Kathmandu, Feb. 23 : Minister of State for Population and Environment Bhakta Bahadur Balayar was honoured with a commendation letter here today for his significant contributions in reducing environmental pollution in Kathmandu Valley.

The commendation letter presented jointly by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (iucn) and the world wildlife fund was handed over to him by iucn Director General Dr. Marito Koch Weser.

On the occasion, Mr Balayar said the present government is committed to make qualitative improvement in environmental pollution and disclosed that plying of Vikram tempos, the main cause of air pollution, had been prohibited in Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara and Lumbini.

Referring to the important role played by iucn in mitigating environmental pollution, he said that vehicles with euro standard will be introduced for the protection of environment in Nepal.

Director general of the iucn Dr. Weser said that there had been a significant reduction in air pollution in Nepal since his last visit here and this would have good effect on the health of the people.

Iucn resident representative Chandra Gurung also expressed his views on the occasion.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23 : His Majesty’s Government has decided to declare late Lakhan Thapa Magar a martyr and provide financial assistance of Rs 500,000 for installing his statue, according to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture here today.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23 : The visiting high-level delegation led by general secretary of Amnesty International (ai) Pierre Sane met with leader of the Main Opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter’s office today.

During the meeting, discussions were held on human rights commission, the situation of human rights in Nepal and human rights reports.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23 : Director General of the International Conservation Union (iUcN) Dr. Maritta Rogalla Von Bieberstein Koch-weser paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar today.

On the occasion, Mr Bhattarai praised iUCN’s assistance in sustainable and proportionate development of Nepal and thanked the IUCN for its help in framing as well as implementing national conservation policies.

He also expected such cooperation in the future.

On the occasion, Prime Minsiter’s chief advisor Dr. Narayan Singh Khadka, director of IUCN Asia Ms Aban Marker Kabraji and IUCN representative Dr. Ambika Prasad Adhikari were also present.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: Soon no heavy vehicles will be spotted within Ring road parked haphazardly as a parking facility with a capacity of 600 trucks and buses at Kalanki, Tin-Thana is nearing completion. This heavy vehicles parking is a government project granted to private sector two years ago following a bidding process as part of the HMG’s policy to involve private sector in building and operating development infrastructure.

This parking facility being built by Kathmandu Parking Private Ltd with financing from Nepal Bank Ltd is to begin initial service in coming four weeks. However, the construction of second phase of the parking facility will be resumed after the rainy season is over.

It is the first phase of a plan of the Ministry of Roads based on a JICA study to build heavy vehicles parking at three different sites along the Ring Road. There shall be no parking for heavy vehicles along the Ring road and as far as Mugling along the highway according to the study.

A JICA study made a decade ago had identified three strategic locations for parking of heavy vehicles, which are ‘indispensable’ for traffic situation management in future in the capital valley. Such Parking bus terminals will also be instrumental in reducing pollution level considerably in the city area.

“The heavy vehicles parked along the bunds of the ring road damage the road while posing a traffic accident hazard as well, said Dr Ramanad Prasad Singh, Director of the Kathmandu Parking Pvt Ltd.

The Kalanki bus park to be completed with a cost of 18 crores for the first phase, will need another 18 crores for further expansion plans. Built on a sloping land at split levels, the first phase will include a semi-circular three-storeyed pavilion that will house the bus terminal on the ground floor, passenger facilities like telephones, offices and restaurants on the other floors.

The other building structures will include a circular warehouse for perishable goods and linear warehouses spread in other areas will serve as go-downs for items like chemicals, consumer goods and other hardware.

All traffic moving in the bus-park will be one way to avoid conflict points and to prevent extra traffic in the terminal, entry of private vehicles will be restricted to the taxi stand only. All intra-terminal commuters will have to subscribe to the electric bus running inside the terminal with different routes and designated stops.

“A minimum of 65 ropanis of land is required by HMG to build such a parking facility but we have plans to expand it to 100 ropanis later, said Krishna Wasthi, one of the directors of the company.

The Kalanki bus park under construction is divided into two parts, the upper level shall be used for alighting form both inter and intra city buses as well as boarding of the intra city buses. Boarding for inter city buses will take place at the lower level as separate bay will be marked out depending upon the destination of the bus.

The Parking facility will also have a filling station with multiple booths, maintenance garage and an emergency access as well.

According to a study, 900 night buses leave the valley everyday. As a result, about 600 buses are parked at different places haphazardly at the ring road. The long route buses and trucks stay in the valley for six hours in average.

“Kalanki bus park will have a capacity of 600 buses and trucks at a time and the parking is designed and will be managed in such a way that 400 buses with passengers will be able to leave the Parking in three hours, according to Dr Singh.

Currently buses have to pay a registration fee of Rs. 3500 and even then buses have to park randomly at odd places along the ring road. “The situation will be very different now as we can accommodate these vehicles and will charge reasonable fees based on staying hours. Besides the short head-way time made possible by our design will help manage the time more efficiently,” said Dr Singh.

With a built-in weighing bridge at the entrance and ample ware house facility, lodging and recreational facility for the crew and the superior technical design ensure that the project is going to be a highly feasible one. According to an understanding between the govt and the company, additional bus parks are to be built only after the capacity of the Kalanki Bus Park is exhausted.

Mahendranagar, Feb 23 : Survey work for a concrete bridge to be built over the Doda, the biggest river in the southern part of Kanchanpur district, has been completed.

The bridge to be built at a cost of Rs 90,000,000 from His Majesty’s Government and the Asian Development Bank, will be the longest in Mahakali Zone, according to the divisional roads office in Kanchanpur.

An agreement has been reached between the roads office and Kalika construction Pvt Ltd, Chitwan on construction of the bridge to be completed within two and half years. The design work has also been carried out.

Work on the 207 meter long by 4.5 meter wide bridge will start within this fiscal year, according to divisional roads office, Kanchanpur  chief Nageshwar Prasad Gupta.

The bridge being built in constituency No l will benefit some l00,000 people in that area, according to vdc chairman Tara Lama Tamang.

Flooding in the Doda every year obstructs traffic and causes damage running into hundreds of thousands.

The present Nepali Congress government is building the bridge in accordance with the election time pledge made by mp n.P. Sawad who represents constituency No l.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: General Secretary of Amnesty International Pierre Sane today said that instead of learning from its South Asian neighbours facing decades old insurgency and armed conflicts, Nepal “looks set to repeat” their mistakes. He expressed concern that Nepal is set to take an “increasingly hard line approach, relying on new parliamentary tactics and special powers” rather than dealing the Maoist insurgency issue within the framework of the Constitution.

He also noted that South Asian countries have shown tendency to accrete special powers and legislation to deal with specific problems and exigencies of the time,  which he claimed offered “short term solution and quick political fix” but in long run opened door to “undermining of law, its institutions and protection of human rights”. “Several provisions on the bill tabled in the parliament last September for amendment to laws related to internal administration are in breach of Nepal’s obligation international convents,” Sane said. “Special measures may be needed to contend with the threat posed by Maoist ‘People’s War’ the government should refrain from widening the powers to police.”

Sane further said that his organisation was aware about the grave security problems presented by “brutal and ruthless” Maoist insurgents and condemned abuses that have been committed against innocent people. He also called the insurgents to stop deliberate and arbitrary killings, hostage taking and maiming of civilians.

Pierre Sane, on a six-day visit to Nepal, today addressed a talk programme on “Conflict in South Asia” organised by Amnesty International-Nepal and Amnesty International-Nepal Group-32.

Rights activist Dr. Durga Pokharel said that Nepal’s human rights movement is more concentrated on people’s political rights. “Many people’s rights are violated socially and they are often re-victimised by judiciary if they seek legal remedies,” she said.

Krishna Kandel of Amnesty International-Nepal and Samjhana Nepal of Group-32 highlighted students’ role in ensuring human rights in society.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: Formal talks on accession of Nepal to the World Trade Organisation will be initiated from May this year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

All countries in South Asia except Nepal and Bhutan have joined the wto. This apex world trade body includes member countries at various stages of economic development from all the continents.

China has been  effortful to obtain membership since the past 13 years.

According to a report from afp,   president of wto mike Moore, who has just wounded up a 3-day visit to China expressed the hope that that country would  secure full  membership by the end of this year.

Nepal will complete all formalities for membership within 5-6 months, commerce Minister Ram Krishna Tamrakar said adding that we will not face problems like China.

Following the stalemate over trade and transit agreements between Nepal and India, Nepal sought membership of gatt which later transformed into the wto.Nepal has been attending meetings of wto as an observer since its inception.

Nepal has adopted a market-oriented liberal economic policy since 2048 bS.

The Kingdom has opened up  the hotel, insurance, communications and tourism sectors in line with wto provisions for opening at least one  sector for foreign investment.

Nepal has also been adhering to the wto requirement of treating all commodities as domestic ones after clearing custom duties.

The just concluded unctad conference in Bangkok expressed its commitment to providing the poor countries technical aid and cooperation for their economic advancement.

International agencies such as undp, imf, wb, unctad and  International Trading Centre have to extend cooperation for capacity building in the poor nations in keeping with the Geneva accord struck in 1997.

With accession to wto, nepal can be guaranteed transit facilities.

Nepal can get some concessions as a least developed country, and also see some joint ventures coming here. The trade deficit can be narrowed if exportable items are produced on a mass scale, under secretary at the Ministry Jeebraj Koirala said.

Wto membership also paves the way for technology transfer for Nepal through the global market and this will be of help for improving the competitiveness of domestic products, he adds.

Through implementation of the wto agreement, Nepal could gain trading opportunities and become eligible to take part in dispute settlement bodies in defence of its rights and interests.

Wto will facilitate effective participation in multi-dimentional trade negotiations in support of  the trade and financial interests of member countries.

The agricultural sector, the mainstay of the Nepalese economy, will be largely affected as will be items now exported under the quota system.

Indigenous investors may be discouraged since no member country of wto can be descriminated against.

Economist Dr. Govinda Koirala is of the opinion that poverty could become more widespread and economic disparities wider after accession to wto due to competition with foreign products, inability to take decisions unilaterally, pressure of foreign investment and opening up of  the domestic market to foreigners.

Some are opposed to the advent of the wto. They argues that it is a strategy of  the leading industrial countries of the world to seek investment opportunities in developing countries as there is no more scope of expansion in their own countries.

Nobody can remain aloof from the wto which most nations of the world have joined, and about 2 dozen more nations are queuing up for membership.

Nepal is heavily depended upon neighbouring  India because of the open border and also faces widespread poverty. There are equal possibilities of rising  poverty and market prices if the role of the state is minimized, Dr. Koirala says.

Nepal has to ponder this matter in view of the low prospects for the export of Nepalese products.

If infrastructures are developed in accordance with the targets of the Ninth Plan, trade promoted and simplified, exportable products identified and exports boosted, Nepal can benefit tremendously from accession to wto, he said.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: tb.net 2000, a three-day conference on “Power, Poverty and TB” began here today with an aim to raise awareness about tuberculosis control and to empower individuals and organisations with skills, motivation and knowledge to equip them in their efforts to control the disease.

The participants of the conference highlighted the relationship between inequitable power structures, poverty and tuberculosis and discussed on the locally appropriate means of addressing the issues through a series of presentations and workshops.

“Poverty and TB coexist in a vicious circle. Poor individuals, poor communities and poor countries have the highest rates of TB that impoverishes those with the disease,” they said at the programme participated in by 120 representatives from 18 different countries, with more than 50 participating by email, across the globe.

Dr. Dirgha Singh Bam, Director of the National Tuberculosis Centre, said that TB, a communicable disease, was a major health problem in the world, especially in the developing countries. “There are about 80 thousand TB patients in Nepal. Eight to 11 thousand of them die every year,” he said at the inauguration session of the conference organised by tb.net.

Dr. Bam said that DOTS (direct observation treatment system) was that most effective tool for controlling the infectious disease.

Tb.net, the global TB network based in Nepal, was established three years ago to stimulate communication and action through a global network of people working for a TB free world. This is the fourth in series of annual tb.net conference, which cover a theme at the cutting edge of TB control, according to the organiser.

Kathmandu, Feb. 23: Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who chairs the high level committee formulated to work out strategies to solve the four year old Maoist insurgency has invited the Maoist rebels to talks for peaceful resolution of the problem.

“We welcome the positive response shown by the leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist towards the proposed bilateral talks,” Deuba stated in a press release issued today. “I appeal to them to give up the path of violence and come for talks, the only way to give a permanent outlet to the national problem.”

National consensus is necessary for all round development of the country and for the consolidation of multiparty democracy, he said.

Referring to the ongoing insurgency carried out by the underground communist party in the name of “People’s War,” Deuba said, “The series of murder and violence have hindered the development activities of the country that is globally known as a land of peace.”

Moreover, the insurgency has mostly affected the lives of the economically underprivileged rural folks and deprived us of our democratic exercise, he said.

More that 1,100 people have lost their lives since the violence began in early 1996. Of the victims, 800 were the rebels, 100 police personnel and 200 common citizens.

Meanwhile, the ruling Nepali Congress party has condemned the violent activities carried out by Maoist insurgents and manslaughter in the name of ‘people’s war.’ According to a party press release, the rebels murdered Ujjawal Bahadur Singh, an NC activist of Sepu VDC in Jajarkot district. “NC vehemently condemns Singh’s murder in cold blood.”

Singh was fatally attacked by some armed Maoist rebels on Feb. 12 while having his grains ground at a local water mill, the press release said.

The party demanded the government to strengthen security measures so as to maintain peace.