Hetauda, Jan. 9: Convenor of the Narayani zonal high level monitoring team and Minister for Commerce Ram Krishna Tamrakar has directed the chiefs of Makwanpur district-based offices that the government employees provide prompt and efficient services to the people.

Minister Tamrakar said it is the prime responsibility of the employees to provide prompt service to the people who come with the problems of development works so that they can return home the same day , works fulfilled.

Tamrakar also directed that the selection of projects be done in such a manner that the interest of the majority of people is served while operating development works in the district.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce Govind Regmi and cdo of Makwanpur district Durga Prasad Pokharel stressed the need for the district-based offices to pay special attention to formulating plans in the district.

Meanwhile, Minister Tamrakar while meeting the workers of Nepal Tarun Dal, Makwanpur directed that the talents of the youth be utilised in the institutional development of the multiparty democratic system.

Minister Tamrakar also made on site inspection of Hetauda hospital and various industries at the Hetauda industrial district.

Kathmandu, Jan. 9: A gathering of former students of Ascol Campus, the premier science college in the country and also students who stayed in its hostel, has decided to organise a Ascol Students Almuni Association. A 13 member executive committee has been formed under the convenorship of former student of the college Narayan Shrestha. The other members of the Almuni Association are Pradhipman Shrestha, Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa, Pranti Serchan, Dharnidhar Khatiwada, Dr. Damber Bahadur Nepal, Kamal Thapa, C.P. Mainali, Jhalanath Khanal, Tara Baral, Satyanarayan Rajbhandari and Nirmal Shrestha.

Earlier, a huge gathering of former students had been organised at the initiative of Narayan Shrestha and all the former students, many of them who had studied in Ascol Campus in the 1960s, had agreed to make efforts to improve the physical facilities both at the hostel and also in the campus. Some of the areas they have focused on are drinking water supply at the hostel, cleaning up of the campus area and also the physical maintenance of the whole campus.

A major role in organising the gathering and also in developing the physical infrastructure of the campus was made through the efforts of Narayan Shrestha who hails form Sankhuwasava district, but who now lives in Boulder of USA. He was inspired to raise funds for the campus when he saw its poor sate while on a visit to Kathmandu some months back. Even at that time he organised a meeting of ex-students and pledged to work for the development of Ascol. Shrestha has already contributed Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 1,25,000 for the physical maintenance of the campus. Other former students have also pledged to give monetary help in this effort.

Kathmandu, Jan. 9: Nepalese and Japanese environment experts today showed concern over the growing level of pollution in Kathmandu Valley and stressed on people’s participation to fight the hazard.

“All of us are responsible for pollution and we cannot overcome it unless we face it united, Environment Secretary Gobinda Raj Bhatta told inaugurating a one-day workshop on People’s Participation in Environmental Monitoring here this morning.

Environmental degradation is a problem of global concern, Bhatta said and urged for trans-national partnership to meet the challenge.

Bhatta said that work was underway to assess the gravity of the problem and develop human resources and appealed to the private sector to join hands with the government.

Identifying rapid population growth and the resultant pressure on the limited natural resources as the main cause of pollution, Bhatta said that the situation would not improve unless more of alternative energy sources were explored.

Urbanisation process and sharp rise in number of vehicles is the major cause of pollution, said Amod Pokhrel on behalf of LEADERS Nepal – a non-governmental organisation working to check pollution. The government should see to this, he added.

Japan Environment Academy (JEA)’s Secretary Dr. Katsuzi Kuno and Japan Environment Corporation (JEC)’s representative Ikko Ohwada assured the Nepalese environment activists of their continued support to fight pollution.

In the technical session, Dr. Kazuo Amaya, President of Japan-based Detergent Environmental Science Research Society presented a paper with its focus on the ways of developing simple and easy methods of environmental monitoring.

Organised jointly by LEADERS Nepal JEA under the support of JEC, the workshop aimed at raising awareness and disseminating information on simple and easy technology for monitoring environment.

Kathmandu, Jan. 9: About 8,000 people of Newar community today participated in the worship of Nateshwor, the god of art and music.

Organised by Wotu Tole-based Lyamha Pucha and attended by Parliamentarians P. L. Singh and Tirtha Ram Dangol and Jyapu Trust Co-ordination Committee President Bipin Maharjan, the ceremony attracted 32 Jyapu Toles to 45 shrines of the God.

The ceremony believed to have been started by a Haluwai in Thamel 30 years ago holds a special cultural significance.

Meanwhile, inaugurating a one day Mid Western Regional Newar gathering organised by the Newa Dey Daboo here today, litterateur Indramani Manav said the gathering will be instrumental in the preservation of the Newari language, art and culture of the Terai region which are on the verge of extinct, RSS repts form Nepalgunj.

From the chair central chairman of the Newa Dey Daboo Narayan Rajbansi said that as the Newar community is rich in language, literature and culture we should never forget the main motto of the Newar community “look ahead, look to the past and see your face in the present.”

General secretary of the Newa Dey Daboo Naresh Bir Shakya presenting the progress report of the organisation said the gathering was organised with the objective of encouraging the Newar community to unite and work for the upliftment of the community and the nation.

Chairman of the Newa Pucha, Banke Badri Prasad Shrestha said the gathering helped learn many things.

At the gathering attended by 100 Newar representatives form various districts of the Mid Western Region, the vice chairman of the Newa Dey Daboo Eastern Region Ram Gopal Shrestha and Ram Chandra Shrestha of the Newa Pucha Banke also expressed their views.

On the occasion advisor to the Newa Dey Daboo Malla K. Sundar presented a working paper on the organisation and potentials of the Newa organisation.

Dhulikhel, Jan. 9 : Minister for General Administration Siddharaj Ojha has said the responsibility of civil servants is to fully observe policies of His Majesty’s Government and dispose of people’s works in a speedy manner.

Mr Ojha, while inaugurating a two-day seminar for district office chiefs organised by the Ministry of General Administration here today, urged the employees to provide services to the people effectively.

MP Shiva Prasad Humagain said people can feel democracy only if the government comes out of the circle of those who have power and pelf.

Secretary at the Ministry Ramananda Mishra, from the chair, spoke of the need of reforms in the working style of administration.

Director of Nepal Administrative Staff College Shambhu Prasad Kayastha observed that correction of rules, regulations and acts alone is not enough, adding, the country and the people can benefit only if these rules and regulations are put into practice.

The seminar was organised with the purpose of identifying problems and difficulties of employees and forwarding recommendations to resolve them.

Dhulikhel mayor Bel Prasad Shrestha, vice chancellor of Kathmandu University Dr Sureshraj Sharma, joint secretary Tikaram Sharma and cdo Ganga Prasad Dhakal also spoke on the occasion.

Lalitpur, Jan. 9 : The Ministry of Local Development has constituted a 29-member recommendation committee to forward suggestions in connection with the proposed Syuchatar landfill site, and selections and implementation of development and construction projects to be carried out in the nearby areas affected by the proposed landfill.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry today, on the committee are secretary at the Ministry Udayaraj Soti, Syuchatar VDC chairman Shyam Sundar Thapa, vice chairman Guna Bahadur Lama, Ramkot VDC chairman Mohan Giri, vice chairman Dhrubaraj Giri, Sitapaila VDC chairman Sudarshan Shahi Thakuri, vice chairman mohan Bahadur Basnet, Bhimdhunga VDC chairman Keshav Pokhrel and vice chairman Rameshwor Bhattarai.

Similarly, others on the committee are Bishwombhar lal Pradhan of solid waste management, general manager of the solid waste management and resource mobilisation centre Dr Kul Prasad Marhattha, joint secretary at the Ministry of Local development Khemraj Nepal, representatives of the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Finance Ministry and the National Planning Commission and Syuchatar VDC-8 chairman Nandahari Gautam.

Shyamkrishna Khadka, Sahadev Gautam, Sundar Pant, Rajkumar Bhandari, Ujwal Dawadi, Chandrashekhar Gautam, Bishnuhari Gautam, Bikramshahi Thakuri, Arun Manav, Dhrubraj Puri, Kamal Bahadur Khadka, Surya Narayan Shrestha and Rajendra Bhattarai.

The committee has called upon the national political parties in Kathmandu Constituency No. 6 to help it by forwarding suggestions on development and construction works to be carried out there.

Itahari, Jan. 9 : Leaders of various leftist parties jointly inaugurated a three-day fifth national conference of the Nepal Progressive University Teachers’ Association by lighting a candle at Dharan today.

At the conference aimed at forging unity among various leftist political parties, CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, president of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe, general secretary of the United People’s Front Nepal Lila Mani Pokhrel and convenor of the National People’s Movement Coordinating Committee Bhakta Bahadur Shrestha were the chief guests.

On the occasion, general secretary of the main opposition party CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said that CPN-UML holds the view that the leftist movement will never be successful through extremist terrorist movement launched by discarding the leftist character. His party is of the view that the Maoists should be isolated from the leftist community, he added.

Observing that the Nepali Congress quarrels for power but unites when it comes to the question of party interest he said on the contrary the left political scenario is plagued by narrow-mindedness. The Progressive Professors Group should find an answer to the question why the left unity is on a decline, he added.

President of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and mp narayan Man Bijukchhe said at a time when the nation is facing a crisis the leftist academia have not been sensitive to the issues of national concern.

General secretary of the United Front Nepal and mp lila Mani Pokharel said the unity movement has been drifting away as the trend of giving importance to the ideas of certain individuals has ruled the roost and the basic policies of Marxist have been shunned.

Convenor of the National People’s Movement Coordination Committee Bhakta Bahadur Shrestha said although the Nepali leftist groups have been successful in organising street movement they have not yet been able to reach a conclusion in the interest of the people.

At the function various speakers including president of the Public Campus Association Dr. Keshav Khadka, president of annfsu hikmat Khadka, professor Bharat Pokharel, Dr. Om Gurung, Ekaraj Bhattaria, Krishna Man Palikhe, Kumar Bahadur Karki also expressed their views.

At the function presided over by Baburam Bhattarai, professors Mangal Siddi Manandhar and Mahendra Pandey were felicitated.

The conference was participated in by 350 representatives from all over the kingdom.

Kathmandu, Jan.9: A good four months after the two Himalayan Kingdoms departed agreeing to continue the talks on the festering Bhutanese refugee issue, Nepal is still awaiting Bhutan’s response on the date both sides could sit across the table.

As the two sides had earlier agreed to resume talks by the first half of January, Foreign Ministry is keeping its finger crossed whether the Dragon Kingdom would invite the Nepalese delegation to its capital by the stipulated time.

“The next round of talks was decided to be held by the first half of January,” says Murari Raj Sharma, Secretary of Foreign Ministry. “We are still waiting for the Bhutanese response.”

Turn wise, the next round of talks should take place in Bhutanese capital Thimpu following the eighth Joint Ministerial Level Committee (JMLC) meeting that took place here from September 14 to 16 last year.

Since then, Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has met his Bhutanese counterpart twice. But neither of the meetings could take a decisive turn. When he met Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigme Y. Thinley during the last UN’s General Assembly at the end of September last year, the latter told Dr. Mahat that he had not been able to discuss the issue back home after the eight round of talks due to time constraint.

The second time Mahat met the Bhutanese government was in November when he reached Thimpu to extend invitation for the 11th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit scheduled, but now postponed indefinitely, to be held in Kathmandu.

Whether the next round of talks will be the ninth JMLC meet or not remains elusive since Bhutan is yet to confirm the level of the talks. It could be, according to Foreign Ministry officials, either ministerial level talks or that involving officials of both the countries.

In either case, the talks will focus on the same knotty issue that had led to the inconclusive eighth round of talks – how to begin the process of verification of the above 100,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing in seven camps in eastern Nepal.

The verification has to do with four categories of the refugees – Bonafide Bhutanese who have been forcibly evicted, Bhutanese who have emigrated, Non Bhutanese people, and Bhutanese who have committed criminal acts — agreed during the first JMLC talks held in Kathmandu in 1993.

Trouble began since the fourth round of talks in 1994 when the two sides could not meet eye to eye on their positions on the four categories. The apple of discord was primarily the second category – Bhutanese who have emigrated – which Bhutan claimed it could not take back citing its legal provisions while Nepal pressed for the other way round.

Bhutanese refugees in exile claim that most of them were made to sign voluntary migration forms under gun point when they were forcefully evicted from the Dragon Kingdom almost a decade ago.

As both the sides stuck to their guns, there was virtually an impasse for almost three years after the seventh round of talks in 1996.

Nepalese delegates in the eight round of talks saw the light at the end of tunnel as the Bhutanese side agreed to take back the second category refugees back home “if they are found to have left their homes under compelling circumstances.”

Even then, what remains to be answered is the million dollar question: How will the verification process get underway? As foreign ministry is keeping its card close to its chest, Bhutan may come up with an idea seemingly out of the blues. Like it did during the last talk when it brought out a list, bearing around 3,000 refugees’ names prepared by the UNHCR Nepal Branch Office, and proposed that the verification be started with the same list.

The commission of the world body manages the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

“Right now Bhutan is busy flushing out the ULFA and Bodo militants from Assam who have entered the Bhutanese territory,” notes Rakesh Chhetri, a Bhutanese refugee and a noted analyst. “That’s why it may take time to chart out its strategy for the next talk.”

Kathmandu, Jan. 9:Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in co-operation with the government and World Health Organisation (WHO) today organised an orientation seminar on Role of Media for Polio Immunisation to assist the government in its campaign to eradicate the disease from the country.

The government is observing Sub-National Immunisation Day (NID) on January 15, February 27 and March 26 as a part of the WHO campaign to eradicate polio from the world by 2000. Nepal launched the campaign in 1996 with the WHO initiatives aiming to wipe out the disease from the country.

Speakers of the seminar said that media could play an important role in making the campaign effective by creating public awareness about the vaccination.

“Health education is inevitable in creating awareness among the rural people about the importance of the immunisation,” said State Minister for Information and Communications Govinda Bahadur Shah.

Minister Shah commended FNJ’s attempts to assist the government in the immunisation campaign.

From the chair, FNJ President Suresh Acharya appealed to all the working journalists to actively involve in the campaign and make it a great success.

Dr. Hukum Dev Shah, chief of Child Health Division at the Ministry of Health, said that the number of polio cases sharply decreased within the last decade. “The number came down to about three thousand by the end of 1999 from more than 35 thousand in 1988.”

He informed that under the SNID 2.4 million children were being vaccinated from 33 ‘high risk’ districts, including the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley.

Most of the Terai districts are considered high-risk areas because they are bordered with India, one of the highly polio infested countries in the world. About 85 per cent of the total polio cases are found in the Indian sub-continent.

WHO Medical Officer Dr. Jean Smith said that polio would the second disease to be eradicated from the face of the earth after smallpox that was completely wiped out from the world in 1979. “We can achieve the goal with collective efforts from all the concerned individuals and organisations.”

Kathmandu, Jan.8:  A two-day introductory training concerning the health post-level national Vitamin”A” programme organised at l0 different places in Kathmandu district under the joint sponsorship of Kathmandu District Health Office and the National Vitamin ‘A’ Programme Nepalese Technicians Group has concluded here.

The training held at Gokarna, Sangla, Dharmasthali, Ramkot, Satungal, Bishnudevi, Indrayani, Alapot and Sankhu health posts was participated by the chairmen as well as secretaries of the respective vdcs, health assistants, assistant nurse midwives, j.t.’s, j.t.a.’s, teachers at public schools and representatives of different ngos.

The training was aimed at widening the publicity campaign on the importance of Vitamin ‘A’ through various associated institutions, preparing trainers, imparting knowledge about supervision and drafting a report for the Vitamin ‘A’ programme.