KATHMANDU: Two persons lost their lives in two separate road accidents. Shiva Silwal, 45, a vehicle driver of Siddhalek municipality-7 in Dhading district died while undergoing treatment at the Kathmandu Trauma Centre. He had sustained injuries after his vehicle collided with another van.

In yet another incident, Bhim Rasaili also a vehicle driver of Melamchi munacipality-7 died when the jeep he was driving veered off 20 meters below the road.

KATHMANDU:  The Bagmati River Clean-up Mega Campaign entered its 300th week on Saturday. To mark the day, the Ministry of Urban Development organized a special program at Shankhamul area.

Addressing the program, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said the river clean-up mega campaign would be meaningful if people’s efforts were successful in restoring the river to its previous state, making the river water drinkable. He stressed the need for combined efforts to meet the desired achievement.

Minister for Forests and Environment Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Urban Development Minister Mohammed Istiyak Rai and Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar, representatives from several social organizations, and social workers were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Minister Gyawali inaugurated 440 solar lamps installed at the Bagmati corridor as part of the 300th week of the Bagmati Clean-up Mega Campaign with the slogan ‘Cleanliness is My Identity: Cleaning is My Contribution’.

Chairman of the then Interim Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi had initiated the Cleaning Mega Campaign on May 19, 2013.

Around 18,000 metric tons of waste have been removed so far under the Bagmati Cleaning Mega Campaign. Nearly a million volunteers had been mobilized in this task with the association of 1,800 organizations.

On the occasion, letters of appreciation were presented to Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and Nepalese Army for their contribution to the cleaning campaign.

DHARAN: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Saturday inaugurated the Shreeram Tarakbrahma Mahayagya function in Chataradham of Sunsari district.

Speaking during the event, President Bhandari said that such kind of religious events organized for the first time in the country was a matter of glory.

She said that Chataradham is one of the most attractive religious sites in the country adding that the area could be developed as a medicinal herbs processing hub.

Speaking at the same program, Chief Minister of Province No. 1 Sherdhan Rai expressed the commitment to developing the area as a religious destination.

The Mahayagya is being held for the first time in Nepal and after 705 years in the world, according to the organizer.

Tarakbrahma Yagya, according to Hindu spiritualism, is a ritual wherein any religious offering is made into the fire by chanting Tarakbrahma mantra. The smoke produced from the offering helps to make the atmosphere clean and pure by blocking harmful radiations from the Sun, according to Mahayogi Dr Krishna Das Maharaj of Ramananda Sewa Peeth.

For the Mahayagya, an 11 storied-artistic-Hawankunda–a place where the religious offering is made into the fire–has been set up in the premises of Sriramanda Sewapeeth Hanuman Temple in Chatara with the help of the Jagatguru Srimanandacharya Sewpeeth Nepal and the organizer Mahayogi Siddha Adhyatmik Pratisthan.

Meanwhile, President Bhandari also inaugurated the newly constructed building named Shreeram Niketan, Laxaman Niliyam and Janaki Sadan. The building has 128 rooms with state of the arts facilities. President Bhandari also offered Pooja there and inspected the surrounding.

DOLPA: Life in Karnali has been hard hit due to incessant snowfall. Daily life in Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, Mugu and other districts in Karnali province has been affected due to snowfall since the past few days.
This is the fifth spell of snowfall to hit the region since the past month. The Dolpa headquarters Dunai, Simikot in Humla, Khalanga in Jumla and Gamgadhi bazaar in Mugu have been fully covered in snow with the higher regions covered in three to four feet high of snow.

In upper Dolpa, snow as high as five feet has accumulated, according to Abadesh Bista, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) at the district police office.

Many areas have been cut off from communications as a result of the heavy snowfall. Snow continues to fall in the district headquarters Dunai, Jufal, Tripurakot and the adjoining areas. Meanwhile, the Sulugadha river that had been blocked by an avalanche has started flowing since this morning, according to the Shephoksundo national park authorities.

Snowfall this year has been very high compared to the previous years, according to Durga Prasad Devkota, a resident of Tripurasundari municipality-1. All the four airports in Karnali have been closed as the airstrips have been fully covered in snow. The Hilsa airport in Humla, Talcha in Mugur, Khalanga in Jumla and the Jufal airport in Dolpa are out of service due to the snowfall. No flights have taken place from Nepalgunj to these airports for the past two days.

BAJURA: Locals of Budhinanda, Bajura  have destroyed the menstrual hut (Chaupadi goth) at the Budhinanda Municipality, Ward No. 4. Women of the western region of the country are compelled to sleep in the huts throughout their menstrual cycle.

Photo: RSS

During the period, they have little contact with other members of the family and even lack minimal health facilities.

Photo: RSS

BHARATPUR: Police have arrested two people on the charge of raping a 13-year-old girl in Chitwan. Ganga Chaudhary,30, and Ajaya Kumar,22, of Kolhi Municipality in Bara were arrested for luring the girl with money and raping her in Bachauli of Ratnanagar Municipality-7. They were arrested from Ratnanagar-6, according to DSP Dayanidhi Gyawali of the Area Police Office, Ratnanagar .

Preliminary investigation showed that the duo had committed the heinous crime under the influence of alcohol. The rape survivor has been handed over to the family after a medical test. Meanwhile, a case has been filed against the alleged rapists, police said.

CHITWAN: A tiger was found dead in Jarnelighat on the banks of the Narayani river in Chitwan National Park on Friday. The male tiger of around 13 years old was found with injuries all over the body and is suspected to have died in an attack by another tiger in the park, according to chief protection officer Bed Prasad Dhakal.

BEJHAD, Feb 8: In the past six months of the current fiscal year, the District Court Palpa registered 122 divorce cases. Among those seeking the legal procedure to end the conjugal life, 87 were women while the remaining 35 were men.

The present scenario is somehow different than of the past. Though the data put the number of women seeking the legal help to get separation from spouses at relatively high, the number of men filing for divorce is found rising these days than in the past.

Mainly those husbands in foreign employment are knocking the doors of court, citing that they had been victimized at the hand of their partners. Many of them have cited extra marital affairs of their wives and misappropriation of money they send home from abroad as major factors compelling them to choose a divorce.

Women have presented mental torture by their husbands, domestic violence and neglect as the causes forcing them to seek separation, the court details show.

It may be noted that the new Civil Code which has been in force since last April 17 has simplified the divorce process for men. As per the new provision, they can straight go to the court to file the divorce case. It is said that more men are seeking a divorce on the ground of same provision.

Prior to this, any men wishing to end the married life could not go to the court directly. He had to first complete the prescribed process at the local level.

Of the registered case, the court has already given its verdict in regard with 59 cases, according to court registrar Bheshraj Khanal said.

RSS

RUPENDEHI : With an aim to promote greenery in the city, the Butwal Sub-metropolitan City is mulling a plan to construct at least one public park in every ward. It has 19 wards.
The sub-metropolitan city, the temporary capital of the Province-5, has allocated Rs 12 million for the same in the current fiscal year, according to Kalpana Aryal, an official at the tourism promotion division of the Sub Metropolis.
The project was forwarded with the collaboration of the province government. The hill park, Ramapithecus Park and Mani Mukunda Sen park were being constructed and upgraded lately.
Mayor Shivaraj Subedi stated that this would help to attract more tourists.
Prior to this, the sub-metropolis has developed a long term plan to develop it as an archaeological settlement, building Batauli Museum in the old building of the then Butwal Municipality, construction of a massive statue of Buddha at Hill Park and Buddha Circuit Park, preparation for the construction of Ramapithekas Geological Park at Shivanagar community forest.

BAJURA: Snowfall has again gripped Bajura since Wednesday evening. Normal life  has become tougher again with abrupt fall on temperature caused by rain and snow. The snowfall that began from hilly and mountainous regions of the district since Wednesday afternoon has also blanketed the southern part as well.

Transportation from northern part of the district to Martadi has come to a halt due to continuous snowfall, shared Baba Gurung, a transport entrepreneur. The roads are covered with pile-up of snow at Badimalika Rural Municipality and Budhinanda Rural Municipality. Snowfall had come to an end in Bajura last week only.