Ilam, April 17:The people of Panchgaun VDC in Constituency No 3 of Ilam district have complained that they have been plagued by bribery when they visit the district administration office for citizenship certificates and passports and the land revenue office for land related work.
The people made this complaint at an interaction programme at Nayabajar VDC between office chiefs and the local people organised by the district administration office.
The people raised questions about local problems of transportation, electricity, communications and education at the interaction between the people of Nayabajar, Namsaling, Soyang, Pyang and Jogmai and the office chiefs.
People also complained that action was being taken against those going to the forests for firewood for cooking while destruction of community forests was taking place at the hands of timber smugglers.
At the programme coordinated by CDO Narendra Raj Sharma, office chiefs told the people to file petitions with evidence directly at the offices concerned in case of such problems.
Butwal, April 17:The local Tinau river is becoming more polluted day by day.
This information was given at an interaction programme on the protection of the Tinau.
It was disclosed on the occasion that part of the reason for pollution was the discharge of effluent into the river and its use by people living in the vicinity as an open toilet.
The municipality throws garbage into the river, people living along the banks thow in rubbish and dirt and butchers the bones and leftovers from animal slaughter, it is learnt.
The participants attributed change in the quality of the river and reduction in the volume of water flow each succeeding year to the decreased flow at the source, increasing population, dwindling forests and lack of planning.
Water from the river is used to irrigate thousands of Bigha of land in the Terai region and to meet the demand for water in most parts of Butwal municipality.
The river has also been utilised to generate power and as a source of income for the municipality and the district development committee.
Deputy mayor Bimal Bahadur Shakya said at the programme that the municipality has allocated Rs 100,000 to design a “Save the Tinau Programme” jointly with Nepal engineers association.
Meanwhile, Kailali District ForestOffice has demolished 3,000 houses, sheds and huts built on encroached forest land.
Of the structures demolished under a special drive, 1,857 were located across the Mohani river at Ratanpur VDC and 1,236 were at Ward No. 8 Bandargaudi of Hasuliya VDC.
The demolition was carried out jointly by the district forest office, the district administration and the district police office.
About 200 Bigha of forest cover at Ratanpur VDC and 70 Bigha at Hasuliya VDC have been secured through the demolition.
The district forest office has launched the special programme to prevent encroachment of forest cover.
Earlier, between March 25 to 30, some 434 houses, sheds and huts built on encroached forest area were demolished at various places in the district. Encroachment is the main reason for deforestation in Kailali.
About 45 per cent of land in the district is forest cover, but nearly 1,200 Bigha is being deforested annually, it is believed.
Kathmandu, April 17:Sahitya Sandhya Nepal has presented this year’s “Sahitya Sandhya Prize” to litterateur Modanath Shastri in recognition of his important contribution to the enrichment of the country’s literary sector.
CPN-UML Standing Committee Member Jhalanath Khanal presented the prize to litterateur Shastri at a function organised here Saturday.
The prize instituted in 2043 B.S. carries a purse of Rs. 5,000/ and a citation.
Similarly, the Sahitya Sandhya affiliated to CPN-ML awarded the Sahitya Sandhya award of the year 2056 B.S. to poet and essayist Bimal Niva on the occasion the 18th anniversary of the literary organisation here Saturday. The award carries a purse of Rs. 5,000.
Speaking on the occasion, litterateur Shanta Das Manandhar said the works of litterateur Niva should be translated into various national and international languages.
Litterateur Khagendra Sangraula shed light on the works of Mr. Niva and member of the selection committee Ganga Upreti spoke on the personality of Niva and the literary activities of the Sahitya Sandhya.
On the occasion, various poets and poetesses including Niva had recited poems.
Meanwhile national songs created by famous singer, lyricist and composer Gopal Yonjon will be presented in Tahachal on April 21 with a view to preserving our culture and identity.
A host of singers including Dip Shrestha, Prakash Shrestha and Rajesh Payal Rai will sign the songs at the function organised by the Parivartan Nepal.
On the occasion, programme coordinator and the late Yonjon’s daughter Srijana Singh expressed her views.
Bhadrapur, April 17:The tenth Establishment Day of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) was observed amid a function at local Gaurigunj on Saturday.
NSP central member Durga Prasad Bhattarai, NSP district president Tirtha Prasad Rajbanshi, district member Drona Prasad Rajbanshi and others addressed the function.
Some 500 party cadres including the presidents of the VDC working committees and members attended the programme.
NSP constituency No. 6 regional president Devi Prasad Rajbanshi presided.
In Rajbiraj, president of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party and member of the National Assembly Gajendra Narayan Singh has said it is the duty of all citizens to help promote and protect the multiparty democratic system as it is the best of the world’s political systems.
Speaking at a programme organised here Sunday by Nepal Sadbhawana Party district ad hoc committee Saptari on the occasion of the 11th Founding Day of the party, he said his party is engaged in ensuring the Terai people’s right to live in dignity and added that his party is opposed to the violence and terror unleashed by the Maoists.
Central member and MP Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav demanded immediate steps to provide citizenship to the 4,000,000 who are still deprived of the same.
At the function presided over by president of NSP Saptari Chhotken Yadav various other speakers including co- general secretary of the party Khusilal Mandal, Dilipkumar Singh, party spokesman Muktinath Mandal, present of federation of Nepalese journalists Saptari Vaidya Nath Jha, district president of the Gopal Charity Trust Sukhram Yadav, central president of the Nepal farmers forum Subbalal Yadav and secretary of the NSP parliamentary committee Sitaram Mandal, Dr. Dambar Narayan Yadav and Lalan Prasad Sigh also expressed their views.
Meanwhile, a blood donation programme was organised here today at the central office of the Nepal Students Forum on the occasion of the 11th founding day of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party.
At the programme various persons including co-general secretary of the party Dilip Kumar Singh, central president of the students forum Dipendra Kumar Chaudhari, general secretary of the youth forum Manish Kumar Suman and central president of the women’s forum Manta Jha donated blood.
Bhadrapur, April 17:The eastern regional gathering of the Tribhuwan University Democratic Employees Panel and the Central Working Committee began at Bhadrapur Sunday.
Inaugurating the gathering, NC Jhapa president Sudhir Shiwakoti called on the T. U. teachers and employees to dedicate themselves to providing education that is useful for life and for the promotion of civil society.
Central president of the T. U. Employees Association Bhola Prasad Dhakal said the state should help the T.U. establish itself as an educational pillar of the Kingdom.
Also speaking on the occasion were central president of the T.U. Employees Democratic Panel Parashu Ram Koirala, Mechi Campus chief Bal Krishna Chaudhari, Mechi unit president of the Nepal T.U. Teachers Association Prithvi Bikram Rai, president of the Democratic University Teachers Group Ram Nath Banskota and Constituency No 1 president of NC Madan Gurung.
Altogether 50 individuals from various campuses of the eastern development region are taking part at the function presided over by the convenor of the T.U Democratic employees group of Mechi Campus Yogendra Prasad Dahal.
In Kapilvastu, director general of the Nepal Family Planning Association Dr. Yagya Bahadur Karki inaugurated a two-room building for the reproductive health centre at Phulika VDC, Kapilvastu.
On the occasion, Dr. Karki said that the centre would be a substitute for costly hospitals and nursing homes for the treatment of sexual and reproductive health disorders prevalent in the rural areas.
Central director of NFPA vision 2000 project Khagendra Nath Adhikari expressed the conviction that mortality among patients of reproductive health would drop after the launching of the centre.
The building was constructed at a cost of Rs. 120,000.
In Janakpurdham, a Sita-Kedar Chalise Trust has been instituted here with a view to launching a variety of programmes to raise the academic, social and economic status of people living below the poverty line.
The trust is to help the poor in Mahottari, Dhanusa and Kathmandu by providing lodging facilities when they come to Kathmandu for medical treatment or because of litigation.
Initiating the trust, sage at Janaki temple Tapeswar Das Baishnav said social service is a wholesome deed for mankind and expressed confidence that the trust would be of great help to the helpless and poor.
Chairman of the trust Niranjan Parsad Chalise said the trust is contemplating extending cooperation to the victims of natural calamities as well as to the children of the poor in Ropla, Rukum, Jajarkot, Salyan and Sidhuli districts for their education.
A revolving fund of Rs. 1,000,000 has been set up in the name of the late Kedarnath Chalise and Sita Chalise by their family. Sita chalise is patron of the trust.
Meanwhile, the University of Western Sydney of Hawkesburg, Australia has awarded doctorate degree to Jagadish Chandra Baral, a resident of Sindhuli for his research paper entitled “government intervention and local process in community forestry in the hills of Nepal.”
Dr. Baral who has been working as forest officer at the district forest office Siraha is effortful of enhancing people’s participation in the conservation of forest in the Chure Hills in Nepal.
Known as the founder of the Shey Fokshundo National Park, he has already worked as an officer at the department of national parks and wildlife conservation, forest technical advisor at the national planning commission and forest officer in various districts.
Dr. Baral was born in baseswor VDC Ward No 8 in Hokshila Village, Sindhuli district in 2011 B.S.
Similarly, the Nepal India Friendship Association has said it is very much concerned about the Indian Airlines Flight not being resumed till date and implored the authorities of the two countries for the resumption of the flight without losing any time.
A press release issued by the association states that it is the Nepalese and Indian who have been mostly affected by the Indian Airlines being held in abeyance and if this situation continues, the century-old cordial relations existing between the two countries is likely to dampen.
Kathmandu, April 17 – Norvic-Escorts Health Care & Research Centre is celebrating its Second Anniversary. For Norvic, the past two years has been a glorious period of providing speciality health care in cardiac related treatments.
On this occasion, Norvic-Escorts organised a special TEE (Transoesophageal Echo Cardiography) check up session on April 16th, 2000 to mark its entry into the third year of operation, according to Norvic official sources.
The TEE is the latest advanced technology available for accurate diagnosis of the heart’s condition. It is a highly sophisticated echo test conducted for identifying a range of cardiac anomalies including clots in the large arteries (aorta) and to diagnose heart diseases of children who carry some abnormalities from their birth. TEE is also done on patients who have had a replacement of artificial valves in the heart. Moreover, any cardiac abnormalities, which are not possible to be identified by normal check up, TEE provides valuable clues to them, the press release issued by Norvic says.
Under this test, a special kind of tube is inserted to the cardiac patient through the food pipe (Oesophagus) of the patient and the heart condition is accurately mapped by bouncing sound waves off it, which convert into an image on the monitor screen.
The TEE test session organised by Norvic-Escorts Health Care & Research Centre is the first ever in the medical history of Nepal and carried out on 20 patients of Norvic-Escorts, it is stated.
This special session of TEE was conducted by a group of consultant cardiologists headed by Dr. Ravi, R. Kasliwal, Senior Consultant Cardiologist and chief of Non Invasive Cardiac Dept, Escorts Heart Institute Research Centre, New Delhi, it is said.
In the process of bringing new technology in treating cardiac anomalies, Norvic-Escorts has alread introduced peripheral Angiography, Dual Chamber Pacemaker and BMV (Balloon Mitral Valvotomy) in the past years.
In Hetauda, a total of 54,974 children between five months and five years old will be administered Vitamin “A” capsules in all the 43 village development committees and Hetauda Municipality of Makwanpur district on April 18 and 19, it is learnt from the district public health office.
According to the district health office, 409 Vitamin “A” distribution centres have been set up in all the 43 VDCs and one municipality of the district for this purpose.
Similarly, 2550 health volunteers and health workers will be mobilised for the task, chief of Makwanpur district health office Dr. Girish Kumar Upadhyaya said.
Consignments of the Vitamin “A” capsules have been taken to all the distribution centres, it is learnt.
Dhangadhi, Apr. 17:Action has been initiated against jailer of Kailali prison Mandev Bhatta who allowed a person to impersonate a candidate and appear in the ongoing S.L.C. examinations.
Only jail inmates can appear for the S.L.C. examinations from the prison examination centre. But the jailer made an abortive bid to have his son Krishna Prasad Bhatta appear for the examinations as a prison inmate.
Krishna Prasad had already appeared for the Nepali subject paper and was expelled while he was writing English examination.
The imperesonation was revealed when an investigation was carried on the various prisoners appearing for the S.L.C. examinations, chief district officer Tana Gautam told rss.
Jailer Bhatta was immediately summoned to the District Administration Office and action initiated against him. Another person has already been designated jailer in his place. Three of the 28 prisoners at Kailali Prison are appearing for the S.L.C. examinations, it is learnt.
Chautara, Apr. 17:Recent incidents of lightning and fire at various vdcs of Sindhupalchok district have damaged property worth millions, according to the District Administration Office.
According to the office, lightning that struck at the house of Tanka Bahadur Bhandari of Phulpingkot vdc ward No. 4 completely destroyed two houses and five head of livestock perished, causing a total loss of over Rs 700,500.
Likewise lightning struck at the rice mill of Vakil Bahadur Thapa and damaged property worth Rs 150,000. Property worth Rs 100,000 was damaged when lightning struck at the house of Machhendra Prasad Neupanay of Mangkha vdc ward No. 4.
Similarly, a buffalo perished while Mrs Maili Thakuri and 15-year-old Bimala Thakuri sustained injuries when lightning struck at the house of Krishna Bahadur Thakuri at Sangachok Vdc ward No. 8.
The house of Bishnu Bahadur Thakuri of ward No. 8 was damaged and a buffalo died in another lightning hit.
Property worth Rs 150,000 was gutted in fire that broke out at the house of Subhash Singh Tamang of ward No. 5, Haibung vdc, it is also learnt.
Kathmandu, Apr. 17:At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Chakra Prasad Bastola, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom Robin Cook will be paying an official visit to Nepal from April 20-21.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will be accompanied by his wife Mrs. Gaynor Cook and some senior officials of Her Britannic Majesty’s Government, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the visit, His Majesty the King will grant audience to the Secretary of State.
Mr Cook will also pay courtesy call on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
Secretary of State Cook will hold official talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs Bastola at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 21.
Later the same day Mr Cook will visit British Gurkhas camp, Nepal at Jawalakhel.
Minister Bastola will host an official dinner in honour of Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom on April 21.
Mr Cook is scheduled to leave Kathmandu on April 21.
Pokhara, Apr. 17 :A helicopter belonging to the Royal Nepal Army made an emergency landing near Begnas lake in Pokhara Valley at 8.03 A.M. Today.
All four persons on board the helicopter which had left Kathmandu for Pokhara under the command of Birendra K.C. are safe, it is learnt from the Royal Nepal Army No. 3 Bahini, Bijayapur.
A technical snag is said to be the reason for the emergency landing.
Begnas lake is about 13 km south of Pokhara Airport.