Nepal

Kathmandu, June 20

The Meteorological Forecasting Division officially declared the onset of monsoon in Nepal today, after a delay of 10 days from the normal date.

Monsoon usually enters Nepal on June 10 and withdraws on September 23. Last year, the country welcomed monsoon on June 8, two days ahead of the normal date. &Monsoon has entered Nepal after a delay of 10 days from the eastern region of the country and is in the process of gradually advancing towards the western region.

&It may take a few days for the active monsoon to spread across the country bringing plenty of rain,& read a special weather bulletin issued by the MFD.

The period of four months between June and September is generally called the South Asian Monsoon in Nepal. Once monsoon enters from the eastern region, it makes westward advancement through the central region to the remaining parts of the country, in a few days. Monsoon lasts for an average of 105 days.

&Nepal receives 80 per cent of annual rainfall on an average during the monsoon, which originates in the Bay of Bengal and moves along the southern flanks of the Himalayas. The average annual rainfall in Nepal is 1,600 mm but it varies from place to place, depending on climatic conditions,& read the bulletin.

The period between June and September is called southwest monsoon season.

&As per the forecast of the14th session of South Asian Climate Outlook Forum held in Kathmandu on April 18-23, below-normal rainfall is likely to occur in western parts of Provinces 1, 2, 3 and 5. Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces will receive normal rainfall,& the bulletin stated.

SASCOF had developed a consensus outlook through an assessment of experts on the prevailing global climate conditions and forecasts from different climate models around the world.

Currently, weak El Niño conditions are prevailing over the Pacific Ocean and there is strong consensus among experts about the possibility of further weakening of these conditions during the latter phase of the monsoon season, SASCOF said in its report.

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Kathmandu, June 19

A complaint has been filed at the Nepal Medical Council recently, alleging that non-medical practitioners are working as specialists in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics department at Patan Academy of Health Sciences.

Nepal Dental Association has filed the case at NMC notifying the Ministry of Health and Population, Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Central Investigation Bureau, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, and Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedic Association of Nepal.

&We have often noticed non-medical practitioners providing services to the patients in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics department. We have informed the hospital about it. We decided to file a case as the hospital turned a deaf ear to our notifications,& said the President of Nepal Dental Association Pravindra Adhikari.

It is mandatory to have a MDS qualification to work as a specialist in the field.

&There aren&t any non-medical practitioners in the department working as specialists. Some of the assistants could have helped the specialists,& said Bishnu Sharma, director at PAHS.

The Ethical Committee of the Nepal Medical Council will be looking into the case. &If the allegation is found to be true, action will be taken against the persons involved and the organisation,& said one of the NMC members.

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KATHMANDU: Lakheys were dancing. People were playing dhime and swaying their bodies to the tune. They were chanting and walking united.

Thousands of people gathered yesterday at Maitighar Mandala demanding the government to scrap the controversial Guthi Bill, in a peaceful rally which looked more like a cultural fest, one of its kind.

Protesters dance dressed in a ‘lakhey& attire during the protest against the Guthi Bill, near Maitighar, Kathmandu, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT

The Guthi Bill against which people from the Newar community, along with others, have been protesting for two weeks was withdrawn by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation on June 18.

However, doubting the intention of the government and seeing the possibility that it might be presented in the parliament again, Kathmandu denizens came out into the streets calling for scrapping of the bill.

&Lawmakers should respect the diversity of our country. They have to leave their ingrained biases and treat every culture equally,& said Pabitra Kasa, Secretary of Nepal Lipi Guthi, Jyatha. Kasa added that the government should rather act as a watchdog to make sure that the guthis are functioning efficiently but they should not interfere and take the rights of guthiyars as it will bring threaten the culture of Nepali people.

Protesters carry satirical poster at the protest against the Guthi Bill, in Kathmandu, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Photo: Nishant Pokhrel/THT Online

Archana Maharjan, a member of Naya Bazaar Yuva Organisation echoed the same views. &If guthi is gone, our identity will be gone too. Scrap the bill and make a new one by involving the locals, stakeholders, guthiyars, and experts,& said Maharjan.

Dhiraj Khatri, a student from Kadaghari conveyed that every Nepali should be inquisitive about this bill. &The guthis were in existence even before our country was formed. It is the duty of every Nepali to protect their identity which guthis have been preserving,& shared agitated Khatri who demanded a permanent termination of the bill.

A group of people from the Sherpa community extending their support to the protest. Photo: Nishant Pokhrel/THT Online

&From birth to death, guthi plays a key role in everyonelife. The government should scrap this bill as it devalues guthi,& shared Temdi Sherpa, Chairman of Sanghiya Sherpa Sangh. Calling for a complete change in the bill, Sherpa was of the opinion that the government should understand the value of guthi and make a new bill respecting the sentiments of the people.

Meanwhile, the protestors who were chanting various slogans also made sure that the protest was held in an organised and responsible manner. The volunteers were deployed to pick-up and dispose of the waste generated during the protest, immediately. Drinking water services were also available for the people protesting in the heat.

A group of volunteers disposing of the waste produced in the protest. Photo: Ankit Khadgi/ THT Online

A man providing drinking water in traditional ‘gagri& to protesters at Maitighar Mandala, on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Photo: Nishant Pokhrel/THT Online

The protestors were also found dancing and chanting the slogans in Nepal Bhasa to showcase their love for their culture.

&This is not only a protest. This is a way through which we want the government to know how much we love our culture,& said Binod Awale from Patan who was also a part of the protest. &A few years ago, they brought a bill which was of a similar nature. They have done that again. We need to make sure that the bill gets scrapped to aware lawmakers that they cannot pass any kind of arbitrary laws,& Awale added.

The bill has been in the news for some weeks now as the critics believe that the government is disdaining the significance of guthis by converting all of the private guthis into public property and ending the role of current trustees.

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Kathmandu, June 20

Opposition leaders flayed the KP Sharma Oli-led government in the House of Representatives today for ‘bringing bills to curtail peoplereligious and cultural freedom, freedom of expression, press freedom and powers of the National Human Rights Commission.

Taking part in the debate on Appropriation Bill in the House of Representatives today, Nepali Congress leader Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar said Oli should take moral responsibility for bringing the Guthi Bill in contravention of the spirit of the constitution and should resign on moral grounds.

Lauding the role of journalists during Panchayat regime and royal takeover in 2005, Gachhadar said the government was trying to punish those who faced all kinds of adversities to herald and promote democracy. &Why should the government bring the Information Technology and Nepal Media Council Bill Why is the government jailing journalists& he wondered. He added that crackdown on media professionals was no different from the one during the Panchayat regime. Gachhadar also criticised the government for trying to curtail powers of the NHRC.

He said Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara should have allowed Leader of Opposition Sher Bahadur Deuba to speak in the House before the PM on Tuesday, as that was the precedent set by former speaker Damannath Dhungana. &The PM can always address the House, but as per the precedent and parliamentary norms, the House belongs to the opposition and the leader of opposition should be given priority. The PM could have easily responded to Deubaquestions later,& Gachhadar added.

Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal lawmaker Mahantha Thakur also accused the government of attempting to curtail peoplerights by framing controversial laws. &There are cases around the world where the Parliamentfailure to check excesses of executive led to the rise of tyranny. I fear that our country is sliding in that direction,& he said.

Thakur said all the laws being enacted these days had some provisions that were aimed at curtailing peoples& rights.

He added that Madhesi forces opposed the constitution because it created divisions between communities and regions, particularly between the hills and the Madhes. Thakur said the centre had allocated less budget for the development of Madhes and had failed to ensure representation by population. &Madhes is being treated like a colony,& he added.

Thakur claimed that a lot of people who participated in Madhes movements were facing false charges. &The government has indicted even those who were not present at protest sites and those who were working in Malaysia,& he claimed. He added that the government should make public the Girish Chandra Lal Commissionreport and punish the guilty accordingly.

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