service

2010-01-23T21:47:00.001-08:00

KATHMANDU, JAN 24 -
Nepal Telecom (NT)-the state-owned telecom service provider which is also the first telecom to introduce the 3G mobile service in South Asia region-is all set to expand the 3G service in the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

To this effect, NT has increased its Base Tower Station (BTS) to 55. Earlier, it was providing the service through eight BTS. NT had introduced the service in Nepal two years back.

Jiban Ratna Bajracharya, Director of Mobile Service Directorate said that NT would start expanding work within one month as soon as it finished the optimisation work of the newly set up BTS.

"We will soon start the service in Pokhara," said Bajracharya. NT has already set up eight BTS in Pokhara to launch the 3G service.

Even though the NT was first to introduce 3G service in South Asia, it is yet to attract users because the service is not available even inside various places of the Valley's Ring Road. According to NT, there are 699 3G users as of date.

"We have a capacity to provide this service to 175,000 users setting up 104 BTS," said Bajracharya. "The user will increase now onwards as we have already started prioritizing this service." The 3G service enables its users to make video call at Rs. 5 per minute. Earlier, the cost was set at Rs. 10 per minute. For net surfing, the charge is Rs. 2 per kilobyte. 3G users can get all the services such as voice, SMS, VMS, CRBT and MMS at the same price and the recharge process is also same as of Namaste Mobile.

According to NT, it costs Rs. 4,195 to get 3G mobile service, in which the user get free talk time worth Rs. 3,500.

source: ekantipur.com

Fresh cases of swine flu reported

2009-08-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Kantipur Report KATHMANDU, July 10 - With the rapid spread of the swine flu virus across the world, three fresh cases of the epidemic have been reported in Nepal on Monday. The revelation comes close on the heels of sixth death from the deadly AH1N1 virus in neighboring India.

Of the latest victims, two came from Dubai and one from the U.K. The AH1N1 infected persons have been undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital, Home Ministry said.

The recent detection has taken the toll of those infected with the pandemic flu to 20.

Over 800 persons have died all over the world since its first outbreak in Mexico in April.

India ‘encroaches’ Nepali territory

2009-05-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

RSS Jhapa, May 24 - Nepali territory at Taghandubba in Jhapa district has been encroached by Indian side. During the course of its on-site visit on Friday, a team led by Eastern Regional Administrator Dik Basnet found that the Pillar No. 123 at Taghandubba-2 was scooped up from its original place and erected in Nepali territory, thus encroaching about 20 meters of land, according to the team. Chief District Officer of Jhapa Narendra Dahal, police personnel and government officials were the team members. The team said that it would investigate the border encroachment case.

Earlier this week, the International Relations and Human Rights Committee under the Legislature-Parliament had reported that some 264 border pillars were found lost in Bara district. The information was based on the facts found from the on-site visit by the committee led by Constituent Assembly member Nabindra Raj Joshi. The parliamentary team inspected pillar number 381, 382, 383 and 384 of Martihawa and the encroachment was found in Das Gaja area from both Nepali and Indian sides, according to team coordinator Joshi. He said it was found during the inspection that the Indian side was attempting to capture land in Chhitkaiya of Bara.

2 of kidnapping ring killed in encounter

2009-05-23T23:04:00.001-07:00

Kantipur Report KATHMANDU, May 24 - Two armed men, allegedly members of an international kidnapping ring, were killed during a shootout with the police at Basundhara in Kathmandu early Saturday morning. The men — identified as Sujit Tamang and Ramesh Prasad Sah — were killed on the spot. Policemen involved in the shootout said they were forced to retaliate in defense after an armed group of four persons on two motorcycles started firing at the police. The police had urged the shooters to stop their motorcycles saying they were on patrolling duty. "But the pillion riders

opened fire at us, leaving us no option," said Deputy Superintendent of Police Sher Bahadur Basnet, who led the shootout. Initially the two motorcycles were speeding, but slowed down after the police asked them to stop. Then they suddenly began firing. The police ducked behind a van and began shooting back and in course of the shootout, fired at least 17 rounds. According to Basnet, all four of them could have escaped if one motorcycle rider had not been hit. The other two, however, managed to escape. Despite falling down, the gunmen continued firing when the police shot them dead, said Basnet. Conveniently, the police later identified the two killed as wanted men and were actually the ones they were looking for Saturday night. The police recovered country-made pistols and ammunition from the site. This was the first instance of gangsters being killed in an encounter with the police in Kathmandu. In the previous six shootouts, there were only injuries. Acting on a tip-off, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) had placed security ambushes in various strategic places in the capital to nab them. Initially, the police had been disappointed for failing to track the accused for hours and they were about to give up. The police said the men were members of the gang involved in the abduction of Dundup Lama, son of Singha Bahadur, of Gangabu. The group, which also has links with Indian criminals, had kidnapped Lama on Wednesday with the help of an unidentified girl and demanded a ransom of Rs. 50 million, according to the police. However, the kidnappers later agreed to a sum of Rs. 7 million. As planned with the police, Lama had deposited the ransom amount in the kidnappers' Nepalgunj-based bank account. "The police in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj left no stone unturned to rescue Lama, save money and nab the kidnapping ring," said Deputy Inspector General of Police Bharat G.C, who is Acting Commissioner at Metropolitan Police Commissioner office. Police said that in the last few days, they have arrested 14 members of this kidnapping ring from different parts of the capital and Nepalgunj.

Madhav Nepal elected PM, finally

2009-05-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

KATHMANDU, May 24 - The Parliament has elected se-nior CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal the prime minister, ending weeks of political turmoil after Pushpa Kamal Dahal stepped down on May 4 following a dispute with the President. He will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Tuesday.
Nepal, 56, has been elected unopposed, Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang told the 601-member House on Saturday evening. He enjoys the backing of 358 members from 22 of the 25 political parties represented in the Constituent Assembly. The Unified CPN (Maoist) and Nepali Janata Dal boycotted the election while CPN (Unified) walked out the parliamentary proceedings protesting the President's move asking Chief of the Army Staff to continue in office over-ruling the government decision to sack him on May 3. They said that such a practice would not pave the way for the resolution of the lingering political crisis.

“I shall focus my efforts on the key responsibilities that I now shoulder -- making the peace process and constitution drafting process a success through the politics of consensus and collaboration,” Nepal told journalists just as he was named the prime minister.
Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala proposed Nepal as prime minister, whereas UML Chairman and Parliamentary Party leader Jhala Nath Kanal; Madhesi Janadhikar Forum's Parliamentary Party leader Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar; Chairman of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Mahanta Thakur; Chairman of Sadbhavana Party Rajendra Mahato; and General Secretary of CPN-ML Chandra Prakash Mainali were among the top guns and other 15 political parties seconding the motion.

Presenting the proposal in the Parliament, NC President Koirala said the politics of consensus, collaboration and unity initiated in 2005 among all parties has been disrupted after arriving at the present stage.

Koirala said, “Nobody will be a loser in the politics of consensus, collaboration and unity. Instead, everyone will be the winner.”

Pointing at the outgoing prime minister and Maoist Chairman Dahal, Koirala said, “I don't understand why Prachanda deviated from the politics of consensus and historic opportunity to make the peace process a success.” He called on the Maoists to join the new government.
UML Chairman Khanal hoped the Maoists would review weaknesses and come forward to make the peace process and constitution drafting process a success. He claimed that the new coalition would lead the transition period successfully on the basis of common minimum programme and code of conduct.

MJF PP leader Gachhadar, TMLP Chairman Thakur and SP Chairman Mahato said the new government would implement the eight-point understanding reached between the then government and Madhes-based parties.

However, CPN-ML leader Mainali and Chitra Bahadur KC of Rastriya Janamorcha said nobody should extend his or her support with precondition for the sake of petty interest.

Prime Minister Dahal resigns slamming Prez's move

2009-05-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday announced resignation from his post in the wake of new political developments after President Ram Baran Yadav vetoed the government's decision to sack army chief Rookmangud Katawal.

Dahal made this announcement in his address to the nation at Singh Durbar this afternoon which came less than 24 hours after two coalition partners CPN (UML) and Sadbhawana Party pulled out of the government protesting the government decision.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addressing the nation from Singh Durbar...

"I am ready to make any kind of sacrifices needed to protect the republican set up which is still in its infant stage, and for the sake of the country," he said in the address, adding that it is not appropriate to remain in the government when there clearly exist two ruling powers (executive and President) in the country.

Describing President Yadav's yesterday's move to override the government's decision to sack the Army chief as "unconstitutional", Dahal said it has dealt serious blow to democracy, peace process and the newly established republican order and asked him to rectify his decision.

Saying that a constitutional President has no right to block the decisions of an elected government, Dahal also accused him of acting under the provocation of parties.

Clearly referring to key coalition partner CPN-UML and Sadbhavana Party which pulled out of the government following the government's move, he said his government was unable to do the kind of work expected from it because of the tendency of some leaders of the political parties to go with the government's decision at first but immediately back away from it after coming under the pressure of the foreign power centers. He said the same thing happened in the Army chief episode.

He didn't say who were the foreign powers that have been influencing the decision of the parties, but claimed that "various power centers exercise their influence in Nepal."

"However, we won't tolerate interference in Nepal's internal affairs," he said.

Saying that his party was committed to democracy, human rights and press freedom, Dahal also stressed that political parties need to move ahead in consensus and cooperation among each others in the coming days. nepalnews.com May 04 09

Full text of PM's speech

2065: A year of surprises

2009-04-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

By all accounts, the year 2065 in the Nepali Calendar has been most eventful in the country's political history. The turn of events throughout the year took all and sundry by surprise.

The historic Constituent Assembly (CA) election results were a complete surprise. The CPN (Maoist) emerged as the dominant force in the 601-member Assembly. 'Mainstream' political parties -- the grand old Nepali Congress and CPN-UML -- were relegated to second and third positions respectively. UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned on moral grounds ending his 14-year-reign.

The elections established Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) as fourth and fifth largest political entities respectively. Their emergence gives a clear message of the beginning of regional and ethnicity-based politics.
The most historic day of the year, and the country's political history, was May 28, the day the CA turned the country into a Federal Democratic Republic, ending the 240-year-old monarchy. On May 28, former king Gynendra vacated Narayanhity Royal Palace .
Dr. Ram Baran Yadav became the country's first president on July 21, elected by a majority vote of the Assembly

On August 19, the CPN (Maoist) formed a coalition government headed by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. In August itself, the Koshi breached its embankments rendering about 70,000 people homeless in Eastern Nepal

The year also saw some religion related trouble. The Maoist-led government appointed Nepali priests at Pashupatinath temple on Dec 28, breaking the centuries-old practice of appointing priests from South India. It generated strong passion in Nepal and India

The relationship between the government and the Nepal Army (NA) has soured in recent months and both are awaiting the Supreme Court verdicts on the row involving the recruitment of 3010 personnel and non-extension of the tenure of eight brigadier generals. The Army boycotted some events of the Fifth National Games this month protesting the political decision to give the PLA Club a backdoor entry to the Games, held after 10 years

The peace process seems to be on track, though. But, the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament has not been very productive so far. The good thing perhaps is that the CA is more or less on its mission to write a new constitution by May 2010. Even as political parties remain deeply suspicious of one another's intents, they continue to speak for consensus. Hope the New Year 2066, that begins today, will be a harbinger of a new and prosperous Nepal.

Nepal palace massacre tale gets new twist

2009-04-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

Nepal National
Wednesday 8th April, 2009
(IANS)

Nepal's deposed playboy crown prince Paras has opened a Pandora's box with his claim that his cousin Dipendra had been contemplating the assassination of the king and queen of Nepal for over a year.

Now a former royal aide has rejected the allegations, saying that he was sacked for not circulating the same story.

Saujanya Kumar Sulya Joshi was the personal secretary of Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah in June 2001 when Nepal's popular king Birendra was gunned down in the tightly guarded Narayanhity royal palace in Kathmandu along with his queen Aishwarya and seven other relatives.

Soon after the bloodbath, his eldest son and heir Dipendra, who lay in a coma, was crowned the new king and also blamed for the carnage.

Palace officials said Dipendra had caused the havoc during a drugs and drinks-induced rage, after which he shot himself.

But the claim was rejected by Nepalis, who believed it was a conspiracy plotted by the slain king's brother Gyanendra, who became the next monarch of Nepal.

The old skeletons began rattling once more this month when Gyanendra's son Paras, who has been living in Singapore after the tumultuous abolition of monarchy in the former Himalayan kingdom, told a Singaporean tabloid that Dipendra had several motives for killing his family.

Besides being thwarted in his wedding plans by his parents, Dipendra was also furious at his father agreeing to surrender the absolute power he had wielded in the past to an elected government, Paras alleged.

A third motive for the murder was being foiled in his attempt to make a fortune out of a weapon deal for the army, Paras said, adding that Dipendra had been mulling the assassination for almost a year.

But now, Paras' interviews, that are calculated to project the dead crown prince as a killer anew, are being discounted by Dipendra's personal secretary, who says he was sacked for refusing to toe the palace line on the massacre.

Joshi, 59, says the crown prince's behaviour did not tally with Paras' allegations.

Dipendra was the patron of Nepal's Sports Council and on the eve of the killings was involved in planning the annual National Games.

He attended a sports meet and told the organisers to wait for him the next day, Joshi told the Jana Aastha weekly, which did not indicate he was planning an appalling massacre the next day.

Neither was Dipendra drunk or stoned on the day the tragedy occurred, Joshi said.

After the killings, palace officials pressured him to say that Dipendra was behind the slayings but he refused, Joshi told the weekly.

'Neither was I privy to Dipendra's plans nor was I present at the august family dinner where the killings occurred,' Joshi said. 'So my conscience would not allow me to say that the crown prince was the perpetrator.'

Joshi also said that the way the dead crown prince's secretariat was disbanded immediately afterwards and seven people who had been familiar with his daily routine sacked raised doubts about new king Gyanendra's motives.

'Gyanendra chose the lull time of Dashain festival (when Nepal enjoys its biggest holiday period) to appoint his own son Paras as the new crown prince,' Joshi said. 'It created suspicions about his motive.'

The appointment of a new crown prince also made him wonder why the secretariat was dissolved then.

Joshi's clinching argument that Dipendra did not point the gun at his parents has to do with King Birendra's health.

Birendra had just survived a heart attack and it was feared that time was running out for him.

Dipendra, Joshi says, knew about his father's condition. He simply had to wait a little longer to be the new king of Nepal and do things the way he wanted, including marrying the girl he loved.

'How long does the survivor of a cardiac arrest last,' Joshi asks. 'When Dipendra knew this, was there any need for him to kill his father?'

The new theories about the palace massacre come after Nepal's new government led by the former Maoist guerrillas pledged to begin a fresh investigation and bring the real culprits to book.

Mero Mobile to invest $250m

2009-04-06T01:20:00.001-07:00

KATHMANDU, April 6 - Spice Nepal, the operator of Mero Mobile, will invest US$ 250 million in the next two years to provide better coverage and services to Nepali consumers, the company announced Sunday.

"Our aim is to be the number one mobile operator in Nepal," said Lars Nyberg, president and chief executive officer of TeliaSonera, the Finnish-Swedish telecommunications company which holds an 80 percent controlling stake in Spice Nepal. "We want to provide the best network quality to Nepali consumers."

He said that TeliaSonera was in for the long haul in Nepal, but ruled out entering the fixed line sector.

"There will be three things that we will concentrate on -- quality of service, customer service and competitive pricing," said Nyberg, addressing a press conference on Sunday.

Asked why Mero Mobile's tariff was still higher than Nepal Telecom's, the leaders in Nepal, Nyberg said that prices will come down, but it will maybe take a year or so.

"We do not want to be perceived as being more expensive," he said. "We know how to run services at a lower cost."

Dropped calls, getting cut off during a phone conversation and power outages are of special concern in the case of Nepal, he said.

TeliaSonera, which has operations in 20 Nordic and Baltic countries besides central Asia and Cambodia in Southeast Asia, acquired a controlling stake in Spice Nepal last year.

It will invest US$ 120 million in 2009 and US$ 130 in 2010, Dilip Singh, chief executive officer of Spice Nepal, said.

"There is only 60 percent mobile penetration in Nepal now, and there is no reason why this cannot be 100 percent," Nyberg said. According to Singh, the company wants to provide services to 1.2 million more consumers in 2009 in addition to its existing 1.7 million subscribers.

"Securing a connection at the first attempt and hearing a clear voice from the other end is important," Singh said.

He added that telecommunications was vital for a country's development, and by providing better services, Mero Mobile, TeliaSonera's subsidiary in Nepal, was contributing to Nepal's progress.

Singh said that the company had been in talks with the Nepal Telecommunications Authority's proposal for refarming frequencies because it was a complicated and expensive process and such refarming would affect consumers.

Spice Nepal was in touch with the government at every level including reducing the inter-connection tariff, sing told the media.

Petroleum supply resumes in capital

2009-04-05T01:16:00.001-07:00

KATHMANDU, April 4 - Following the agreement with the government, the transport entrepreneurs resumed the supply of petroleum products from Saturday.

The petroleum transport entrepreneurs agreed to resume supply after the government on Friday agreed not to prohibit the old tankers from carrying oil.

According to The Federation of Petroleum Products Transporters vice chairman Siddhi Lal Shrestha, the depot of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) at Thankot resumed supplying petroleum products to various petrol pumps of the capital since 10 this morning.

Likewise, about 150 tankers will be brought from Raxaul to the capital from Sunday evening.

The tankers have already headed for Raxaul to load petroleum products, Shrestha informed.

The entrepreneurs had called strike demanding that NOC scrap the new provision under which tankers more than 20 years old have been prohibited from carrying oil. It had also demanded that Indian tankers be banned from transporting oil.

The NOC had recently decided to buy a number of tankers as per its reform programme.

It said that of the 1,200 private-owned tankers in the country, around 200 were more than 20 years old and thus vulnerable to accidents.

Follow up on Paras’s claim over Royal Massacre reasons

2009-04-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

“King Birendra and Crown Prince Deependra both had liked German weapon”

Former Crown Prince Paras Shah has claimed that the then King Birendra and the then Crown Prince Deependra had differences over the choice of German rifle or American rifle for the Nepal Army (NA). He, one of the witnesses of the dreadful royal massacre in 2001, further claimed that the differences over the multimillion dollar arms deal instigated the crown prince to assassin his father and the rest of the family before killing himself. Is this the truth? “No,” says Bibek Kumar Shah, the army secretary at the Royal Palace at the time of massacre, “It is completely untrue to say that there was rift between King Birendra and Prince Deependra regarding the purchase of German G36 rifle.”

In his interview to a Singapore daily tabloid The New Paper this week, former Crown Prince Paras had claimed that Deependra was only in favour of the G36 rifle. “But his father, His Majesty, did not agree. I know that they argued over it,” said Paras. King Birendra was in favour of American Colt M16 rifle, said Paras adding that that was one of the reasons behind the gruesome royal massacre. However, former Army Secretary Shah, who had worked with King Birendra for almost three decades, denies the claim. “Both the king and the prince had chosen German G36 after test firing,” he says. Had the G36 been imported, the NA would have got such a sophisticated weapon, which, even the Indian Army did not possess. G36 manufacturer, German Heckler & Koch (HK), had already decided to set up a factory in Nepal. “But some countries had indirectly opposed the move,” Shah said, “Underrating that, the Army Logistics Centre (ALC) had already been formed to import 5,000 sets of G36. However, in the end, weapon could not be imported.” The trend of importing weapons from third countries was broken after the massacre. According to sources, the NA was looking for a new weapon since 1998 as the older Self Loading Rifles (SLRs) brought from India in 1970-71 were too old and was not up to the standards of the UN Peace Keeping Army. A technical committee of the NA tested American M16, German G36, Korean K2, Israeli Galil, Indian INSAS and Austrian Steyr rifle. It then recommended purchasing of any among G36, M16, Galil and K2, and the palace selected the German G36. Final decision on the army issues were made by the royal palace in the past. King Birendra and Prince Deependra had performed ‘test-firing’ from the same G36 rifle inside the palace and at Nagarkot and Thankot on the purlieus of the capital and at Mustang. According to Shah, the palace had opted for G36, as it was quite robust and sophisticated though expensive ($800 per set). Shortly, the HK had put forward an attractive proposal of providing 5,000 sets immediately and rest through an ‘assembling line’ in Kathmandu. The palace instantly agreed to the proposal as foreign weapon would be produced in the country and it would cost cheaper to buy the remaining numbers (50,000 arms were required). As G36 was not popular outside the Europe, the HK had tried making Nepal its base for its new market. “They had floated the proposal to produce G36 in Nepal itself,” Shah said, “The HK had even planned to supply its weapons to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and some other countries in south-east Asia.” Had it been successful, the weapons would have been imported from Nepal, consequently increasing its diplomatic influence to some extent.

Accordingly, preparations had been made to open a factory of HK in Sundarijal. Plans were also made to produce 5.56 mm bullets for the G36 rifle in the same place.

However, Prince Paras has claimed that crown prince Dipendra, in a bid to amass millions, had voted for G36

“The deal would have probably been for about 50,000 rifles, which at US $454 apiece, would work out to about US $15 million,” Paras said in his recent interview

Though they do not accept Dipendra’s involvement in this multimillion-dollar arms deal, informers speculate that commission might have been associated with the transaction of G36

Some believe that the palace was looking to import G36 to compensate for commission of 50 million made during the purchase of two RJ100 aircraft for the NA. RJ manufacturer, British Aerospace Department of Royal Ordnance, was the main constituent of HK, the G36 manufacturer

Nepal’s agent for both RJ and G36 was a single man, Rohini Thapaliya.

However, the HK scrapped the G36 deal citing difficulty in getting import licence. After that, diplomatic pressure from some nations played a major role in the failure of G36 import, the informers said.

Following the failure of G36 import, the NA bought some 17,000 Colt M16 ($450 a piece) from the American army. It also bought 5,500 Belgian Minimi LMG, which resembled M16.

“Later, India sent 1,000 sets of INSAS for free for testing,” said a source.

As per the agreement, 23,000 Indian INSAS were imported to Nepal during King Gyanendra’s first visit to India after ascension to the throne in 2001

Nepal paid 30% of the amount while 70% of the amount was accounted by Indian aid.

40,000-yr elephant footprint in Valley

2009-04-01T02:26:00.001-07:00

A team of geologists and sedimentologists from Japan and Tribhuvan University (TU) have discovered 40,000 and 24,000 years old footprints of elephants respectively on two separate soil sediments in Kathmandu Valley.

These two finds suggest that elephants lived in the Valley in those ages, according to geologists.
“To our knowledge, nobody has found such imprints on soil sediments that old anywhere else in the world,” said Dr. Tetsuya Sakai, Sedimentologist from Shimane University in Japan. He also said that in the research period along sand-mining areas in Thimi and Gokarna, many strange deformations of elephant footprints and toed-ungulates (having hooves) were found and we could scientifically infer that elephant treadings had caused the deformations

The age of the footprints and sediments were measured with carbon dating, an international instrument for measuring the age of soil

Japanese geologists, ecologists and sedimentologist, in collaboration with geologists of TU, have been regularly conducting research on geological, cultural and natural landscapes and topography of Kathmandu Valley since 1998. However, the footprints in the Valley were this time discovered by a team comprising Prof. B.N. Upreti and Ananta Prasad Gajurel from Geology Department at Tri Chandra Campus, TU; and Dr. Tetsuya Sakai, from Shimane University in Japan and Dr. Hideo Tabata from Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture in Japan

“We had never seen anything like this anywhere during our research in any part of the country including Kathmandu Valley,” said Dr. Hideo Tabata. Adding that they needed animal fossils for more evidence for further confirmation of their interpretation, he said, “We are very sure that these evidences can be found on the soil sediments around sand-mining areas. Therefore we urge sand mine workers to contact us if they find fossils, namely bones and teeth without breaking the site of the finding,” he added. “These are treasures of Nepal and they need to be further conserved in museums, instead of destroying or letting them go unnoticed."

He also said he is socked by the fast pace of development activities in the Valley, which are destroying the historical, cultural and natural landscapes in such a way that Nepal can never recover its lost greenery and healthy treasures.

Paras says he will return to lead Nepal through votes

2009-04-01T02:22:00.001-07:00

Ex-Crown Prince Paras Shah revealed that he left Kathmandu because of differences with his father former King Gyanendra and insecurity following the political change that abolished monarchy in the country. In the interviews with The New Paper, tabloid published from Singapore, Paras who has been living in Singapore since July last year after the monarchy was abolished in May, said, “I left Kathmandu (the capital) because it was not safe then for me. I did not get along with my father at the time.” In Tuesday’s issue of The New Paper, the ex-crown prince who has won an ill-fame in
Nepal has shown his desire to return and join the politics. “I plan to return to my country. It needs me. Crime and violence have spiraled. There are all kinds of shortages – petrol, diesel, kerosene and gas. The people are hungry. They are lucky if they have four hours of electricity daily because of power cuts.” According to him, he would return at opportune time and lead the country, claiming the people need a better government. “But I will assume power this time through the ballot box. I will form a new party with young people – bankers, professionals, men with a vision for the country. But really, all this can only come to pass if the people want me.” For the first time, Paras has admitted to the media that he was behind the death of famous musician Praveen Gurung in the Kathmandu street. But his version of the story is bit different. According to him, Gurung’s motorbike swayed suddenly in front of him, and though he stepped on the brake, he could not stop in time. Paras claimed that he attended to the injured and took him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival. He claimed that he visited the bereaved family the next day. “I paid his wife compensation and took care of his two sons, putting them through school,” he said. In the tabloid on Sunday, Paras had revealed the events that he said led to his cousin Crown Prince Deependra to assassin nine members of the royal family including his father King Birendra and mother Queen Aishwarya in 2001 before "committing suicide", and in Monday's issue he described what took place the night of the Shakespearean tragedy.

Paras ‘spills’ massacre beans

2009-03-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

Ex-crown prince Dipendra had not one but three reasons for killing his father, King Birendra: a thwarted multi-million dollar arms deal, forbidden love and end to absolute monarchy in 1990, according to ex-crown prince Paras.

“Nepal Army was looking for a new weapon to replace the Belgian SLR. Dipendra liked the German Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle, as opposed to the battle-tested Colt M16,” said Paras, in his first interview given to The New Paper on Sunday published from Singapore. The ex-prince has been living in Singapore since July 2008 after monarchy was abolished in May

“But His Majesty, did not agree. I know that they argued over it. Dipendra was frustrated. He wasn't happy. He told me.” Sunday's edition quoted Paras as saying . “The German assault rifle had been short-listed by the army, which was in the market for 50,000 new guns. According to Paras, his cousin's advisers had been working on the deal, which could have brought the crown prince a windfall.” “That, to me, was the real trigger. The deal would have probably been for about 50,000 rifles, which at US$300 a piece, would work out to about US$15 million,” Paras told the English language tabloid. Paras's interview, according to the daily, was a reaction to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's recent statement that the government would reopen the investigation into the Royal Palace Massacre on the night of June 1, 2001. Paras said Dipendra needed the money since he was already making plans for the possibility that he would have to leave the country suddenly if things didn't work out for him. “I think this was his back-up plan. “The palace was a hotbed of contending interests,” said Paras. In 1990, King Birendra promulgated the new constitution and ended almost 30 years of absolute monarchy. Said Paras: “Dipendra was never the same after his father told him in 1990 about plans to give up monarchy. “He never agreed with that as he wanted to rule the country. I think he started planning his moves then.” The second reason was his love for Devyani Rana. The royal family did not want Dipendra to marry her as she was from a rival family. Paras dismissed the notion that his cousin had shot the family on impulse after drinking heavily that night.”He had talked to us (the younger generation of Nepali royalty) about it a year before it happened,” revealed Paras. “I remember it clearly. It was his birthday in 2000 and he told all of us that he would bring down the 'ivory tower'. But we didn't take him seriously. How could we? “This was the crown prince talking. He was going to be our king. And who would believe that he would kill his own father?”And once he got there, Paras noticed that his cousin was behaving abnormally, acting as though he was drunk when he clearly was not. “I know him and I know when he has had too much to drink. He said he had been drinking since afternoon, but there was no smell of alcohol on him.

source: ekantipur