Flood-affected schools build new classrooms

DANG, JUL 01 - Two schools damaged by the mid-August floods last year at Purandhara in the district have finally rebuilt their buildings with donations from various organisations.

The Gangate-based Saraswoti Janata Secondary School constructed a three-room building at the cost of Rs 1.2 million while the Dhobighat-based Babai Primary School built two-room structure with Rs 800,000 received from various donors.

Nepal Youth Foundation provided Rs 2 million to construct five classrooms in the flood-hit schools. Likewise, the District Education Office and the District Disaster Relief Fund had also provided Rs 1 million to the schools. The building work, however, had been delayed as construction materials were not supplied on time. Babai School’s Headmaster Bhupa Bahadur Shrisha Magar said they resumed classes in the newly-built building. “Students were compelled to study under tarpaulins in the past,” he said.

Likewise, Saraswoti Janata School Management Committee Chairman Khadga Kunwar said they are still facing shortage of classrooms and students are studying under tents. Dilli Bahadur Oli, acting head teacher of the school, said they are conducting multiple classes under a single tarpaulin.

Locals’ protests grind hydro project works to a halt

DAILEKH, JUL 01 - Work on two micro hydro projects—4.2MW Lohare Khola and 3.75MW Drari Khola—has been completely halted due to obstructions created by the locals.

The projects, based at Naumule in the district, have completed distribution of compensation to the affected locals. The projects have also addressed other demands put forth by the locals.

The projects’ promoters said they were frustrated by the ‘pointless’ demands put forth by various groups that have been backing the locals to launch frequent agitations.

“We have completed all the legal processes as envisaged by the environment impact assessment report. But the demands are unstoppable,” said Mohan Bikram Karki, promoter of Drari Khola project. “If we fulfil a demand of a group, another group appears with a new demand,” he said, adding it has been difficult for them to satisfy all the groups.

There is a growing trend of forming struggle committees to get fulfiled their interests. Recently, the locals had intensified protests demanding a 10 percent share allocation in the project. They were backed by the leaders of CPN-UML. However, the promoters said there were no such provisions that a private company should distribute shares.

“As demands are rising, we are not in a position to fulfil all,” said Surendra Shahi of Lohare Khola project. “No, we don’t have options but to seek legal remedy.” He said although the project has settled the compensation issues, various groups have been putting forth their personal demands. However, the agitating locals said the project should be developed in the peoples’ interests.

Not only the small projects, even mega projects like 900MW Upper Karnali project have been suffering obstacles. Investors are worried by frequent agitations from so-called stakeholders and ad-hoc committees.

“Development of Upper Karnali has been halted due to anti-Indian sentiments, but small projects that are build under domestic resources are also facing hurdles,” said Rupak Thapa, a local hotel entrepreneur. “Such activities will not send a positive message to potential investors.”

Dailekh is also known as a hydro hub of the western Nepal. It has vast potential of generating power from its dozens of rivers. Not only has the hydropower sector suffered from politically-backed protests, but investment in other sectors has also been facing similar problems.

For example, the national priority Mid-Hill Highway (Puspalal Lokmarga) project has been affected due to locals’ protests. Although the blacktopping of the project started promptly, further development has been halted. The locals have complained the compensation offered to them was nominal.

Due to the dispute, the government’s plan to relocate 10 affected areas to other locations has also been delayed.

Gorkha village in danger

GORKHA, JUL 01 - Locals of Kerauja VDC in Gorkha have demanded immediate relocation to  safer location as landslides have posed serious threat to their settlements. Villagers said the area witnessed many dry landslides after the April 25 earthquake and, with the onset of monsoon, the occurrence of landslides has increased. Sanumaya Gurung of Kerauja-1 said, “Our children are fearful and cannot sleep during rains.”

Former VDC Chairman Suka Bahadur Gurung said around 2,400 are at high risk and in need of immediate relocation. “They can’t even travel to neighbouring villages because the landslides have swept away the trails.” Gurung said.

Health workers at the local health post have left for the district headquarters due to landslide fears. Locals have been deprived of medical care. “Two villagers have already died of unidentified diseases,” a local teacher said. Local schools are also closed.

Activists demand equal rights, more representation for women

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Rights defenders, youth activists, civil society members and political leaders took out a rally to protest some of the provisions in the draft of a new constitution which they claim are discriminatory against female gender.

They said that the constitution draft, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, has disregarded the issues that women rights groups have been raising for a long time. The rally participants called for a constitution that ensures gender-friendly provision regarding citizenship, equitable and meaningful representation of women in state bodies, and women’s reproductive rights, among others.

“The first draft of the constitution has failed to address the rights of women, especially their right to citizenship. It is our demand that the new constitution grant equal rights and representation to women,” UCPN (Maoist) leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said.

The constitution draft has proposed a provision that makes it obligatory for the Nepali citizenship applicants to show that both their father and mother are Nepali citizens. Women rights activists, however, have demanded that one should be eligible to apply for Nepali citizenship if one of the parents (father or mother) is a Nepali citizen.  

Concerning naturalised citizenship, the constitution draft has given continuity to the old provision, which states that a foreign male married to a Nepali woman should have stayed in Nepal for at least 15 years in order to become eligible to apply for Nepali citizenship, while a foreign female married to a Nepali male could immediately apply for Nepali citizenship after marriage.

Former Constituent Assembly (CA) member and advocate, Sapana Pradhan Malla, said they will continue their struggle for women rights and equality until the unjust provisions in the constitution draft are duly rectified. “There are many provisions in the draft of the new constitution that are unacceptable for us, women, and other marginalised groups. We plan to strongly lobby against those provisions,” Malla said.

She added that they also plan to take their protest outside the Capital.

Durga Sob, the president of Feminist Dalit Organisation, said the constitution draft has woefully failed to guarantee greater representation of women in parliament and local bodies.

“At a time when there has been a demand for 33 percent elected women representatives in parliament, the draft constitution mentions that only one-third of the total candidates shall be women. We strongly condemn this regressive step,” she said.

Madhes parties burn copies of statute draft

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Madhes based parties burnt copies of the preliminary draft of the constitution presented in the Constituent Assembly, at the Capital on Wednesday.

The United Madhesi Democratic Alliance, a four party alliance, has been objecting some provisions of the 16-point agreement, based on which the draft was prepared.

The protesters, who were seen holding party flags, except for the flag of Upendra Yadav-led Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal, chanted slogans against the ruling parties. Chairpersons of all the alliance parties were, however, not present during the protest.

The disgruntled alliance came down heavily upon the preliminary draft and warned of stern protests if major political parties failed to address their demands.

Laxman Lal Karna, vice chairperson of Nepal Sadbhawana Party said they would not own the constitution unless amendments are made.

The alliance of Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party, Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal, Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party and Nepal Sadbhawana Party has been demanding that the country be federated into 11 provinces as recommended by the State Restructuring Commission formed in 2012, not into eight provinces as agreed in the 16-point deal.

It has also been urging major parties to set the names and demarcation of provinces through the Constituent Assembly and not through a commission, which they argue is against the Interim Constitution.

The Supreme Court on June 19, responding to a writ filed by former Nepali ambassador to Denmark Vijaya Kant Karna and Rita Shah, a Madhesi activist, had issued an interim order to temporarily halt implementation of the 16-point agreement.

According to advocate Dipendra Jha, lawyers are preparing to register a contempt of court against Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang, CA members and Constitution Drafting Committee Chairman Krishna Prasad Sitaula for ignoring the court order.

Meanwhile, cadres of Madhes based parties also burnt copies of the draft constitution in Rupandehi and Parsa. Addressing a gathering at Birgunj, Upendra Yadav demanded that their issues be incorporated in the constitution.

Govt told to clear position

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Parliament on Wednesday directed the government to make its position clear on the recent trade agreement signed by India and China to expand border trade at Lipu-Lekh pass, a far-western point of Nepal.

Speaker Subas Nembang issued the directive to the government after cross-party lawmakers demanded that the government break its silence over the agreement. “I draw government’s attention to inform the House about the agreement between the two neighbouring countries on the use of Nepali land for their trade purpose,” he said.

The row over Lipu-Lekh, located on the Nepal-China border, erupted after a joint statement issued on May 15 in Beijing during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit read that the two of Nepal’s neighbours agreed to expand border trade through the pass.

The 28th point of the joint statement reads that the two sides recognised that enhancing border areas cooperation through border trade, pilgrimage by people of the two countries and other exchanges can effectively promote mutual trust, and agreed to further broaden this cooperation to transform the border into a bridge of cooperation and exchanges. “The two sides agreed to hold negotiation on augmenting the list of traded commodities, and expand the border trade at Nathu La, Qiangla/Lipu-Lekh Pass and Shipki La,” it says.  

UCPN (Maoist) lawmaker Janardhan Sharma picked up the issue at the beginning of meeting, demanding government’s position on it. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is silent while India and China have forged an agreement to use Nepali land without informing the government of Nepal, Sharma said.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Bharat Bahadur Khadka said the agreement has made country weak. “I ask the government to settle the dispute soon. In the past, we had border disputes with India, now it seems we have a border issue with China as well,” said Khadka, demanding a taskforce to settle the issues.

Chairman of Rastriya Janamorcha Chitra Bahadur KC said the country is failing to secure its territory as leaders are busy in “horse trading”. Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Kamal Thapa urged Speaker Nembang not to conduct any other business in the House until the government makes its position clear on the matter. Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey will make a statement in Parliament on Thursday.

‘Foreign Ministry looking into the matter’

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has said the government has taken seriously a recent agreement between India and China to build trade routes through Lipu-Lekh pass and that it is trying to establish the fact that the pass belongs to Nepal.

Receiving a memorandum from CPN-UML affiliated Youth Association of Nepal on Wednesday, PM Koirala said, “We have been discussing the matter with our foreign affairs experts and I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to take up the matter at earliest.”

The association has urged the PM to take up the issue with India and China immediately to cancel the agreement.

Lipu-Lekh dispute: Govt told to clear position

KATHMANDU, JUL 02 - Parliament on Wednesday directed the government to make its position clear on the recent trade agreement signed by India and China to expand border trade at Lip

u-Lekh pass , a far-western point of Nepal.

Speaker Subas Nembang issued the directive to the government after cross-party lawmakers demanded that the government break its silence over the agreement. “I draw government’s attention to inform the House about the agreement between the two neighbouring countries on the use of Nepali land for their trade purpose,” he said.

The row over Lipu-Lekh, located on the Nepal-China border, erupted after a joint statement issued on May 15 in Beijing during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit read that the two of Nepal’s neighbours agreed to expand border trade through the pass.

The 28th point of the joint statement reads that the two sides recognised that enhancing border areas cooperation through border trade, pilgrimage by people of the two countries and other exchanges can effectively promote mutual trust, and agreed to further broaden this cooperation to transform the border into a bridge of cooperation and exchanges. “The two sides agreed to hold negotiation on augmenting the list of traded commodities, and expand the border trade at Nathu La, Qiangla/Lipu-Lekh Pass and Shipki La,” it says.  

UCPN (Maoist) lawmaker Janardhan Sharma picked up the issue at the beginning of meeting, demanding government’s position on it. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is silent while India and China have forged an agreement to use Nepali land without informing the government of Nepal, Sharma said.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Bharat Bahadur Khadka said the agreement has made country weak. “I ask the government to settle the dispute soon. In the past, we had border disputes with India, now it seems we have a border issue with China as well,” said Khadka, demanding a taskforce to settle the issues.

Chairman of Rastriya Janamorcha Chitra Bahadur KC said the country is failing to secure its territory as leaders are busy in “horse trading”. Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Kamal Thapa urged Speaker Nembang not to conduct any other business in the House until the government makes its position clear on the matter. Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey will make a statement in Parliament on Thursday.

‘Foreign Ministry looking into the matter’

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has said the government has taken seriously a recent agreement between India and China to build trade routes through Lipu-Lekh pass and that it is trying to establish the fact that the pass belongs to Nepal.

Receiving a memorandum from CPN-UML affiliated Youth Association of Nepal on Wednesday, PM Koirala said, “We have been discussing the matter with our foreign affairs experts and I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to take up the matter at earliest.”

The association has urged the PM to take up the issue with India and China immediately to cancel the agreement.