Kathmandu, Jan.25:Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai sa d today the government has adopted the policy of maximum involvement of private sector in tourism industry.
“Nepal Tourism Board, which has maximum representation from the private sector, is an example of the government’s catalytic role to promote this sector,” he said of the 11-member board, which comprises six representatives from the private sector.
“To help tourism industry, the government has set up independent organisations like Nepal Tourism Board and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal,” Bhattarai said inaugurating the 33rd annual general meeting of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) here today. “The government has empowered both these organisations to introduce Nepalese tourism abroad more effectively.”
Having noted that tourist arrival in the country is the best in South Asia, Bhattrai said that the figure, however, is not enough to meet the hotel capacity at present. “Therefore, it is high time we did some kind of innovative promotional activities abroad so that ample number of tourists come to Nepal.”
Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, said Nepal has sufficient infrastructures to accommodate more than one million tourists a year, yet not even half a million tourists are arriving here annually.
“Therefore, to gear up the promotional action in order to generate more tourists, the government has initiated to formulate target oriented programmes designating the year 2002 as Destination Nepal Year.”
“I hope that private sector will extend its full co-operation to make this programme successful.”
Speaking during the programme, Gautam Das Shrestha, outgoing President of HAN, said that hotels all over Nepal can accommodate more than 1.2 million tourists though little over 500 thousand tourists visited Nepal in 1999.
He further added that hotel occupancy rate in the country has remained between 35 to 40 per cent leading to a big gap between demand and supply thereby triggering unhealthy competition.
“Therefore, license for new hotels should not be issued in over-saturated areas like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitawan as long as the demand does not increase.”
Having claimed that foreign investment has increased significantly in different Asian countries, Gautam said that due to lack of sufficient facilities, both the domestic and foreign investors have not been attracted to open hotels and resorts in remote areas of tourists’ interests in the country.
Later in the evening today, HAN’s 33rd Annual General Body Meeting elected Narendra Bajracharya as the association’s president. He was the 1st Vice President of HAN before being elected to the present top position.
Hoteliers Prakash Shrestha and BK Shrestha have been elected as 1st and 2nd vice president, respectively. Ajaya Sthapit and Sagarman Shrestha have been elected as Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer respectively.
Other members who have been elected in the executive committee are Ribhu Chatterjee, Richard Launay, Samir Khanna, Prasidha Pandey, Binod Shankar Shrestha, Rajan Shakya, Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, Manjeshree Rana, Govinda P Thapaliya, Palsang Gurung, Shyam Kakshyapati, Attal Ram Kharel and Sundar Shrestha.
The newly elected President Bajracharya has nominated M Lari and Amar Man Shakya as the members of the new executive committee.
(RSS adds: Narendra Bajracharya has been unanimously elected the new president of Hotel Association of Nepal (han) by the 33rd annual general body meeting of the association here today.
Prakash Shrestha and bk Shrestha have been elected first and second vice-president respectively while Sagarman Shrestha the honorary treasurer.
The new executive members of the association are Ribhu Chatterjee, Richard Lalmay, Amir Khanna, Prasidha B. Pandey, Binod Shanker Shrestha, Rajan Sakya, Rajesh Kaji Shrestha, Manjesshree Rana, Govinda P. Thapathaliya, Palsang Gurung, Shyam Kakshapati, Atmaram Kharel and Sundar K. Shrestha.
Nuwakot, Jan. 24: foreign minister dr ramsharan mahat says development work will be long-lasting only when they are carried out at the grassroot level.
inaugurating a narja Ganeshthan-chaughoda suspension bridge in nuwakot district on sunday, Minister Mahat, while accusing the Maoists of indulging in criminal activities, observed that a political tenet would not strike its roots deep in a society by killing people.
The government had plans to set up security groups at various places for protection of life and property of the people in general, he said.
The 130 metres long bridge cost rs 1.296 million, excluding the cost of pillars.
The bridge construction committee chairman Druga CEJhakal presided over the inaugural function.
Kapilvastu, Jan. 24: The Milk Chilling Centre established by Women Services Dairy Cooperative Limited at gaursinghe of jayanagar vdc of kapilvastu district was recently inaugurated by executive director of nepal Dairy Development Corporation Ram Milan Upadhyaya.
On the occasion he said that the chilling centre established on initiative of the women would help enhance economic status of women.
ddc chairman Ramesh Sharma expessed the conviction that the centre would help raise the living standard of the women by encouraging them towards raising livestock.
Central member of Dairy Development Corporation Chapala Koirala, chief of Lumbini Milk Supply Project Madan Mohan Das and vdc chairmanKrishna Prasad Bhattarai also expressed their views at the function chaired by chairman of the Cooperative Institution LimitedRukmini kuwar. The centre established at a cost of Rs 777,450 has the capacity to chill one thousand litres of milk.
Kathmandu, Jan. 24:The Social Welfare Council (SWC) and a Korea-based international organization Rose Club have renewed a five-year agreement on the operation of Vocational Training Cum Production Centre (VTCPC), according to the SWC.
Under the agreement, Rose Club, Korea will provide U.S. $ 200,000 during the agreement period for implementation of the programme.
Likewise, SWC and the Rose Club, korea have renewed a five-year agreement for running Gaurishankar Hospital in Dolkha.
As per the agreement, Rose Club will provide U.S. $ 250,000 for that purpose.
The agreements were signed by SWC member-secretary Dr. Tika Prasad Pokhrel and Rose Club international president Dr. Chang Chaue park.
Kathmandu, Jan. 24 : A delegation led by Saptari district development committee chairman Dinesh Kuamr Yadav called on Prime Minister Krishna Prasad BhatTarai today to apprise him of.various problems facing the district.
The delegation also called on Foreign Minister Dr Ramsharan Mahat, Minister for Local Development Chiranjibi Wagle, Minister for Works and Transport Khum Bahdur Khadka, Minister for Housing and Physical Planing Bal Bahadur K.C.and apprised them of the condition of drinking water supply, postal office, roads, Sagarmatha Highway, housing management etc in the district.
The delegation included DDC member Ramesh Khatiwada, Manekpur VDC chairman Surendra Yadav, Chhinnamasta VDC chairman Satyanarayan Yadav, Jogniya VDC chairman Ganga Yadav and Shatrughan Mandal.
Pokhara, Jan. 24: Minister for Housing and Physical Planning Bal Bahadur K.C. made on-the-spot inspection on Sunday of the land owned by the Rural Housing Company at ward No. 2 of Lekhnath Town and works being carried out there.
According to the programme promoter Gokarna Prasad Sapkota of the company, eighty-three housing plots will be delinated on 40 Ropanies of land there and distributed to general public in the near future.
Mahendrangar, Jan. 24: Police have seized 130 kg of Hashish during a raid at the house of Aniram Oda at Mahendranagar town ward No. 9.
Meanwhile,an Indian natioinal has been arrested breaking into a shop of Rajendra Karki at Brahmadev Bazaar in Kanchanpur and decamping with goods worth Rs 114,000, according to the district administration.
The accused, 23 years old Sundar Negi of Amkbansa, Tanakpur, India, with the help of two Nepalese, is reported to have broke into the shop through its roof.
Police are on the lookout for the two Nepalese implicated in crime.
Kathmandu, Jan. 24 : A joint inspection team of the Department of Value Added Tax (VAT) and VAT office says as some taxpayers have been found to have caused leakage in vat it is starting a probe in that connection.
The leakage came to light during its inspection at various parts of Kathmandu and Lalitpur. Those causing leakage of the tax are Garuda of Thamel, Dipamkar Utse, Tanki and Marsyangdi Hotel and Tajifji Restaurant and bar also of Thamel and Potala Guest House.
Likewise, Hotel Tilicho at Keshar Mahal, Kamal Hotel at Kamalpokhari, and Tansen restaurant at Durbar Marg are also evading tax.
Likewise, investigation is on into the tax leakage by the Memon Export and Import, Manakamana Electronics, Summit Nepal Trekking, Parimita International Green Line International, Shrijana Cotton Weaving Industries, Standard Kastha Industry, Amar Wood Industry.
Mahottari, Jan. 24:The team of the National Assembly Social Justice made an on-the-spot inspection of the prison, balmandir, women development section and non-governmental organisations at Jaleshwar and acquired information on the obtaining situation there.
Leader of the team and chairman of the Social Justice Committee of the National Assembly Jivan Prem Shrestha said that the objective of the team was to collect information on the prevailing human rights situation and protection of the rights and interest of children and the upliftment of disabled, helpless, incapacitated, oppressed and indigenous people.
The team is comprised of whip of the ruling party in the National Assembly Mahendra Kumar Mishra, whip of the main opposition party Surendra Pande, MPs Kaiya Chaudhari and Ambika Panta, Rishi Babu Pariyar, Bijul Kumar Bishwakarma, Shanta Manavi, Mrs Bisweswar Dahal and committee secretary Birendra Bahadur Karki.
Dhaka, Jan. 24 :The first General Assembly of Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has adopted a ten-point Dhaka Declaration on tiger conservation to protect the 7,436 existing members of the endangered species in 14 countries.
GFT officials said in Dhaka, the secretariat of the Tiger Forum in New Delhi would promote inter-state protocols to save the big cats from extinction.
The forum has earmarked endangered tigers living in different jungles including the Sundarbans, Royal Chitwan, Valmiki, Parsa and Bardia, Sohelwa, the May-U Range and Chin Hills and Royal Manas and Phipsoo for protection under the inter-state protocols.
The GTF will prepare a new database on the tiger population and country and specific tiger action plans by January in the year 2001.
“All countries would be asked to eradicate trade in tiger parts and derivatives in accordance with cites (convention on international trade on endangered species) and if necessary, dispose the existing stockpile (of tiger products) by January in the year 2001,” secretary general of GTF S. C. Dey said.
He said, apart from approaching international donors for conservation programmes in tiger range states and to strengthen operations of GTF, the Forum will also facilitate training of wildlife managers and researchers to share lessons on tiger conservation and enrich experience of enforcement officers.
The declaration, according to dey, expressed desire to create GTF website by January of 2001, if funds are available.
The member-states of the forum will assist the secretariat in encouraging all tiger range states and developed nations to join the forum, he added.
“Loss and degradation of habitat, reduction of the prey base of the tigers, poaching and international illegal trade and enhanced human development needs are the four key issues that would affect the future of the endangered big cats,” the GTF leaders observed.
Representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, United Kingdom and observers from Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (cites) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) international endorsed the declaration.
The GTF leaders left Dhaka for Khulna to visit Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans that dot the coastline of the bay of Bengal and accommodates 362 Royal Bengal Tigers.