Winter relief package yet to reach the needy

Jan 10, 2016- While people affected by the April 25 earthquake endure biting cold in their fragile tents, there are no signs of winter relief package reaching them anytime soon.

The government last Saturday said it had instructed local authorities to complete distribution of winter relief package of Rs10,000 “within 10 days at any cost”, but chief district officers (CDOs) of quake-affected districts have said there are multiple reasons for not being able to do so. As a result, quake survivors are facing a hard time with the shaky structures they are living in hardly offering any protection against cold.

Some of the CDOs said it was due to delay on the part of the Ministry of Home Affairs in releasing fund. 

In some cases, according to CDOs, “politics has taken a toll” on quake victims, as the issue of who should get quake victim IDs has been hugely politicised. Local politicians are said to have been mounting pressure on local authorities to issue quake victim IDs to those whom locals recommend and identify as victims.

“We have requested the ministry, twice, demanding early release of the fund, but in vain,” said Gorkha CDO Uddhav Timalsina. 

Gorkha District Administration Office, which has already distributed Rs 400 million to quake victims as winter relief, is in need of more fund as there many quake survivors have not received the package yet. “We need additional Rs 300 million,” he said. 

In Rasuwa, political parties have put pressure on government teams, which are deployed to distribute relief, to issue quake victim IDs to additional households in Dhaibang and Gatlang. 

“Local political parties 

did not let our teams 

distribute relief, saying more households should be included in the victims’ list,” said Rasuwa CDO Shiva Ram Gelal. “The teams now have returned to the district 

headquarters.” 

Over 200 households have applied at VDC offices, demanding that they be included in the victims’ list and provided with Rs 15,000 that the government had earlier distributed to the victims immediately after the earthquake.

Dolakha CDO Devendra Lamichhane said winter relief package distribution was affected after the government delayed in releasing additional fund. “Around 

Rs 650 million which was released earlier has already been distributed. We need additional Rs 200 million,” said Lamichhane. 

Home Ministry Joint-Secretary Rameshwor Dangal, who also heads the disaster management department, said the increasing number of quake victims has complicated relief distribution. The number of quake-affected households, which was estimated to be around 600,000 while distributing immediate cash relief, has now crossed the 700,000 mark. 

In some places, officials said, there have been cases 

of former joint families 

registering their names as separate households, making it difficult for the government teams to distribute relief in a proper way. 

After discrepancies surfaced, the government has asked the Central Bureau of Statistics to conduct fresh 

census in quake-hit districts to figure out the exact number of people who were affected by the tremor.

Source: The Kathmandu Post

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China hospital demolished 'with people inside'

Jan 9, 2016- A hospital in China has been bulldozed while still in use, reportedly causing doctors inside to flee and burying six bodies from its morgue under rubble, state media say.

The Number Four Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan province was partially demolished on Thursday amid a land dispute, Xinhua news agency said.

Hospital staff told reporters equipment worth over $600,000 was damaged.

The case has sparked outrage in China, where forced demolitions are common.

Doctors told local media that several men in camouflage uniforms showed up at the hospital, in Huiji district, on Thursday, and began bulldozing the building.

Liu Chunguang, director of the hospital's radiology department, told Xinhua news agency he was examining a patient when the demolition took place.

"A gaping hole appeared - the patient was half-scared to death, and ran out."

Source: The Kathmanu Post

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FIFA ranking: Nepal plunges 4 places down

Jan 7, 2016- Nepal have slipped to its worst Fifa ranking of 196th, according to the recent FIFA ranking published on Thursday.

Earlier, Nepal were ranked 192nd. The slip in current position is due to Nepal's failure to win a single match in Saff Championship last month.

Nepal have not won a single football game in last two years.

The highest Fifa ranking for Nepal is 137th.

With this, Nepal rank the lowest among South Asian countries.

Afghanistan at 153 lead South Asian table followed by Maldives at 157, India at 163, Bangladesh at 179, Pakistan at 155, Sri Lanka at 188 and Bhutan at 192.

Belgium are currently at the helm of Fifa rankings.

Source: The Kathmandu Post

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'Fast and Furious 8' may be filmed in Cuba

Jan 8, 2016- The eighth film in the "Fast and Furious" franchise may shoot in Cuba.

Multiple sources say that F. Gary Gray, the director of "Fast and Furious 8", recently returned from a scouting trip which included the previously embargoed nation, reports hollywoodreporter.com. 

In addition, the sources explain that the production has moved forward with the paperwork to shoot there. 

"Universal Pictures is currently in the process seeking approval from the United States and Cuban governments to explore shooting a portion of the next installment of the 'Fast & Furious' series in Cuba," read a statement from the studio. 

If it is approved, the street-racing movie will be the first Hollywood film to shoot on the island since the embargo in the 1960s. 

Vin Diesel will return as the lead actor in the movie. 

He will be joined by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, with Jason Statham and Kurt Russell expected to return. 

"Fast and Furious 8" will be released in North America on April 14, 2017. 

Source: The Kathmandu Post

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Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris 'not living together'

Jan 7, 2016- Singer Taylor Swift and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris are not living together, a spokesperson for "Bad blood" hitmaker has confirmed.

On Monday, a report claimed that the duo had moved into the Harris's home, but a spokesperson for Swift has revealed that "they are absolutely not living together", reports people.com. 

Over the holidays, the couple spent time with Swift's family in Vail, Colorado, where they built a snowman with the singer's younger brother Austin. 

On New Year's Eve, Swift was spotted cheering her boyfriend while he performed at Omnia nightclub in Las Vegas. 

“They are happy and in no rush to settle down,” added another source. 

On the work front, Swift, who received seven Grammy Award nominations for her “1989" album, released her new "Out of the woods" video on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" hosted by Ryan Seacrest last week. 

Source: The Kathmandu Post

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Not enough roads for Valley vehicles

Jan 9, 2016- Total length of vehicles operating in the Kathmandu Valley is greater than the length of roads, traffic police said. The length of the roads is 4.8 million feet whereas length of vehicles is 7.2 million feet. 

Speaking at an event on traffic awareness held in the city on Saturday, DIG Jaya Bahadur Chand of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division informed that since 1995, only 300 kilometres of road has been extended in the Valley whereas the number of vehicles has increased to 828,000 from 78,000. 

Furthermore, Chand stressed on the need to change the behaviour of Valley denizens for solving issues related to traffic. According to the MTPD, 1,200 traffic police take action against 1,800 people daily while 600,000 are punished annually. 

Economist Bishwambhar Pyakurel highlighted that there has been an increase in number of accidents by 14% and on average five to seven people die in road mishaps every day with the maximum number of deceased falling under the age group between14-29. 

 

According to Pyakurel the impact of traffic education imparted to 30000 children should also be studied. 

Source: The Kathmandu Post

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Rule breach still a common sight on Capital’s roads

Dec 30, 2015- Despite traffic police claiming to have scaled up scrutiny of rule violations in Kathmandu Valley, sights of more than two people riding pillion on motorcycles and small vehicles carrying passengers on the roof were all too common until Tuesday.

Having relaxed the traffic rules for over three months in view of the acute fuel shortage, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division had vowed to keep tab on traffic rule violators following the rise in the number of vehicles plying the city roads. A total of 148 vehicles were even fined for violating traffic rules on Monday.

But in lack of alternatives, commuters and vehicle operators continue to disregard traffic rules. The government’s failure to ensure the smooth supply of fuel has forced most vehicles off the road. The Nepal Oil Corporation has been rationing diesel to public vehicles while private vehicles have to wait for occasional distributions of fuel from the state-owned petroleum supplier.

Nevertheless, a relative ease in vehicular traffic at border points has led to the increase in fuel imports has brought more public vehicles back to the roads, while the thriving black market is pumping fuel to motorbikes and private vehicles.

“Currently, 75 percent of private and 60 percent of public vehicles are operating on the streets,” spokesman at MTPD SP Posh Raj Pokharel said, referring to traffic statistics. That was a considerable rise on last month’s figures when only 35 percent of total vehicles were plying the Valley roads.

“Safety of public cannot be compromised forever. Small vehicles like micro and mini buses have flimsy roofs and cannot support heavy loads,” Pokharel said, adding that big buses, however, would be let to carry people on the roof for the time being.

But one traffic police on duty on Ring Road said that despite instruction from the MTPD to check on traffic rule violations, he has been ignoring such incidences. “How can I ask people to get off the bus roof when they have to reach places on time but have no option?” he asked, requesting anonimity. “Most of the commuters in public vehicles are students and jobholders and they are always in rush.”

Source: The Kathmanu Post

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