Rajkarnikar pulls out of prez race

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Two days ahead of the election for the President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI ), Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar, one of three candidates for the top post, pulled out of the race on Tuesday.

Annoucing his withdrawal from the presidential election, Rajkarnikar expressed his support to Pashupati Murarka for the top post. The decision to quit the race was taken to maintain solidarity within the FNCCI , according to Rajkarnikar. “At the time when FNCCI ’s role is being increasingly questioned, my withdrawal from the nomination could help the institutional unity of the private sector’s apex body,” said Rajkarnikar at a press meet in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Along with Rajkarnikar and Murarka, Bhawani Rana had filed nomination for the FNCCIpresidency on Saturday.

During the press meet, Rajkarnikar stressed on the need to pick a unanimous candidate to head the umbrella body of the business fraternity. “I wish another candidate in the fray [Rana] also supports Murarka,” he said.

Former FNCCI President Suraj Vaidya had held meetings with all three candidates on Tuesday where he persuaded Rajkarnikar to withdraw his nomination and also urged Rana to withdraw her candidacy, according to informed sources. Several other former FNCCIpresidents had also called for a unanimous president at a recent press meet.

Rana is likely to announce her withdrawal from the election on Wednesday, paving the way for Murarka to be the next FNCCI head by a unanimous vote, a source said. Rana was not immediately available for a comment.

The top FNCCI post has remained vacant since Pradeep Jung Pandey was sentenced to jail on March 18 over a three-decade old corruption case. In the last FNCCI Executive Committee election, Rajkarnikar had lost the battle to Pandey. Subsequently, the Rajkarnikar panel filed the case against Pandey.

The federation’s executive committee meeting on May 28 removed Pandey from the post and called a fresh election.

Maintaining that he had no personal vendatta against Pandey, Rajkarnikar said the decision to remove Pandey was taken as per the FNCCI statute that bars any person facing a criminal charge from holding the top position in the federation. He claimed that the district chambers were also in favour of a unanimously nominated president.

Murarka brushed off suggestions that he had patched up with Rajkarnikar because of political pressure. “Being a senior, I will always consider Rajkarnikar’s advice for a way forward in the coming days,” he said. Should Murarka win a unanimous decision, he will hold the top position for 21 months.

Praising Rajkarnikar for his gesture, the immediate past president of FNCCI Vaidya urged Murarka to lead the umbrella organisation by accommodating everyone from the private sector.

Murarka had defeated Rana for the post of senior vice-president in the last election. The election is scheduled on Friday.

Experts say Nepal tourism will need time to recover

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Nepal tourism will need time to recover from the direct hit it took from the April 25 earthquake, travel traders said.

The tourism industry has been hard at work staving off negative publicity and trying to convince potential travellers that a majority of the destinations in the country are safe to visit. A few countries have toned down their travel advisories, encouraging international tour operators to observe that there is every reason for Nepal to be confident in its tourism future.

Speaking at an interaction on Tuesday entitled Turning Point in Tourism: The Role of National and International Tour Operators jointly organized by the government and Samarth, a flagship UKAid-funded initiative in Nepal, they said that it might take a little longer for Nepal to win the confidence of travellers due to the travel warnings issued by many source countries and the perception foreigners have towards Nepal following the disaster.  But Nepal should move aggressively with branding and promotional activities to assure visitor safety and security, the participants said.

“Nepal used to be our best selling destination, but numbers have been on a declining trend after the Maoist insurgency,” said Jo Chaffer of the UK-based tour operator KE Adventure. Soft adventure activities are the major attractions for British travellers in Nepal.

“The April 25 earthquake has further changed the perception of visitors due to massive media coverage on Nepal’s devastating earthquake,” Chaffer said, adding that the British people were currently not in a travel mood in Nepal. “Nepal needs to improve its quality and assure safety standards to woo back tourists.”

However, Japan has not changed its travel advisory to visit Nepal. “Only one-fourth of the trip bookings made with our agency have been cancelled,” said Sonia Miyahara, operator of Mountain Travel Japan.

“Nepal needs to provide information regarding the safety status of its destinations. Such assurances from the government will help us bring Japanese tourists to Nepal.” She said that 80 percent of the sales of her agency are focused on Nepal.

Meanwhile, Mads Mathiasen, operator of Denmark-based Himalaya Trails, said Danish visitors had declined since the Maoist insurgency. He, however, said that travel warnings had become a major issue for Danish visitors after the earthquake, but once they are out, demand for Nepal would jump significantly.

“Based on the current bookings, autumn is really looking to be bleak,” he said, adding that trip bookings for Nepal were expected to drop 85 percent within the next few weeks because negative perceptions still remain among visitors in Denmark. He, however, said that if the Nepal government assured highly safety standards, things could be better in the near future.

Likewise, Mick Chapman, operator of Australia-based Himalaya Guides, urged Nepal to focus on free independent travellers or backpackers as they look for cheaper destinations. “After the earthquake, we have already observed a 70-75 percent drop in Australian visitors due to negative travel advisories.”

He said that tourists from Australia were down 30-35 percent during the Maoist insurgency period but recovered quickly. “It might take Nepal a little longer to woo tourists due to changed visitor perceptions towards Nepal after the earthquake.”  The Russian market has also seen a significant drop in advance reservations. Sergey Vertelov, operator of Himalaya Club Russia, said they had observed 60 percent fewer bookings for Nepal. He said that Nepal should emphasize those places which are safe to visit.

Meanwhile, initial concerns seem to have receded and the desire to visit Nepal has bounced back among tourists.

“I’ve been going back and forth on whether it’s ethical for us to visit Nepal, so this gave me some peace of mind,” says one would-be British traveller Ailish Casey in a tweet.

“The Case for Planning a Trip to Nepal. I’m sold, I agree. Let’s help rebuild Nepal’s Tourism,” a Canadian Mariellen Ward tweeted. Meanwhile, the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report has estimated that the overall impact to the Nepali tourism industry will be a reduction of about 40 percent over the next 12 months, and a 20 percent reduction in the following 12-24 months. Tourist numbers plunged 90 percent during the period May to July.

With regard to trekking, the report said that high-end segments were more likely to cancel their trips to Nepal and the impact of the earthquake on this group was expected to be a 70 percent reduction over a 12-month period.

However, the number of low-end trekking groups is expected to recover quicker with an estimated reduction of 20 percent over a 12-month period.

WB okays $300m loan for quake recovery

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - The World Bank has approved two credits totaling $300 million to rebuild houses in poor, rural areas of Nepal and provide cash for the government’

s budget to help the country recover from the devastating earthquake, the global lender said Tuesday.

The loans, which have been approved by the bank’s Board of Executive Directors, are part of a package worth up to half a billion dollars pledged last week by the World Bank at an international conference in Kathmandu for Nepal’s reconstruction.

The bank approved $200 million as housing credit and another $100 million budget support which the government can invest wherever it deems appropriate.

The housing reconstruction credit is from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries. It will provide grants to homeowners to rebuild about 55,000 houses for the poor in rural areas.

It will be extended on standard IDA terms with a maturity period of 38 years and a six-year grace period.

The budget support approved is an IDA credit to help the Nepal government to expand relief and recovery efforts while also

supporting policy measures to strengthen the country’s financial sector, which has weakened along with the economy. It will be on standard IDA terms.

“With the swift approval of these credits, the WB is striving to fulfill its commitment to the people of Nepal to help them in this difficult time by putting in place credible recovery efforts that target support at those most in need,” said Annette Dixon, World Bank Vice-President for the South Asia Region of the World Bank.

“The impressive pledges at last week’s donor conference show that Nepal’s partners are there when the country needs them, and it will now be important to follow through with effective implementation that is transparent and accountable to the Nepalese people.”

The bank has also announced the creation of a Multi-Donor Trust Fund to enable Nepal’s donors to coordinate their finance for housing reconstruction.

Additional support for housing reconstruction will be necessary to help

rebuild the more than 500,000 homes destroyed in the earthquakes, the multilateral donor said.

“These credits will enable the Nepal government to start work on financing reconstruction of houses to ensure they are rebuilt in a disaster resilient way,” said Takuya Kamata, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal.

“The housing reconstruction credit draws on lessons learned in India and

Pakistan to channel funds through house-owners while ensuring that building standards are met and funds accounted for.”

Apart from the approved credits, the World Bank said that the remaining $200 million would be redirected from existing World Bank projects in Nepal and invested in reconstruction efforts.

“Any reallocated money will be replaced with additional funds,” said the lender.

Five farmers awarded for stand-out performances

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Five farmers have received the President’s Outstanding Farmers

 Award for their contribution to the agriculture sector and achievements in adopting modern farm practices.

The awards were conferred on Kalu Hamal of Kailali, Chandra Lal Tamang of Dhankuta, Chhyam Bahadur Thapa of Kaski, Chhaya Dutta Bhusal of Bardia and Prakash Panta of Chitwan on the occasion of the 12th National Paddy Day on Tuesday. Minister for Agricultural Development Hari Prasad Parajuli and Secretary Uttam Kumar Bhattarai presented the honours amid a programme at the Nepal Agricultural Research Council.  Among the recipients, banana farmer Hamal has been named the best farmer of the year. He also received a cash prize of Rs200,000. Hamal has invested Rs16.8 million in banana farming so far and now earns Rs20 million annually. His farm employs 35 people.

He started with 10 banana trees three decades ago, and has expanded his farm to 10 bighas. Hamal also owns a banana resort in Tikapur and has been promoting agro tourism.

His resort offers delicacies made of bananas.

Likewise, Tamang has been awarded for outstanding performance in large cardamom and tea production. He grows large cardamom on 30 ropanis of land and maintains a large cardamom nursery on 10 ropanis. He also grows tea on 60 ropanis.

Tamang has made an investment of Rs900,000 and earns Rs3.35 million annually. His income from large cardamom alone comes to Rs3.05 million.   

Thapa is involved in pig farming. He started pig farming 10 years ago with two pigs and now owns more than 1,400 animals on his farm that has expanded to 52 ropanis. His investment has reached Rs17.7 million, and his annual income stands at Rs1.72 million. He employs 24 people on his farm.

Similarly, Bhusal produces 250 tonnes of fish and 1.5 million fingerlings annually on his farm that is spread over 121 bighas. He has spent Rs11 million on his farm and earns Rs5 million per year. He has given jobs to 2,000 persons. Panta started floriculture one and a half decades ago. His farm has expanded to 15 bighas during that time. He has invested Rs30 million and earns Rs4 million annually. His farm employs 1,500 people.

Price-mark provision likely to be expanded next fiscal

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - More imported merchandise may be required to be marked with the maximum retail price (MRP) from the next fiscal year 2015-16. Currently, traders are required to have price-mark labels on 12 products.

Jyoti Baniya, a consumer rights activist, said that there had been an understanding between the Department of Customs, representatives of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Nepal Chamber of Commerce and consumer rights activists to price-mark 12 more products.

“We reached an understanding at Monday’s meeting,” said Baniya. Among the products that will come under the MRP rule are drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, mobiles and packed food, among others, according to Baniya.

Currently, televisions, washing machines, microwave ovens, energy drinks, marble, granite tiles, cooking ranges, chimneys, digital cameras, video cameras and automobiles are required to have price-mark labels.  

Last week, the Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM) decided to ask manufacturers and importers of packaged essential goods to send them to market only after marking the MRP on them.

The department said that it would give traders and manufacturers a three-month deadline to comply with the instruction. The directive also covers life saving drugs and surgical devices.

According to the department, many of these products, especially surgical devices imported from India, Malaysia, the US and Europe, do not state the MRP.

The price-mark provision does not apply to perishable goods such as vegetables and fruits whose prices vary on a daily basis and are distributed in bulk, according to the DoCSM.  

However, the Department of Customs said that no concrete decision on expanding  the list of products required to have the price-mark had been taken so far.

“We have been conducting an effectiveness analysis of the MRPs fixed on certain products so far,” said Sishir Dhungana, director general of DoC. “The report is expected come before the budget presentation for the next fiscal year, and we will then take the necessary decision on expanding the list.”

He said that the weaknesses in the MRP system would be evaluated and the necessary steps taken to remove them while adding other products to the list.

The DoCSM aims to intensify market inspection to make sure the MRPs are consistent with the actual production costs, overhead costs and profit margin.

Nepal Water gives $400k for quake relief

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - Nepal Water and Energy Development Company has announced a gift of $400,000 to provide temporary accommodation, food, schools, health posts, latrines, drinking water, solar lamps and mobile health camps to the internally displaced persons of Haku, Ramche and Dhunche VDCs of Rasuwa district.

Bishnu Prasad Koirala, local development officer of Rasuwa, and Hong Seok Bin, CEO of the company, signed a memorandum of understanding amid a function in Dhunche recently. The company is implementing the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 hydro project located in Rasuwa district.  The devastating earthquake of April 25 and constant aftershocks inflicted severe damage to property and claimed the lives of over 600 people in Rasuwa.

Immediately after the tremor, the company had rescued 67 injured persons by helicopter and provided immediate relief materials including food, tarpaulins, blankets and utensils worth $68,000. On May 21, the company also handed over $50,000 to the Nepali ambassador in Seoul.

In order to successfully implement the aid accord, the company will manage

financial resources from KOSsEP of South Korea, Daelim and Kyeryong of South Korea, IFC and

DEG of Germany.

Budget session begins

KATHMANDU, JUL 01 - The budget session of Legislature-Parliament that commenced on Tuesday was adjourned without entering into business.

The Speaker read a letter from President Ram Baran Yadav summoning the budget session. On the recommendation of the Cabinet, President Yadav, as per Article 51(1) of the Interim Constitution, called the session on Friday.

Starting on Wednesday, there will be pre- budgetdiscussion. Lawmakers will participate in discussions related to the upcoming budget after Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat tables a proposal at 11:30am.

In discussions that are likely to continue for a week, lawmakers will suggest the government on the budget priorities. President Yadav will present the government’s programmes and policies for fiscal year 2015-16 as pre- budget discussions end.

The budget will be presented by mid-July, following the endorsement of the policies and programmes. The budget is likely to be as big as Rs840 billion and will focus on reconstruction of the property destroyed by the devastating earthquakes.

3 teenage girls commit suicide

DOTI, APR 20 - Three schoolgirls, aged 14 and 15, committed suicide en masse at Surma VDC in Bajhang district. The victims, who went out of contact on Friday, were found hanging from a tree in the Bhoktuli Community Forest on Saturday.

According to District Police Office in Bajhang, Juntara Pujara (14), Rekha Pujara (14) and Kabita Bohara (15) of Surma-5 killed themselves by hanging from a rhododendron tree. Juntara was a seventh grader while two others were studying in grade eight at Surma Higher Secondary School.

The incident site is at the walking distance of around two-and-a-half hours from their village. The girls had left their houses for fetching red soil at around 12:30pm. Locals said they searched the girls as they failed to return home by the evening.

Police said the post-mortem conducted on Sunday confirmed that the girls had committed suicide. The reason behind the incident, however, is not immediately known. “Our preliminary investigation shows that neither

poverty nor love affairs caused the suicide,” said Inspector Kamal Bista, adding that further investigation is under way.

Among the girls, Juntara was married a month ago.

She continued her studies staying at her parents’ house. The incident occurred just a few days after four teenage schoolgirls committed suicide jumping into the Mahakali river at Dattu VDC in Darchula district.

No MBBS classes in proposed Valley colleges

KATHMANDU, JUN 30 - Medical colleges desperately awaiting affiliation to run MBBS programmes inside Kathmandu Valley will not be granted permission to operate until they agree to “move out of the Valley”, a new draft policy states. If they wish to, they could “hand over” their property to the government.

The Health Profession Education Policy submitted to the PM on Monday says “institutes that have taken Letter of Intent (LoI) and that meet the standards can hand over their property, if they so wish, to the government which will have to compensate them”.

The policy drafted by a high-level committee led by former TU Vice-chancellor Kedar Bhakta Mathema also states that the LoIs taken by various institutes will not be renewed while the Education Ministry should not provide new LoIs until further notice. The LoI is mandatory for establishing a medical college. More than 15 LoIs have been issued so far. If the colleges want to relocate themselves, committee members say the government can help them with tax rebate in equipment and also leasing land to build infrastructure outside the Capital.

“If the colleges wish to run other health programmes in the property or do something new with it, it’s their right,” said another member of the committee. “But we don’t need any more medical colleges in the Capital. The people outside also have equal right to access better healthcare,” said the member.

The policy recommendation is likely to draw ire from several political leaders and cadres who have invested in medical schools in the Valley. Such colleges desperately waiting for affiliation include Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences—chaired by CPN-UML lawmaker Rajendra Pandey, National Medical College—an extension of the Birgunj-based National Medical College promoted by UCPN (Maoist) loyalist Basaruddhin Ansari, and People’s Dental College—run by Sunil Sharma who has support from the Maoists and the Nepali Congress. Besides, Nepal Police had also been using its clout to seek affiliation.

Among others, Pandey has been vociferously seeking affiliation so much so that he threatened to disrupt Parliament if affiliation is not granted. Ansari had moved the court which had directed the Institute of Medicine to “sort the issue as soon as possible”. The IoM faculty board had denied new affiliations.

The policy stresses that no medical college should now be opened inside the Valley. The government should promote new medical schools outside the Capital in “small towns and new settlements”.

Meanwhile, Dr Govinda KC, who fought hard for the policy, has urged the government to make the report public. “The full report has to be released immediately for public debate,” he said.

4 Yarcha pickers missing in Seti

DOTI, JUN 30 - Four persons who went missing in the Seti River in th

e northern part of Bajhang district have not been found even 24 hours after their disappearance. The incident occurred on Sunday as the four men fell into the flooded river while attempting to cross it through a makeshift bridge.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Bajhang Laxmiraj Adhikari said Mahesh Singh, 25, Sunte Shahi, 40, Suwan Singh, 28, and Dambar Singh, 40, of Kailash VDC went missing after they fell into the fast-flowing river. The men had been returning home after collecting Yarchagumba (Cordyceps synensis), a high-altitude wild fungus that is prized for its aphrodisiac qualities, at Kanda VDC in the district.

According to Regional Administration Office in Dipayal, police were informed about the incident only on Monday as the incident site is about four days walk from Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang.

DSP Adhikari said a police team from the border police post in Dhuli has been sent to the area to investigate the disappearance of the four men. “We will get full details about the incident only after the security personnel reach the site by Monday evening,” he added. Local people said scores of Yarchagumba pickers die each year due to the lack of formidable bridges in the area.

A large number of people, including women and children, in the district move to the highlands during the season (mid-April to mid-July ) to collect the herbal aphrodisiac every year.

In recent years, however, the yield has been severely depleted by over-picking and the probable effects of climate change, experts have warned, prompting fears about the future of the “Himalayan Viagra” harvest.

13 passengers injured in Siraha bus accident

SIRAHA, JUN 30 - As many as 13 passengers were injured after a bus met with an accident at Mirchaiya Municipality of Siraha district, on Tuesday.

According to the Area Police Office, Mirchaiya, the bus (Na 3 Kha 2257) left from Katari met with an accident after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

All the injured have been rushed to Rekha Nurshing Home, Mirchaiya, and they are reported to be out of danger, said Police Inspector Hari Khatiwada. Police have been searching for the absconding bus driver for legal action, he said.

NGO operators held on irregularities charge

POKHARA, JUL 01 - The local administration has arrested two NGO operators for allegedly committing irregularities in arranging shelters for the earthquake victims in Pokhara .

Police have detained the Chairman of Aasha Foundation Diwakar Subedi and Executive Director Hari Lamsal on the charge of illegally relocating 15 earthquake-hit families from their village in Ree-5 in Dhading to Pokhara on Monday.

Chief District Officer (CDO) Krishna Bahadur Raut said the two persons were detained to investigate against the alleged illegal activities they committed.

They have also been accused of collecting relief materials “without taking proper care”, he said.

The owner has kept 71 people in temporary shelters at Sarangkot in Pokhara -26, police said. Police detained the two individuals after the Kaski Child Welfare Committee inspected the shelters and found them in dire condition.

The committee has requested the CDO to “punish” the two NGO operators.

Likewise, the member of committee, Shiva Sharma Chapagain, said Aasha Foundation had kept the children without consulting the local bodies.

“The activities of the two NGO operators seem suspicious as they have illegally taken the victims to Pokhara rather than helping them in the quake-affected areas itself,” he said.

Out of the 71 quake-victims illegally relocated, 17 are children under the age of 16. The committee even claimed that the children have higher chances of being at risk of facing exploitation and abuse.

However, the foundation claimed they have ferried the quake-victims according to the letter provided by the local VDC Secretary.

Meanwhile, Chupi Lama Tamang, a quake-victim from Ree VDC, said they have agreed to stay six months at a children’s home as the settlements in Ree are prone to landslides. “We came here just to be safe,” he said.

Similarly, another member of the committee, Rabiraj Basaula, said that as the government has mobilised security personnel to curb human trafficking, the foundation has made a great mistake by relocating whole families to another place. “The foundation has played with the emotions of quake victims,” he said.

Furthermore, the foundation has purchased some galvanized zinc sheets worth Rs 60,0000 saying that they are meant for distribution among quake victims.

“Stored food stuffs are also not being distributed to quake victims. Instead of distributing them, they have been distributing the collected relief materials in other places ,” Chapagain said, adding that they have collected huge amount in the name of quake-victims, but they have not kept their activities and dealings transparent.

Former inmate changes his life for the better

LAHAN, JUL 01 - Prisons can hardly be a ‘learning centre’, even more so in Nepal. However, 60-year-old Julphe Sarki, a former inmate who originally hails from Malhanwa Govindapur-8 in Siraha district has a pleasant story to relate.

Sarki, who served a one-year jail term on smuggling charge, remembers his days at Chandragadhi jail as a time when he learnt new skills to earn livelihood. He had been arrested at the prime age of 32 with his friends while he had been attempting to smuggle bones and hides of endangered animals to India.  

“My friends were released on bail but I was sentenced to one year prison,” said Sarki, adding that his stay in prison had been a major turning point in his life.

“I had been arrested from Charali in Jhapa and spent a year in Chandragadhi jail,” said Sarki, remembering that he had received skill oriented training in the prison. “They taught us how to make various furnitures from bamboo and I learnt to make Muda (stool made of bamboo sticks),” he said proudly.

After being freed from prison a year later, Sarki started to make stools including other useful materials from bamboo.

“I have been selling stools in nearby market from the past 28 years,” Sarki said, adding that prison has become the best learning experience for him.

Before the prison days, he was so impoverished that he was staying in a cowshed that belonged to his neighbours. After he started selling stools and other furnitures made out of bamboo materials, he was able to buy five bigaha of lands in his village.

“I was a homeless guy and went hungry for several days,” he said while remembering those difficult days. “The skill oriented training I received in jail indeed transformed me into a dignified and much stable person.”

With the earnings from his small business, Sarki, who has received no formal education himself, was able to send his two sons to school. He said his sons are good in studies and recently completed high school (plus two).

Ask him how is business and he immediately replies,  “Business is good.” Sarki manages to earn a daily income of Rs 1, 400 by selling stools and other bric-a-brac made of bamboo. He himself used to go to the bazaar to sell these handmade stools, but has stopped doing so these days due to his advancing age. Someone else now takes the stools he makes to sell them in the bazaar.  

The stools he makes can be bought in such popular market areas as Lahan , Golbazaar, Mirchaiya, Gaighat, Katari, Kalyanpur, Rajbiraj, including several places.

“I am selling each stool at Rs 300 a piece,” he said, adding, however, that his small business is facing some problem due to scarcity of bamboos these days which has increased the production cost.

Sarki said he has also taught the skill he had learnt in the prison to make bamboo stools to his relatives, neighbours and fellow villagers. Meanwhile, some 40 Dalit households living in the village earn their livelihood solely by producing Muda which they later sell in the nearby marketplaces. One Samar Magar, a local, said that many people from Dalit community are engaged in making stools made of bamboo sticks to earn a decent livelihood. The increasing crime rate will surely decline if the inmates get skill-oriented trainings to start their life anew, Magar said.

Quake victims living in constant fear of landslides

CHITWAN, MAY 07 - Even as life in several hilly areas of Chitwan district is limping towards normalcy following the devastating earthquake of April 25, the threat of landslip in the area still looms large.

Locals of Darechowk have informed that there were several minor and major landslips in nine hill VDCs in the district. They said massive landslides have been witnessed in Darechowk.

Narayan Adhikari of Darechwok-7 said that the majority of hills have developed deep cracks after the earthquake. And the series of subsequent aftershocks have greatly weakened the hills, because of which landslips have started to occur regularly. “We have started to witness landslips every other day”, said Adhikari.

Likewise, Kumari BK, 82, of Darechowk-3, who is currently residing in the cow shed, said they are living in constant fear of massive landslide in the area. BK said she had never observed landslips during the dry season till now. Similarly, one Krishna Gurung, a local villager, said they have been left with no alternative but to leave their homes and move elsewhere. Gurung said that the concerned authorities should pay attention regarding the serious problem they are facing.

Meanwhile, Bharat Kumar Acharya, an engineer at the Bharatpur sub metropolis, said all the earthquake affected areas in the district should be geologically studied to minimize threat of landslide.

Rhino population up

CHITWAN, MAY 05 - Rhino population has increased by 111 and reac

hed 645 in the country.

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation announced this organising a press meeting here at Sauraha, Chitwan today.

Briefing journalists at the press meeting, Coordinator of the National Technical Committee Rhinoceros Census 2015, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai, said data from the recent month-long National Rhino Census in Nepal counted 605 rhinos in Chitwan National Park and surrounding area, 29 in Bardiya National Park, eight in Shuklaphata Wildlife Reserve and three in Parsa Wildlife Reserve.

Of them, 123 are calves, 60 young-adults, 462 adults and 178 are male and 267 females. The census team failed to determine the gender of 230 rhinos during the counting, said Bhattarai.

During the census conducted in 2011, there were 534 rhinos including 503 in Chitwan National Park, 24 in Bardiya National Park, seven in Shuklaphata.

It was estimated that there were around 800 rhinos in Nepal in the 1950s which is said to have decreased to 81-100 in the 1960s, said Chief Conservation Officer of the Park Kamal Jung Kunwar. The government had formulated the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act-2029 BS.

The country this week observed the year 2071 BS as the Zero Poaching Year for rhinos, meaning not a single endangered one-horned rhino was killed in the past 365 days in any rhino habitats in the country.

It is reported that there are around 3,000 rhinos in the world. RSS

Solar lamps benefit Chepang kids

CHITWAN, JUN 17 - Chepang kids at Lothar-6 in the district have been regular in their school these days, th
anks to the solar lamps which have enabled them to study and complete school assignment at home.

Unika Foundation in collaboration with some other organisations had distributed solar lamps to 166 students from 86 households in the ward in January. The organisations also installed solar panels at the Dhungbang Primary School in Shyamarang where the Chepang children are studying.According to Subharam Chepang, a fourth grader, they come to the school carrying their solar lamps and charge them every day. “When the classes end, we return home with textbooks as well as the fully charged lamps and as a result, we do not have to worry about studying at night,” he said.

The students said they are more interested in studies these days due to the solar lamps.

School headmaster Aatibal Chepang said the number of students attending classes has increased of late. “They are compelled to come to school even for charging their lamps,” he said, adding that many students used to come to school only to receive books or scholarships in the past.

Meanwhile, the new facility in the school has also attracted guardians to the school. Sometimes, the parents themselves visit the school in order to charge their lamps. Aatibal said students were compelled to sleep early as they could not afford kerosene in the past. Local Man Bahadur Chepang said they used to make fire using firewood at night but the solar lamps solved their problem now.