KATHMANDU: Basantapur, popularly known as Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO world heritage site, located at the heart of the capital city, is a major tourist attraction.

It is the heart of Kathmandu, and carries a lot of cultural and historical significance.

This ancient site boasts of several temples of archeological and historical importance. It is also known as Hanuman Dhoka thanks to the statue of Hanuman erected by King Pratap Malla in front of an ancient royal palace in 1972.

Temples in this area are built in pagoda style. Hanuman Dhoka Palace used to be the seat of Royal families from the Shah dynasty where coronation ceremonies were held.

Some temples in the area include: Kumari temple, Kastha Mandap, Ganesh Temple, Shiva Parvati Temple, Taleju Temple, Jagannath Temple and Kal Bhairav Temple among others.

Several monuments having historical importance, which were damaged due to the massive earthquake in 2015, are currently being constructed. The construction work of these traditional monuments is being carried out.

Hanumandhoka Palace area has more than 36 monuments. Nautale Durbar and Kashthamandap Palace are also under construction.

KATHMANDU: Never had Myanmar’s Mohammad Sayed, 21, thought he would be languishing in an abysmal condition in the hastily built camps in Kathmandu’s Kapan. He recalls the day when he, along with his family members and friends, fled his homeland following a military crackdown on ethnic minorities, Rohingyas.

Photos: Krishna Khatri/Khabarhub

“I can’t explain how we were forced to leave the country,” he told Khabarhub reminiscing those horrible moments back in 2017. “In fact, we were treated as second-class citizens there,” he recalls subtly adding, “We escaped brutal killing by the military there.”

Sayed and his family fled the country saving themselves from the ‘cruel clutches’ of the Myanmar military, entered Nepal via Bangladesh, India, and reached Kathmandu. “In fact, I had never heard about Nepal where I am today,” he quips.

Twenty-eight-year-old Rafik Alam’s plight is no lesser than Sahid. “Imagine how we toddled for five days to reach Biratnagar without food,” he recalls his bitter experience. Alam, too, was unaware that there existed a sovereign country called Nepal. Alam is worried about his three sisters’ whereabouts. “I don’t know where and how my three sisters, who have been separated while fleeing, are doing?” he raises concern.

Most of the Rohingya families, currently languishing in the shelters in Kapan area of Kathmandu, have been separated with their family members. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), around 650 are spread out over Nepal though the exact numbers are yet to come.

Nuru Aamin’s sufferings are no less. “The military burnt my house into ashes before my eyes. They killed my wife before my eyes, confiscated my properties,” he shares with a shuddered throat. Aamin has more to share. He and some of his family members were able to escape empty-handed. “They did not spare my brothers,” he shared.

Photos: Krishna Khatri/Khabarhub

Moh. Ayas, 37, too, is unaware of the whereabouts of his two sisters and a brother. Currently, he lives with his wife, parents and a son in Kapan.

Sayed, Alam and others are representative figures. The ministry has not taken initiative to find out the exact number of the Rohungya refugees in Nepal.

Majority of the Rohingya refugees want to be repatriated to their homeland. “We are waiting to go back with dignity and respect. We don’t want to stay in Nepal,” they said unanimously. However, they said the Myanmar government has to return their land and property.

Nepal government’s policy

Meanwhile, the Government of Nepal, which has given refugee status to Tibetan and Bhutanese refugees, is not in a mood to give the status to Rohingyas, who are also languishing in several camps of Bangladesh. The Rohingyas have been facing aversion in Bangladesh as well and are at times accused of carrying out terrorism activities there.

Rohingyas

The Rohingyas, who live majorly in Rakhine of Myanmar, are not recognized as citizens of the country. Reason: It has been said that they were brought to Myanmar as laborers by the British during their rule. The Myanmar government has been alleged of carrying out ethnic cleansing by forcing them to leave the country in one pretext or the other. It has been said that the discrimination against Rohingyas is because of the difference in religious faith since more than 80 percent in the country follow Buddhism.

Photos: Krishna Khatri/Khabarhub

KATHMANDU: A former guerilla, a prominent leader in the then CPN-Maoist party, and a former minister, Lokendra Bista emitted a distinct identity in the party. In 2007, Bista created history by entering the interim parliament wielding a gun, growled of possessing an arm, labeled parliamentarians as “wolves and pigs”, and threatened of raining blows on them.

Despite having prospects for crucial position in politics, he now wants to become an inspiration to many, especially youths, through farming. “I want to give the message to the youth of this country that agriculture is a respectable profession,” he quips.

His resolute contribution during the decade-long insurgency helped him to win the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008. Thereafter, he led the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation in 2011, and got elected as a member in the party’s Standing Committee – the most powerful body in a communist party.

Bista, however, holds a different identity now. For him, agriculture has been a passion. He had not even in the wildest of his dreams thought that he would be quitting active politics to join agriculture. “In fact, I had never thought of quitting active politics,” he says, adding, “The notion that politics would only change the society was wrong.”

Despite having prospects for crucial position in the politics, he now wants to become an inspiration to many, especially youths, through farming. “I want to give the message to the youth of this country that agriculture is a respectable profession,” he quips.

Currently, besides cultivating black rice, a good source of fiber, in Bhakundebesi of Kavre, Bista, who prefers to work in the fields himself, has expanded his agriculture business in other areas, including Sankhu of Kathmandu where he cultivates black rice. Now, Bista is working on yet another project at Bijauli of Dang where he is planning to grow dragon fruit, a fruit equipped with many health benefiting properties that is full of antioxidants. Most probably, the fruits will be ready to be marketed after three years, he informed.

Black Rice plantation.

“My plan is to produce organic products, create employment opportunities and inspire youths to get into this business rather than going abroad as migrant workers,” Bista told khabarhub. He employs around 140 people in a season.

However, an enthusiastic Bista is disenchanted with the trend of the out migration of Nepalese youths. “Why should someone go abroad to work in an unfavorable environment when there are opportunities in Nepal itself?” he queries while drawing the government’s attention. He laments at the government’s apathy towards Nepalese youth who otherwise would want to lead a dignified life back home.

Often portrayed as a member of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s coterie, Gupta gave up active politics after being convicted of corruption charges.

Bista is not the only ‘elite’ to join agriculture business by quitting active politics. Jay Prakash Gupta, once an influential leader of Nepali Congress, too, is involved in agriculture-piggery and fishery in Saptari district.

Often portrayed as a member of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s coterie, Gupta gave up active politics after being convicted of corruption charges.

“I am doing fine now,” he says with a sense of satisfaction.

He claims his active involvement in agribusiness has encouraged several youths in the district to get into agriculture rather than flying overseas for employment. Gupta, a former Minister for Information and Communications, suggests the government to invest in agriculture to discourage youths from flying abroad.

Former Minister Gupta (C) at his poultry. Photo: Gupta’s Facebook

Deepak Prakash Baskota is another name in the list. Baskota has been engaged in agriculture and cooperative business for the past 25 years. A Nepali Congress and former minister of State for Home Affairs Baskota is an established name in tea production.

Ask anyone his name in his home district Pachthar, and pat comes the reply, “Yes, he is the owner of Kanchanjangha Tea Estate, which is one of the highest producers of orthodox tea.” Besides, Baskota is involved in promoting the Nepali tea as a Himalayan Nepali tea into the international arena. His dedication to agriculture has inspired a lot of youths, who have started their own agribusiness. Baskota, however, lambasts the government for encouraging youths to seek overseas employment by failing to prioritize the agriculture sector.

“Nepalese tea is the best tea because of its climatic condition,” he claims. He suggests that it is high time that the tea producers should focus on organic cultivation to create a niche in the international market.

KATHMANDU: The government has set an ambitious campaign to attract 2 million international tourists in 2020 with a view to branding Nepal as a major tourist destination. However, for Suraj Vaidya, National Coordinator of Visit Nepal 2020, and his team, fulfilling the government’s target could be a challenge, if not a daunting task.

The team, entrusted to accomplish the ambitious target, could feel pressurized with every tick of the clock since there is nothing like a ticking clock to get people to snap into action.

National Coordinator Vaidya and his team, including the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), however, is enthusiastic to make it happen since they have already fastened their laces.

Tourism is one of the Nepal’s vital engines of economic growth. Considered as one of the best holiday destinations due to its exotic natural beauty, majestic Himalayan peaks, amazing multicultural aspects, and varied topographical features, the Visit Nepal year 2020 can be an opportunity to showcase Nepal as a unique destination offering sports, adventure, religious tourism and other exotic socio-cultural experiences.

Nepal, dubbed as an amphitheater for adventure enthusiasts, witnessed a significant rise of foreign tourists in 2018 with a total of 1 million 173 thousand 702 visitors coming to Nepal as per the NTB data.

Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari expounds the truth when he says, “Nepal has a competitive advantage due to its varied topographical features, and biodiversity.”

Nepal, dubbed as an amphitheater for adventure enthusiasts, witnessed a significant rise of foreign tourists in 2018 with a total of 1 million 173 thousand 702 visitors coming to Nepal as per the NTB data. The figure was 940,281 in 2017. “With positive signs looming, and views flooding with promising assurances from across the world, we are very much optimistic to meet the target,” Vaidya told khabarhub.com referring to the significant growth of international visitors.

However, challenges remain. As Nepal markets its destinations, it needs to ensure that it delivers a safe, flawless, and inimitable experience to the international visitors. The government, coordinating team and the private sectors need to work both on physical and digital infrastructure development such as: roads, connectivity, hotel rooms, air and land service, including maintaining cleanliness, and controlling pollution ensuring that the visitors do not get into trouble. The construction of the Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa, and the expansion and beautification of the country’s only international airport, Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, and the reconstruction of the major heritage sites destroyed by the 2015 devastating earthquake remains a challenging task. However, tourism minister Adhikari is hopeful that the Gautam Buddha Airport would be completed by mid-August.

Obviously, less than 300 days is not enough time to accomplish all the tasks. Vaidya, however, feels VN 2020 is going to be great since Nepal can attract three types of tourists – religious tourists, adventure/sports tourists, and investors from different countries, including India, China, Japan, among others.

“Religious tourism is increasing in countries such as India, China, Thailand, Japan, and Sri Lanka. Lumbini can be a major attraction for this category,” Vaidya suggests. According to NTB, India ranked the top with 200,438 tourists visiting Nepal in 2018 followed by China with 153,602 visitors, the United States with 91, 785 tourists, the United Kingdom with 63,086 visitors. The second category is the adventure tourists. “Nepal has plenty of adventure tourism spots to bring them here. We just need to market them,” he adds.

According to NTB, the arrivals from Sri Lanka have increased by 55.7 percent in 2018 in comparison to the last year. The arrivals from SAARC members registered a sturdy growth of 26.4 percent over the same period last year with 301,963 total tourist arrivals. “The figures are encouraging,” Minister Adhikari said.

Likewise, the third type of tourists that Nepal is looking for from different countries is investors, who can have the opportunity to invest in areas such as hydropower, tourism, among other sectors, according to Vaidya. Despite all odds, Nepal holds an aura of a mystical nation filled with temples and hospitable people.

It is high time that the government and the campaigners turned up the heat challenging the limited time into making VN 2020 a success!

BAJURA: Nepal’s far-western region, which sometimes reels from famine and drought, is astonishingly rich in natural beauty.

While the region is blessed with the fragrance of colorful flowers in the spring season, it is no less beautiful than Switzerland owing to the sparkling snow during the winter.

Thanks to the snowfall since last Monday, the Himalayan belt of the region is all silvery. It feels as if otherwise naked hills of the far west are decked with clean white bed sheets.

While the region is blessed with the fragrance of colorful flowers in the spring season, it is no less beautiful than Switzerland owing to the sparkling snow during the winter.

LALITPUR: As Nepal gears up to launch its first nano-satellite-Nepali Sat-1 under project Birds-3 by coming mid-May, we introduce you to two Nepali men who are working hard at day and toiling harder at night in Japan for this project to come to fruition.
Aawash Maskey and Hareram Shrestha, the former originally from Morang district and the latter from Gorkha, are currently keeping busy with the Birds-3 at Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) University in Japan with the sole purpose to help Nepal put its own satellites in orbit.
Nepal is set to put its own nanosatellite in orbit with the help of these two Nepalis, one completing Master’s Degree in Engineering from Japan and the other pursuing post-doctorate degree there. Maskey, a Ph D candidate in space engineering, is leading the Birds-3 project while Shrestha, a graduate from the Pulchowk Engineering College and currently a student of space engineering, is involved in Birds-4. The Nepali nanosatellite, Sri Lanka’s ‘Ravan-1’ and Japan’s Ubishu combined together measure 1,000 cubic centrimetres in volume and 4.5 kilogrammes in weight.
Nanosatellite is an artificial satellite with a weight mass between 1 and 10 kilogrammes.
The first-ever Nepal made nanosatellite is scheduled to launch from the USA, said Chief of the technical department of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Rabindra Prasad Dhakal. The three countries simultaneously assembled the satellites and will launch them simultaneously from the USA, according to Dhakal.
The Kyutech University has supported in construction of Nepal’s nanosatellite at subsidized value, informed Dhakal.
Shrestha obtained scholarship for his Master degree in Japan and has been working on Birds-4 while Maskey had left for South Korea to study space science after completing his higher level education in Nepal.
27-year-old Maskey was inquisitive from his early age, according to his mother Sarita Maskey, an architect at the Ministry of Urban Development. She further explained, “Aawash used to imitate his father’s work while he accompanied his father in traditional watermill while generating energy. He is very stubborn and does not give up and give in easily.”
After completing 4-years of Bachelors in Space Engineering at Seoul University, Maskey got to participate in a workshop of space engineering. As he came to Nepal a year and half ago after completing his graduation, he got another opportunity to pursue further studies and work at Kyutech University simultaneously. The Kyutech University had already constructed Birds-1 and Birds-2. After getting through interview at the Kyutech, he met with Prof Maeda which laid groundwork for the construction of Birds-3.
Prof Maeda had suggested Maskey to secure some fund prior to springing into action for Birds-3. Both the professor and research fellow arrived Nepal to conduct space engineering workshop. After a rigorous process of floating the matter on space engineering project to the concerned authorities in Nepal and after convincing them, the government finally agreed to fund the Project at the cost of around Rs 20 million which they received in two installments, Maskey’s mother shared.
“Aawash wants to come to Nepal to teach other space engineering enthusiasts upon completion of his studies and work in Japan,” informed the proud mother. 32-year-old Shrestha had worked in NAST as a chief technical first class non-gazette officer for 8 years before pursuing his dream with Birds-3 in Japan.
After Kyutech University launched Birds-3 project in Nepal, Shrestha got an opportunity to be a part of it. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree in space engineering in full support of the United Nations. Both the Nepali prodigious students are committed to return to their country to impart the knowledge on space engineering as well as the efforts being made for Nepali Sat-1 to those willing to learn, grow and contribute to space engineering back home.

The government, however, had been urging the CMC to not terminate the contract by leaving the project unfinished, but to return to work at the earliest. The government was planning to complete the project on time by handing over the contract to a Nepali company if the CMC refused to resume the work.

The CMC, during a meeting held at the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation on Sunday night, agreed to complete the remaining works of the national pride project, Gajendra Thakur, Secretary at the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation said.

Following an agreement, the government had returned passports of at least eight staffers of the CMC, including project manager Cristiano Greco, who had come to the Capital by leaving the site.

Shankar Prasad Subedi, spokesperson at the ministry, said that the CMC had reached an agreement with the government to send its workers to Italy to celebrate Christmas and will start the work soon after they returned to Nepal.

The Melamchi project, which has already missed a series of deadlines over the years, still has 960 meters of concrete lining work remaining inside the tunnel. The project was supposed to complete in 2007. The last deadline was set for October 2018.

The progress of the much-awaited water project has remained sluggish and snared into controversies after a breakthrough in tunnel digging last May, an achievement seen as a step closer to diverting water from Melamchi to Kathmandu Valley. However, the Italian contractor had continuously cited cash flow as a reason behind the sluggish progress.

The government roped in the CMC in November 2013 after terminating the contract with the previous Chinese contractor–China Railway 15 Bureau Group. The Italian contractor, which began its work in January 2014 at the Sundarijal upstream side, had received the contract for Rs7.72 billion excluding VAT.

Headquartered in Ravenna, Italy, the CMC is the fourth largest construction company in Italy by revenue with consolidated revenues of approximately 1.2 billion Euros in 2017.