DENVER, April 22 (Xinhua) — A Tibetan delegation of the National People’s Congress of China has visited Boulder and Denver in Colorado State to enhance friendship and communication.
Heading the delegation, Qizhala, secretary of the Lhasa Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said that the friendship between Lhasa and Boulder has been consolidated since the two cities became sister cities in April 1987.
The Boulder mayor, Suzanne Jones, welcomed the delegation. She said: “We have seven sister cities, Lhasa is one of our strongest and most treasured sister city relationships.”
The two sides exchanged experience in integrating traditional industries like animal husbandry into modern ones, and developing environment-friendly industries and clear energy projects.
The delegation also met with Bill Cadman, president of Colorado Senate.
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China’s Tibet delegation visits Colorado
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Qinghai-Tibet rest stops to encourage recycling
XINING, April 24 (Xinhua) — Qinghai Province plans to open highway rest stops where motorists will be offered souvenirs in exchange for dropping off their garbage.
The eight “green posts” along a 420-km stretch of the Qinghai-Tibet highway are intended to curb littering on the key artery.
The rest areas will offer free hot water, wifi, phone charging and toilets, said Yang Xin, head of Greenriver, an NGO that is helping the local government with the initiative. Greenriver volunteers will collect the trash and take it to Qinghai’s Golmud City for recycling.
The rest stops will cost more than 5.5 million yuan (846,000 U.S. dollars) to build, and 910,000 yuan to run per year, jointly footed by the Golmud government and donations, said Yang.
Stretching about 2,000 km, the Qinghai-Tibet highway links Qinghai’s capital Xining with Tibetan capital Lhasa. It runs through a number of major nature reserves.
In 2013, about 160,000 pieces of garbage were found in a busy section of the highway. “This garbage damages the local environment and poses a great danger to wild animals along the highway,” said Yang.
Sources with the Golmud city government said the green posts, if successful, will be established on other highways on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. -
Guangzhou to host World Routes 2018
Guangzhou, the third largest city in China and capital of Guangdong Province, has won a highly competitive bid to host the World Routes air service development forum in 2018.
World Routes is a unique event that moves from city to city every year to highlight different international aviation markets. It is the only route development forum that brings together aviation professionals to discuss new air services on a global scale.
The 24th annual World Routes forum will be hosted by Guangdong Airport Authority, the operator of the third busiest airport in China -Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Around 3,000 of the most senior decision makers from 300 airlines, 700 airports and 130 tourism authorities are expected to attend the event.
Founded in 214 BC, Guangzhou is an historic port on the Pearl River near the South China Sea. Known for its perennial blooming plants, the‘City of Flowers’ has been an integral part of Guangdong Province’s economic boom since the 1990s. The largest importer and exporter in China with a nominal GDP of 6.779 trillion yuan (US$1.104 trillion), Guangdong contributes towards 12% of China’s national economic output.
Guangzhou has cultivated a thriving conference industry since the first biannual China Import and Export Fair (also known as the Canton Fair) was held in 1957. The largest international trade event in China, each fair attracts 200,000 visitors from over 200 countries to generate a gross turnover of US$20 billion.
World Routes 2018 will support Guangzhou’s economic development by bringing the international aviation industry to the city. It is a major opportunity to showcase Guangzhou’s commercial strength and the expansion of Baiyun International Airport, which has gained 67 newinternational services since 2011 including San Francisco, Frankfurt, Rome, Moscow and London.
A second terminal is being constructed at Baiyun International Airport to increase the airport’s maximum annual capacity to 80 million passengers (it currently handles 55 million a year) when it opens in 2017. The long-term aim is for the airport to have five runways and three terminals to handle 62,000 flights, 100 million passengers and three million tons of cargo a year.
World Routes 2018 will also support President Xi Jinping’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. The purpose of One Belt, One Road is to create a modern day Silk Road from China through to Central and Western Asia, the Middle East and Europe; strengthening the country’s trade relations through greater international connections by air, land and sea.
Katie Bland, Director of Routes, said: “China is the world’s second largest aviation market and it is continuing to grow. By 2034 it will have overtaken the USA as the busiest market with 1.196 billion passengers a year.
“Within China, Guangzhou is a powerful driving force of the national economy. It is taking a leading role in China’s national strategy to improve international transport connections so it is an excellent destination for the world’s aviation industry.”
Mr. Zhang Kejian, Chairman of the Board, Guangdong Airport Authority, said: “The development of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport as a giant international air hub is an essential part of the national Chinese strategy to enhance the status of its civil aviation from ‘large’ to ‘powerful’.
“Taking the great opportunity of hosting World Routes 2018 will definitely improve Baiyun Airport’s international connections, further boost national and regional economic and social development, enhance the core city status of Guangzhou in China, as well as promote the development of the world-class city group in the Pearl River Delta.”
The Guangzhou event will be the third World Routes to be held in China. Chengdu will host World Routes 2016 in September and Beijing hosted World Routes 2009. -
JICA’s seamless assistance for earthquake recovery and reconstruction
To illustrate the overview of activities for reconstruction and rehabilitation after Nepal Earthquake by Government of Nepal with support from Japan and discuss on expediting the reconstruction, National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) organized ” Build Back Better and Resilience Workshop on 1 Year Memorial of Nepal Earthquake” in Kathmandu on 25th April 2016.
In the workshop JICA presented its activities and future prospects of its assistance with attendance by Mr. Hiroshi Kato, Vice President of JICA and H.E. Masashi Ogawa, Ambassador of Japan to Nepal. With the completion of 1 year of Nepal earthquake, JICA has completed several recovery activities in earthquake affected area. In education sector, JICA rehabilitated 60 classroom blocks and other 90 schools in Dhading, Gorkha and Nuwakot district are targeted. Additionally, 80 schools will be reconstructed in Gorkha, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, and Makwanpur district from the end of April 2016. In the housing sector, JICA is assisting in rebuilding houses in compliance to earthquake resistant standards in Sindhupalchowk and Gorkha. Along with Nepal Government, JICA has produced guidebook for reconstruction of earthquake resistant houses and till the date, 403 masons and 1012 households have been trained for safer housing. Similarly, JICA completed emergency recovery of partially damaged section of Sindhuli and Kathmandu Bhaktapur Road. JICA already implemented couple of quick impact projects for livelihood support in Sindhupalchowk and Gorkha that includes the construction of women training center in Chautara and VDC office of Thokarpa.
Furthermore, reconstruction of Bir Hospital and Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, replacement of water transmission pipeline in Sindhupalchowk and bridge construction in Gorkha are some pipeline projects in infrastructure sector.
In the workshop, Mr. Ram Prasad Thapalia, Joint Secretary of NRA had a presentation regarding reconstruction policy and accomplishment. Similarly, there was presentation by Dr. Satoru Nishikawa, Executive Director of Research, Japan Center for Area Development Research and Prof. Masashiko Murata, Kansai University of International Studies. The presentation was followed by the panel discussion on “Expediting further the recovery and reconstruction”
In total JICA assisted 32 billion Japanese Yen for reconstruction and rehabilitation work. We, JICA in cooperation with NRA would like to ensure the expedition on recovery and rehabilitation project for maximum support to earthquake victim said the press release. -
Novoair soon to operate Dhaka-Kathmandu flights
The government has granted operation authorization to Dhaka-based Novoair to operate flights between the Bangladeshi capital and Kathmandu, less than a month after another Bangladeshi carrier US-Bangla Airlines received s similar permit.
Novoair, which plans to start services in June, has been allocated 850 seats per week on the Kathmandu-Dhaka route, said Pramod Nepal, under secretary at the Tourism Ministry.
The carrier was established in October 2001 and began international flights in December 2015. Kathmandu will be its second international destination after Myanmar. Novoair’s fleet consists of three Embraer ERJ 145 and three ATR 72-500 aircraft.
Meanwhile, US-Bangla Airlines has postponed the launch of its Kathmandu service to mid-May. It had originally planned to start flights in April. International air passenger traffic through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) dropped for the first time in 13 years as travellers stayed away due to the April earthquake last year and jet fuel shortage caused by an Indian trade embargo. -
The embassy of Japan’s message to mark 1st anniversary of Gorkha earthquake
On the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the devastating Gorkha earthquake, the Embassy of Japan would like to extend deep condolences and heartfelt sympathy to all the victims of the disaster.
The Government of Japan and JICA have already started the support to the National Reconstruction Authority, in cooperation with other international donors, to reconstruct damaged houses and school buildings in the most damaged districts. As a true friend of Nepal, the Government of Japan is fully committed to support the socio-economic development of Nepal, by especially focusing on earthquake reconstruction work.
A series of strong earthquakes which hit Japan in this April caused big damage to Kumamoto and Oita Prefectures in Japan. On this occasion, the Embassy of Japan would like to express sincere appreciation to the Government of Nepal and its people for their warm support to the suffered people in the two prefectures. -
NT launching 4G next year
Nepal Telecom (NT) plans to launch the fourth generation (4G) mobile telecommunications technology from the next fiscal year.
The state-run telecom company has already sought approval from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to start the 4G service.
Introduction of the 4G service is part of NT’s new roadmap, which aims at improving service quality and expansion. NT will also expand its 3G service across the country, as per its new roadmap. “It has been more than a year since we requested the NTA to allow us to launch the 4G service,” said NT Managing Director Buddhi Prasad Acharya. “We will kick start the expansion as soon as we get the approval.”
Nepal Telecom on Wednesday presented the roadmap for improving the quality of its services, by making the organisation more competitive and winning the customers’ trust and confidence. The roadmap was unveiled at the presence of Minister for Information and Communications Sherdhan Rai.
On the occasion, Minister Rai said efforts were underway to make the NT services widely accessible and to prove it as a reliable and quality telecom service provider. He urged the company to come up with a new scheme for the benefits of its customers. He also urged the employees of the ministry’s subordinate bodies to remain accountable to duties and offices. -
KMC online service in July
Service seekers can apply and receive services from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) online, beginning from July 16, according to Chief and Executive Officer Rudra Singh Tamang.
“As Kathmandu is the capital city, we plan to take all of its administrative and service delivery process into a paperless e-governance system,” Tamang said.
According to KMC, piloting of Municipal Administration and Revenue System will be conducted in six wards of the metropolis by mid-June and expanded to all 35 wards by mid-July depending upon the results of the experiment.
The KMC has allocated Rs67.5 million for installing MARS in the metropolis for this fiscal year, with the Asian Development Bank providing a financial aid of Rs90 million.
MARS team leader Lasse Laaksonen said that the system helps in linking the public with services through citizen interface system, provides internal messages, keeps unified records of programmes, and provides figures on city’s performance indicators, among others.
The project’s Financial Analyst Sandip Acharya and Senior Systems Analyst Samar Basnet said that information on current works of KMC’s wards and their progress can be directly monitored and evaluated by central officials through the system, which would help in employee management and drafting of effective plans and policies.
Earlier, a field survey conducted by the KMC last November had found that only 45.3 percent of the service seekers were satisfied with its services with a whopping 66.6 percent of the respondents saying they had been kept in the dark regarding the metropolis’ project selection and implementation procedures. Forty-four percent of respondents said they had doubts over service delivery from the municipality. A majority of the people said the lack of information regarding the services along with misplacement and disappearance of files are recurring problems they face while visiting the municipality office.
The metropolis provides a host of services such as issuing house construction permits, collecting taxes, registering births, deaths and marriages, collecting garbage, preparing documents for scholarships and recommending for citizenship certificates, etc, to its residents in 35 Wards. Service seekers have to visit the KMC’s central office at Sundhara or its 35 Ward offices for the services. -
Sajha bringing 30 disabled-friendly bus
Sajha Yatayat Cooperative is preparing to introduce 30 disabled-friendly buses in Kathmandu Valley. Sajha has already signed an agreement with the Indian automobile manufacturing company, Ashok Leyland.
The vehicles are expected to arrive by the last week of August, said Mahendra Raj Pandeya, Sajha manager. He added that Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) was investing Rs 100 million to introduce the disabled-friendly vehicles in the Valley as per the agreement that was reached earlier. The KMC has already provided the fund to Sajha. -
State of a beautiful country
By Kushal Thapa
Nepal is a beautiful country but all the people living in this beautiful country are not beautiful and some of them are even evil. The bureaucrats, politicians, leaders and many people who matters the most to the country and its people are all corrupt. Nepal could definitely have been the nicest place to live on this Earth but that’s not the case and will still not be for many years to come, until and unless people change and bring about a change in the system.
The bureaucratic process of Nepal is very slow and clumsy and least bothered about the people and the things happening in the country. All the officials care about is their post, power and money. We can take the example of the earthquake. It has already been a year since the devastating earthquake struck Nepal. The devastation it caused was huge. The quake killed nearly 9,000 people while damaging or destroying almost 800,000 homes and leaving people homeless. Even after a year, the earthquake victims are still homeless despite the fact that large amount of funds, relief materials and other aid were donated to the government by many foreign countries. But those materials and funds still have not been distributed to the victims by the government. I hope that they did not distribute these funds among themselves. If the government cannot even build a shelter for the quake victim in one year’s time then we can forget about other development works and stop expecting anything from the government.
The government is still sleeping despite the wakeup call. It has done almost nothing to prepare itself from getting hit by another quake. What the self-centred government doesn’t understand is that, their money, power, authority etc… does not help much if we are not prepared and another big one hits us. Because an earthquake can hit anyone, any time and it doesn’t care about money, wealth or power. So, if they prepare themselves and the people for another quake then it would be good for both the sides and would help save a lot of lives.
Besides earthquake, there are other problems which show Nepal is governed by wrong, corrupted set of people. Problem of load shedding, lack of proper drinking water, lack of proper transport system, lack of proper health facility and hospitals, poverty in the country etc…. all shows that everything is wrong in the country because even the basic needs – food, clothes & shelter – have not been met. People in Nepal are so corrupt that more than half of the fund given for development activities vanishes even before the project starts. The word “honesty” doesn’t seem to exist in the lexicon of this set of people.
Oh and I nearly forgot to mention that after the unofficial blockade by our so called neighbouring country, Nepalese have got new job of black-marketing, which can make them overnight millionaires. They have become so good at it that they can even create fake crisis in the market and sell their products especially the cooking gas and petroleum product. And no one seems to be doing anything about this, just forget about stopping it.
So, this is the state of this beautiful country. If all the people were honest, sincere to their work and were not greedy then this country would have been a better place to live. But corruption, greediness, dishonesty etc… are stopping this country from developing and pulling the country downwards.
I wish Nepal could have a system like some of the other stricter countries where corrupted people are given harsh punishment and maybe only then the corruption level in Nepal would be reduced.
I remember my brother, a doctor currently working in USA with his wife and a 2 year old daughter said he with his family wanted to come back to Nepal after working over there for a few years but was confused whether to stay there or to come back to Nepal due to certain things like load shedding, no drinking water, lack of proper system, poor transportation, lack of job opportunities, pollution etc… I wish I could have confidently told him to return to his own country and work over here. But besides family, I had no better reason to give him to make him come back. I am not worried about the absence of a family member but very much pained by the the loss of two very intelligent and qualified medical personnel who are very necessary for a poor but beautiful country like ours.