Kathmandu, Apr. 12: The Explorer Nepal Group today announced that with the beginning of a New Year of the Nepali calender it would launch new programmes towards improving ecological degradation of the country in general and the capital valley in particular.

“We have decided to begin the campaign from Nepali New Year (April 13),” the Group said at a press meet here this afternoon. “We played an important role in making the government take a decision last year to ban diesel-operated three wheelers from the capital valley and the decision drew positive responses from across the globe.”

The campaign includes boycotting plastic bags, closure of state-owned Himal Cement Factory, removal of two stroke vehicles from the country, fixing standards for gas-operated vehicles, phase-out of the old vehicles failing to meet the emission standards, said a press release circulated at the press meet.

The Group Managing Director Bharat Basnet appealed to all individuals and organisations to co-operate them in their campaign to make Kathmandu a pollution free place.

Stating that the growing problem of pollution could severely affect Nepal’s tourism sector and hence the national economy, Basnet said, “A collective effort of all can lead the campaigns to yield better results,” he said.