20.DOCTOR CELLULAR IN NEPAL

What do you do if the new cell phone you have bought the other day stops working for no apparent reason and the company warranty doesn’t cover it? If it were a few years ago it would mean either you had to ship it of abroad to have it repaired or worse, get a new one.

Now, not only are the mobile repairing technicians in Nepal efficient and professional, they have practically the same technical ability as their foreign counterparts.

Ranjan kC has been repairing cell phones since Nepal Telecom first introduced mobile telephony to the country.His small shop in a corner of Bishal Bajar is abuzz with activity at any given time of the day.The ability to  market yourself only comes second to the standard of service you can provid,he says.people come back later or recommend your services to others if you can satisfy the customer.

  When asked about whether Nepali technicians will be able to cope with the new technology coming in every day and the broad spectrum of problems they will bring, Prabesh says, “The skill we possess is based on practice. It is mathematics and programming combined with hardware. So once you get used to the ins and outs of any advice on a regular basis, repairing a new generation cell phone is only like  solving a different mathematical problem, “ he says. “You’ll get right at the end.”

19Population Growth in Nepal

The Effects of Population Growth in NepalFoa.org, Hotel Nepal, Webshots.com., asinthedaysofnoah.com., traveladventures.com., Sami.com., travelwebsite.com Wedged between China and India, this predominantly agricultural nation best known for Mt. Everest and the Dali Llama faces critical demographic shifts because of the number of people living within its boundaries. An increase of people affects Nepal's migration trends, land use and availability, restricts economic stabilization and nurtures ecological and environmental abuse. Already a world poverty center, the addition of people every year is an ongoing formula for despair among most of Nepal's inhabitants who scratch out a means to exist. Growing dissatisfaction of its primarily young citizens nurtures insurgent uprisings, only adding to the uncertainty of Nepal's future.

.Medical Progress Makes Younger Population

 

A young Nepalese couple of 2009Inviting medicine, medical care to Nepal and the containment of malaria during the 1950s results in more people living longer and added numbers of babies surviving birth. The average age of a Nepalese is now 15 years of age, which means a steady increase of inhabitants with more babies born as this group matures and forms families. The 2000 census reported 23 million living in Nepal with 2009 statistics showing a growth to over 28.5 million people. According to the Ministry of Population and Environment, Nepal's population will reach 32 million by 2016. Births in 2009 report a rate of 41.2 per 1000 people with a declining death rate of 13.3 of 1000 persons.

Impacting Migration

Overpopulation in the agricultural hillsides continues to force the government to relocate farm workers to expand lands for cultivating. Other than migration to the world-known city of Kathmandu, Nepal (population reported over 1 million in the 2001 census), this migration to the diminishing available land for terraced farming is the highest in Nepal. Even this relocation has its limits, as the cultivatable land is only 18 percent of all the land of the mostly mountainous Nepal. In truth, nearly 21 percent of land is already used and over-terracing of forested land, bordering the mountains persists.

Stifles Economy

 

Women work most of Nepalese aggregated landWith no abatement of population growth in sight for Nepal, the economic stabilization and reforms initiated by its government cannot take hold. Agriculture is the economic base of this nation with 81 percent of the population (mostly women) working the land. Lacking in land policy issues, Nepal's poor infrastructure development does nothing to address haphazard-farming practices resulting in low agriculture production. Because farming is the mainstay of the economy, there are few non-agricultural jobs for development. Though Nepal has significant possibilities for exploitation in tourism and hydro power through foreign investment interest due to global economic uncertainties, the fact is the outside business prospects remain unlikely. This is due to Nepal's small economic base, underdeveloped technology, its lack of accessibility because of its landlocked geographic location. Add labor disputes, civil unrest and its risk for natural disasters, the future economic and social development of Nepal looks bleak.

Deteriorating Ecology and Environment

 

Terracing agriculture deforests Nepal's landMoving to clear more of the mountain foothills for terraced crops has cost Nepal 2 percent of its forests every year for the past 30 years. Projections predict with continued destruction of wooded areas as of 2009, within two decades all forests will disappear from Nepal. Destroying timbered land in the past 40 years to make way for terraced-agriculture already affects Nepal's ecology by causing erosion resulting in landslides and loss of soil nutrients. Water contamination from both human and animal excrement, agricultural chemical runoff and industrial waste becomes common with more people. Urban conversion causes Nepal ongoing environmental issues from unchecked vehicular emissions affecting air quality. The lack of managed trash disposal further contaminates ground water. These issues will only continue to escalate with population increases.

More People, More Unrest

 

This Maoist youth of Nepal represents a threat to all development.Stifling the Nepalese government's effort to tackle the population issues affecting all aspects of the nation is the ongoing threat of insurgent Red rebels from within. Nepal's Communist Party's attempts to throw out Nepal's multiparty democracy to replace it with an established totalitarian communist republic, continues in 2009. Since 1996, the rebels focus efforts on the increased numbers of predominantly young people in Nepalese rural regions to recruit them as Party members. Unrest and rioting continues with the influence of the Reds offering Nepal's poverty-stricken people a way out, particularly for the continually oppressed Nepalese women. Since January 2009 when the Unified Communist Party of Nepal formally unified with the Communist Party of Nepal, these joined forces attract recruits from the largest socio-economic group among Nepal's people--the poor.

Poverty Escalates

Outside of some African countries, Nepal is the poorest country in the world. A population of poor people means these harsh facts escalate as their numbers increase. Most Nepalese live on a $1 day or less and 10 percent of the population takes 50 percent of the wealth and the bottom 40 percent takes 10 percent. Around 85 percent do not have access to health centers. Half of the nation's children (aged 4 to 14) must work a minimum of 60 hours a week, often in the worst and most discriminatory conditions, but all members of the family must work or starve.

18.BANDAS IN NEPAL

strike to topple the government. In a nation of over twenty-eight million people, few hundred of thousands of supporters, both willing and reluctant, are bused into cities, including Kathmandu, to show discontent over the ruling of the existing government. Pretty much everything is in a standstill since May 1. The UCPN-Maoist has imposed an indefinite

This is battering the ailing economy hard. The political leaders need to understand that there will be no peace and the constitution would mean very little if there is an economic tsunami.

A dysfunctional economy will inflict more pain than the political upheavals we have been witnessing since 1996. Without urgent remedial policies for the collapsing economy, no matter who and which party runs the government, the situation will only get bad. Most of the causes of and remedies for the collapsing economy can be traced back to an unstable political climate and persistent strikes. More on this in a minute.

First, lets be clear about the deteriorating macroeconomic situation. The official inflation rate has been hovering around 12 percent and is not expected to come down anytime soon if supply-side constraints persist. For the first time in more than three decades, the balance of payments (BOP) is in deficit, reaching Rs 23.53 billion in the first eight months of this fiscal year against a surplus of Rs 32.58 billion in the same period last fiscal year. This is primarily caused by a decline in the growth of remittances and a soaring trade deficit. Bandas and political instability are two of the main factors causing soaring trade deficit.

Trade deficit reached Rs 206.07 billion, a 62.9 percent growth against 29.5 percent growth in the first eight months of last fiscal year. Exports declined by 8 percent while imports surged by 43.9 percent. Meantime, remittances reached Rs. 146.93 billion, a 9.9 percent growth as compared to 58.9 percent growth last year. The rapid rise in trade deficit is drawing down official reserves, which is sufficient to fund only 6.6 months of merchandise and service imports. We used to have reserve enough to fund nine months of imports. Worse, current account deficit (% of GDP) is expected to be in the negative territory and GDP growth rate to stagnate around 4 percent for at least until 2015, according to the IMF's estimate.

On top of this, there is liquidity crunch in the market. Recently, we experienced a severe shortage of domestic currency. The Indian rupee is gradually becoming a favored currency option due to loss of confidence in the Nepali rupee. While the housing sector is bubbling, other productive sectors are suffocating with a lack of liquidity. The central bank has already injected net liquidity of Rs 69.1 billion so far this year. The commercial banks are jacking up interest rates, making it harder for investors to withdraw money and serve interest payments. Despite high interest rate, deposit growth is lower than last year's. The inter bank lending rate increased by 8.85 percent from 6.38 percent. This means that even banks are wary of lending to each other. Most of the variables are progressively getting bad. Much worse is yet to come, if the current political instability, strikes, bandas, and economic stalemate persist.

How does this affect an ordinary citizen? Well, the worse these variables get, the precarious the situation will become because markets will lose confidence in the economy. It will result in closure of many factories. Unemployment rate, which is around 46 percent, will increase as firm will lay off workers and freeze hiring. Worse, would-be entrepreneurs will withhold investment. With a deteriorating situation, foreigners will pull out their investment from sectors ranging from consumer goods to hydropower. Importers will also lose confidence in the ability of domestic firms to supply goods in time, leading to cancellation of orders as was done by the Wal Mart and Gap Inc at the height of the last revolution. The need for social safety nets will increase and livelihood of many rural people will perish as intermediate buyers quit markets. Ultimately, the most vulnerable people will be hit by the strongest tides of the tsunami. The poor will be the ultimate losers. The politicians will be the last one to get hit, if they do.

In terms of costs to the economy, in a worst-case scenario, a back-of-the-envelope estimation of the costs of bandas shows that per banda day the economy bleeds 88 percent of the total value of goods and services produced in a day. This one shot, standalone estimation also shows that the industrial sector would suffer Rs 346 million per day. An average Nepali citizen of working age population would lose Rs 117 per banda day.

The crux of this mess lies in political instability and bandas. There is already a vicious strike-unemployment cycle in the economy. In terms of GDP per capita, we are the poorest nation in Asia. Frequent and fickle bandas will make us even poorer. In a country that has approximately 70% of the population live below $1.25 a day and has high population growth rate, income per capital will only go down and poverty will only increase.The most unfortunate situation is that even though we have money (budget surplus of Rs 4.40 billion in the first eight months of FY2009-10) to spend, we are not being able to do so due to politically-induced disruptive activities even at local level. 

The UCPN(M) should take some responsibility for the deteriorating macroeconomic situation. The economically destructive activities of YCL; incessant pressure exerted by militant labor unions on the weak industrial sector; forced donation campaign tantamount to illegal tax collection; deliberately inflicting troubles in firms operated by foreign companies; disruption of supply lines; and a threat to life and property of entrepreneurs are the infamous activities mostly associated with the largest party in the parliament.

If they are returning to power, then they will have to explain to the citizens how they are going to rescue Nepal from the impending economic tsunami. The CPN(M) have not uttered a single word about their economic policy to ward off the grave challenges confronted by our economy. 

Dahal and Bhattarai must explain, in plain terms, at least their strategy to salvage the economy; to revive the industrial sector; to return back illegally confiscated property; to provide employment to thousands of indoctrinated and duped YCL cadres who have been promised jobs and other opportunities; to provide safety nets to the laid off workers from the industrial sector; to rehabilitate its indoctrinated supporters; to address starvation in the Western region; and to reduce poverty. They need to realize that people did not join CPN-Maoist because of their belief in the failed Marxist-Leninist doctrines, but because of poverty and state apathy in instituting an inclusive society. These cannot be addressed by imposing bandas and by trying to topple the government with pernicious political strategy.

17.WOMEN STATUS IN NEPAL

The United Nations has defined the status of women in the context of their access to knowledge, economic resources, and political power, as well as their personal autonomy in the process of decision making. When Nepalese women's status is analyzed in this light, the picture is generally bleak. In the early 1990s, Nepal was a rigidly patriarchical society. In virtually every aspect of life, women were generally subordinate to men.

Women's relative status, however, varied from one ethnic group to another. The status of women in Tibeto-Nepalese communities generally, was relatively better than that of Pahari and Newari women. Women from the low caste groups also enjoyed relatively more autonomy and freedom than Pahari and Newari women.

The senior female member played a commanding role within the family by controlling resources, making crucial planting and harvesting decisions, and determining the expenses and budget allocations. Yet women's lives remained centered on their traditional roles--taking care of most household chores, fetching water and animal fodder, and doing farm work. Their standing in society was mostly contingent on their husbands' and parents' social and economic positions. They had limited access to markets, productive services, education, health care, and local government. Malnutrition and poverty hit women hardest. Female children usually were given less food than male children, especially when the family experienced food shortages. Women usually worked harder and longer than men. By contrast, women from high-class families had maids to take care of most household chores and other menial work and thus worked far less than men or women in lower socioeconomic groups.

The economic contribution of women was substantial, but largely unnoticed because their traditional role was taken for granted. When employed, their wages normally were 25 percent less than those paid to men. In most rural areas, their employment outside the household generally was limited to planting, weeding, and harvesting. In urban areas, they were employed in domestic and traditional jobs, as well as in the government sector, mostly in low-level positions.

One tangible measure of women's status was their educational attainment. Although the constitution offers women equal educational opportunities, many social, economic, and cultural factors contributed to lower enrollment and higher dropout rates for girls. Illiteracy imposed the greatest hindrance to enhancing equal opportunity and status for women. They were caught in a vicious circle imposed by the patriarchical society. Their lower status hindered their education, and the lack of education, in turn, constricted their status and position. Although the female literacy rate has improved noticeably over the years, the level in the early 1990s fell far short of the male level.

The level of educational attainment among female children of wealthy and educated families was much higher than that among female children of poor families. This class disparity in educational attainment was also true for boys. In Nepal, as in many societies, education was heavily class-biased.

In the early 1990s, a direct correlation existed between the level of education and status. Educated women had access to relatively high-status positions in the government and private service sectors, and they had a much higher status than uneducated women. This general rule was more applicable at the societal level than at the household level. Within the family, an educated woman did not necessarily hold a higher status than her uneducated counterpart. Also within the family, a woman's status, especially a daughter-in-law's status, was more closely tied to her husband's authority and to her parental family's wealth and status than anything else.

16.POLITICS IN NEPAL

Among the events triggering the change in the political status quo are the verdict of the Supreme Court on February 13 dissolving the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) and the subsequent release of former Prime Minister and President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic), Sher Bahadur Deuba, and former minister and party General secretary Prakash Man Singh from jail.

Both Deuba and Singh had been jailed by the powerful RCCC implicating them in corruption in the construction of an access road to the multi-billion dollar Melamchi Drinking Water Project. Whether or not the dissolution of the RCCC was practically a correct move in the face of burgeoning corruption in higher places and the urgent need of an effective and powerful body to stem this menace is a debatable topic. But the ruling of the Supreme Court should be accepted by all who believe in the rule of law.

That the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) was not effective enough to take bold steps to initiate investigations into high-profile corruption cases involving the bigwigs is clear. The RCCC was constituted against this background to take effective measures to check corruption at the top level of government and try the bigwigs involved in corruption scams.

His Majesty the King's message to the nation on the occasion of National Democracy Day on February 19 is also a major factor in bringing about a change in the political climate. In the message, His Majesty has extended a hand of cooperation to the political parties, asking them to come forward for dialogue to discuss the best way to resolve the country's problems and strengthen democracy.

Although the King did not directly address the political parties in his message to the nation, the content of the message was clear. The message was one of conciliation and collaboration, calling the political parties believing in democracy for doing away with discord and working together. This was an effort by the King to reach out to the political parties, which have been hitherto taking each and every move by His Majesty the King in bad faith and with skepticism.

His Majesty the King's Democracy Day message is also an apt reply to the so-called international community that always called on His Majesty the King to reach out to the political parties, without recognising at all that it takes two to tango. The so-called international community was conspicuously lenient in pressing the political parties to contribute towards building an environment of trust and reach out to the King as much as it pressed His Majesty on this matter.

Another factor that has contributed in a change in the political scenario of the country is the continuation of violence and terrorist activities by the Maoist rebels ever since the termination of the unilateral cease-fire. There has been no let up to the Maoists' violence despite the 12-point 'understanding' reached between the agitating political parties and the rebel group. The Maoists continue with their violent acts of killing people, extortion and abducting civilians, bombing offices and mounting small-scale attacks on police posts. This is clearly a breach of the so-called 12-point understanding.

The violation of the 12-point understanding by the Maoists has put in question the very rationale of this dubious document that was thrashed out in a huff-huff manner in the Indian capital at the behest of India and ambassadors of some western countries. In fact, the signatories to this understanding had claimed that the Maoists have come one step down and opted for peaceful politics and accepted multiparty competition.

None other than the Maoists themselves has proved the hollowness of these claims. The murder last week of Bindeshwar Yadav, a Nepali Congress worker of Dhanusha district, by the Maoists and other sporadic incidents of violence by them prove that the rebels are not true to the commitments made in the 12-point understanding. This attitude of the Maoist rebels has compelled the parties that signed the 12-point document to rethink the credibility of this document. Voices of protest have come from influential leaders of the major political parties that were signatories.

If the Maoists continue to act in contravention of this understanding, the political parties must have second thoughts about the pact. After all, those calling themselves the democratic forces cannot be companions of a force using violence and terror to achieve its political goals.

Immediately after his release from jail, former Prime Minister Deuba had talked of making some changes in the 12-point pact. He had said the pact needed some additions and deletions. Some of the constituent political parties in the alliance of the seven political parties that signed this document had expressed their reservations to certain points of this pact.

As the Maoists have breached the understanding reached between them and the political parties, the agitating political parties, which signed this agreement with the Maoists, should now reconsider their decision in light of the new developments in the country's political arena and the dire situation the country is in.

Reconciliation

The CPN-UML's Central Working Committee meeting recently also decided to withdraw the party's working directives regarding the policy of democratic republicanism. The bogey of democratic republicanism that is being forced upon the country and being pushed ahead by some political parties to exert pressure on the King for their political ends is counterproductive for the parties concerned. Moreover, the votaries of this set-up have not taken the trouble to explain in plain terms why Nepal needs democratic republicanism.

And, the latest call by the US Ambassador to Nepal, James F. Moriarty, stressing the need for conciliation between the parties and the Palace, clearly pronouncing the pitfalls for the political parties if they go by the terms of the Maoists, is a stark reminder to the political parties to work towards reconciliation and consensus.

15.DRUG ADDICTION

Boasting eight of the highest mountains in the world, including Mt. Everest on its border with China, and with a contrasting humid lowland at its south, Nepal has quite a diverse topography. However, this land-locked country with China on the north and India on the south is far from the "Shangri La" paradise that novels and Hollywood have portrayed.

This country of roughly 27 million people, 80% Hindu, has been a magnet for political upheavals for centuries. In addition to the political strife, it also has another problem--drug addiction.

Nepal is not a major producer of the drugs from that area (primarily marijuana and hashish), yet its position geographically makes it a way-station for other drug trafficking, which then creates a backwash on its citizens. Plagued also by the Maoist insurgency that constantly has the royaltly on guard, the Nepalese are literally between a rock and a hard place. This instability results further in lack of government legislation and law enforcement's lack of materials. (Source: www.state.gov).

However, all is not lost. Often when the dark cloud of drugs seems to have enveloped all, a hero arises to meet the challenge. Like those from the legendary "Wild West" of American folklore, a lone policeman with only a badge and mountains of courage came forth to take matters into his own hands--not with a gun but with the help of friends from afar.

This hero is Basanta Kunwar, Senior Superintendent of Police. Kunwar saw the effects that drug addiction was having on his fellow countrymen and went searching for a drug rehabilitation program or method that would meet his high criteria. His lucky star appeared in the form of Ms. Evelyne Clark, ABLE Asia Pacific's Tech Export Director for Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, & Nepal.

Ms. Clark introduced Kunwar to the Narconon? drug-free rehabilitation program that for 40 years has successfully treated people battling drug and alcohol addiction. With Ms. Clark and the Narconon method at hand, Superintendent Basanta, his wife Pooja, and Mrs. Rajina Shah began the first Narconon campaign to lasso the drug addiction problem in Nepal.

Ms. Clark spent five months training Basanta, Pooja and Rajina on the Narconon basic courses, then sent them to Narconon Melbourne in Australia for advanced training. They have since built their sauna and arranged for vitamin supplements to be manufactured in India and sent to them. Additionally, they have acquired two more houses. Between their media promotions and drug education presentations, Ms. Clark calculates that well over 260,000 Nepalese people are now aware of the Narconon programs.

Superintendent Kunwar realized that his drug-free graduates needed to immediately go to work and demonstrate their newly learned life skills; thus he arranged for those who were interested to be trained as security guards.

Nepal is one of 40 countries in the world which now have Narconon centers. More countries are added to the roster each year.

For over forty years the Narconon drug-free rehabilitation method has been working to stem the flood of the river of drug addiction. In 1966, while serving a sentence for drug-related crimes, William Benitez found and read "The Fundamentals of Thought" by humanitarian and author L. Ron Hubbard. With the data gleaned from that book, Benitez beat his own addiction, then went on, with the help of Hubbard, to found the Narconon network, resulting in tens of thousands of people the world over now living productive, drug-free lives.

14.GLOBAL WARMING

Although Nepal's share in the global emission of greenhouse gases is almost nil, the consequences of global warming and climate change - receding snowlines, lake bursts and flash floods - threaten to wash away vast areas of the country, including the region that's home to Mount Everest. The meltdown has sent a chill across the Himalayan nation. Over the last couple of years, it has recorded a hazy winter, hotter summer months and frequent landslides, which experts attribute to climatic change. Weathermen believe this could be the harbinger of even more miserable weather to come. "The average temperature in Nepal is rising by 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade," points out a senior official in the climate change section in the Ministry of Population and Environment, Purushottam Kunwar.

As Nepal is home to the mighty Himalayas, global warming has increased the pace of snow melting, which, in turn, has made glacial lakes swell. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) had warned five years ago that 20 big glacial lakes in the country are at risk of floods from glacial lake bursts, which could trigger huge loss of life and property. Different reports suggest the frequency of such bursts has increased in the recent past. "Five glacial lake bursts occurred in Nepal from 1977 to 1998 according to records and satellite imagery," says a climate change officer at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Nepal Program), Sandeep Chamling Rai. WWF-Nepal acts as a member secretary organization of the Climate Change Network Nepal, which includes a number of domestic and international environmental bodies keeping a watch on global warming and its impact on Nepal.

One of the most startling results of climate change can be seen in the spectacular Tsho Rolpa glacial lake situated in the Rolwaling valley, north of the capital Kathmandu. "The lake had an area of 0.23 sq kilometers in 1950. It has since swollen to 1.7 sq kilometers," says the director general of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Madan Lal Shrestha. UNEP had in the past issued apocalyptic warnings about the likelihood of the lake bursting, triggering flash floods in rivers downstream. It was reported that if it burst, the Tsho Rolpa could affect life and property as far away as 100 kilometers downstream.

Immediately after the UNEP warning, the department started the Tsho Rolpa Risk Reduction Project, with the help of a Dutch agency. The project has siphoned a huge quantity of water and has brought down the water level by 3 meters. According to UNEP, the water level needs to be brought down by at least 20 meters to ensure safety.

13.aforestation: need of time in Nepal

Over population and deforestation both have become much effective causes behind  environmental decline. For the sake of farming and settlement, people move into forest. Besides forest have also become an easy source of fuels. After all people think of the immediate benefit, and therefore suffer themselves. Soil erosion and landslide become quite common because of the deforestation. When high hills are treeless, there is much chance of landslide.

    It is, therefore, true that aforestation is need of time. Neighbouring people should be made conscious about the results of deforestation.Provisions should be made for the replacement of fuels. Community based programmes should be organized and run to encourage people for aforestation. It can preserve the soil. It is also important for seasonal rains. It can help in preservation of wild animals, herbals, and many other things. Forest is the source of wealth. Therefore, aforestation is necessary not deforestation.

10.Felons on mission possible, says cops

With the arrest of four Indian nationals on Saturday in connection with an attempted robbery , police investigations have revealed that many such Indians robbers have entered the capital of late with a view to robbing jewellery shops here.

  Four notorious Indian thieves were nabbed along with a Nepali girl while they were trying to break into the Laxmi gold and silver jewellery shop owned by BISHNU RIZAL  at Newroad in the capital in the wee hours.

Police said the thieves fled the scene when a patrolling police team reached there. To materialize their plan,  robber Manjul Miya, 35, and his Nepali girlfriend renu Karki, 29, of Jhapa, pretended to be prospective clients and went to the shop at afternoon.

    Investigations also found that the  arrests were earlier involved in a series of crimes in the capital.Police said the thieves loot the people taking advantage of the festival season.

   DSP Dhakal  urged the general public to be extra cautious ton prevent robberies and thefts during the season.

9.Kathmandu city posted to stink further

 When collection of garbage from the Valley streets resumes remains uncertain after talks between the government and local residing near the Aletar landfill site in Nuwakot  district ended inconclusively.

    Secretary at the Ministry of Local Development Krishna Gyawali said the government had opened all the doors for talks. “The government will hand more talks with the locals and try to solve the problem at the earliest,” he said , adding that local residents will be employed in the underconstruction Bancharey danda landfill site, which the government plans to develop for a long term solution  to the dumping problem.

8.Five robberies in 24 hours in Kathmandu

Kathmandu valley was witness to five incident of robbery in the last 24 hours.

  According to police, a gang of armed men on Monday night raided a jewellery shop belonging to Dhan Prasad Dhamala in Samakhusi, Town Planning, and fled with cash and gold ornaments worth Rs. 3,70,000.

The motorcycle borne robbers first attacked Dhamala with khukuri before carrying out the heist. He is undergoing treatment at Vinayak Hospital, Gongabu. He is said to be in critical condition.

  In a separate incident, a gang of five burglars, evening robbed a 45 years of woman of her ear rings worth Rs 23000 in Mahankal. The victim, Kancchhi Dahal was returning home after cutting grass far cattle.

   Likewise, a gang snatched a motorcycle in medical chowk, Susbhibu. The robbers attacked the motorcycle owner Pawan Lamichhane before taking off with the motorcycle.  He has been taken to bir hospital for treatment.

  In another incident, an unidentified gang robbed Prem Kumar Magar and his wife Monika, of Rs. 200000 on the pretext of taking advance cash for land sale.

   They have called the couple to asian chitwan guest house, Machhapokhari, to make the deal before fleeing with the cash.

   All those involved in the incidents are at large. Police said they had launched separate manhunts to track down the robbers.

7.Plus two colleges falling in line.

All Nepal National Independent Students Union- Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), in tensified its campaign against plus two colleges that were flouting the Education Act and Regulations.

     Lekhnath Neupane, president of ANNISU-R said, “We have listed the names of the colleges violating the Education acts and regulations and commercializing education.”

Neupane said, “on the basis of three irregularities renaming the college, shifting it to another location without permission from the authorized institution and operating the college illegally without completing the affiliation process- we started taking action to bring them in track.”

   ANNISU-R students have been going to listed colleges in groups and vandalising them. Colleges owners and principals have termed this behavior hooliganism.

   These students vandalized Blue Bird College and Welham’s College in Lalitpur. Police  arrested some students from the Blue Bird College for vandalism.

According to police, the miscreants smashed win dowpanes, computers, the reception and a car causing damage worth Rs. 65,000 in Blue Bird College. Last week the student body destroyed six windowpanes, table , glass, computer monitor and CPU in the affiliation division of Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB).

 Ratna Dhakal of ANNISU-R said, “Some colleges have already started complyin withn the acts and regulations after the campaign started.” Dhakal said more than 100 colleges of Kathmandu valley have listed for action.

  “It is indeed an achievement that some school authorities have started visiting the HSEB to correct themselves,” he said.

6.China funding horse trading

With the sixth round of elections in the prime ministerial stakes about to take place, a large cast of characters seem to have become involved, some known, some unknown. Quite apart from the politicians and their hangers on, there are the power brokers on the either side of the contest. Democracy seems to be taking root  rapidly in Nepal with the buying and selling of votes(horse trading) becoming a regular feature. What’s more the price is more than keeping pace with inflation and is the inverse proportion to recessionary tendencies!

    Much has also been made about “outside inference”. This is particularly from the side of UCPN- Maoist who have not minced words while denouncing interference from outside. They have also let it to be known that foreign forcesare not stinting in the money they pay to keep the Maoist themselves are no slouch at this game.  Both when it comes to horse trading and cavorting with “ foreign  forces” .  And in this case the Maoist are dancing a tango with the neighbor to the north.

    On September 1, there were two interesting conversations between an official from China and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Maoist leader and former  information and communication minister in the erstwhile government of Puspa Kamal Dahal. The phone was tapped in a sting operation. The content of the conversation were available to THT. They are self explanatory and need no further elaboration. And by the way like others, we have been provided with a copy of the recorded conversation by our source  who’s only wish is to protect Nepal’s infant democracy.

5.THAMEL (tourism spot) to get makeover

The Thamel Development board is all set to start a series of reforms and renovations in Thamel in the run up to World Tourism Day that falls on Sept. 7 and the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

According to the president of the board Tejendra Shrestha, more than Rs. 5 million will be invested under the plan which includes installing street lights,putting up CCTVs at different junctions, developing new maos for tourists, managing wastes, fixing sewage problems and ensuring overall security. “We have already collected about Rs. 4.5 million from local business,” he said.

  Shrestha added that the board nwould take stringent measures to check prostitution, drug peddling and sound pollution that have tarnished the image of Thamel among locals as well as tourists in recent  times. “we have talked with the respective government authorities to keeps tabs on such disgraceful and illegal activities. Our vision is to promote Thamel as “Thamel on family” on World Tourism Day,” he added. About 80 percent of the tourists that come to Nepal visit Thamel at least once. “If we can’t offer4 them the kind environment they want, there will be no business for anybody. We are in the process of upgrading the image of Thamel,”he said, adding that bars and restaurants that play live music have already been requested to soundproof their establishments.

   “We have also told bars and restaurants not to allow in minors and not to let minors dance in dance bars. Only if we can ensure security and system in Thamel, it can be opened for 24 hours from the current deadline of 12 midinight,” he said. Shrestha added that the government needed to emphasize quality tourists over quantity during the upcoming tourism year.

4.ELECTRICITY CRISIS

Nepal is facing severe electricity crisis due to supply constraint and it has already been forecast that the load shedding is here to stay in the increasing magnitude. In the past, Nepal Electricity Authority(NEA) used to trot the excuse of no water in rivers whenever it came up with a new load shedding schedule or made changes in them resulting in the increased hours of load shedding. However, this rainy season, even in the abundance of water, NEA imposed a load shedding of  2 hours each day, two days a week even in August.

         In Nepal, Hydropower was historically been seen as the priority. It is still considered to have enormous potential, but after more than a century- from 1900 when the pharping power plant with 500 KW installed capacity was established development has been extraordinarily slow. At present hydropower still meets only two percent of the total energy need, and only some 40 percent of the total population has access to electricity. It is also the case that such hydropower plants as do exist has mainly catered to the electricity needs of the urban or semi-urban areas according to the authorized body of NEA

    After 1990, the government opened up the local sector to the local and foreign independent  power  producer’s  (IPPs), while the NEA also initiated some project with different financing modes. As a result, a 292 MW capacity was developed within 10 years. But current peak hour demand in the NEA system is over 560 MW and this is likely to increase in an average rate of seven percent every year, according to NEA.

       In the scarcity of electricity, because of the load shedding, many industries have been collapsed. Even many vehicles are unable to recharge their batteries. People don’t have efficient means of communication. Students suffer because they don’t have electricity at the important period of time. People are unable to run computer at their wish. These and many other effects are being experienced. Nepal gets back and no proper development can be expected now.

   It is necessary for the government, parties and people in authority to feel the electricity crisis closely and think of future in the country, instead of personal benefit. We must use the enormous potentiality of hydropower and develop the country.