Mahottari, Sept 23: Six districts in the Janakpur Zone are reeling under an acute shortage of medicines including the life saving drugs due ...
Mahottari, Sept 23: Six districts in the Janakpur Zone are reeling under an acute shortage of medicines including the life saving drugs due to an indefinite banda (shutdown) called by various groups in the Tarai.
Shambhu Prasad Bhattarai, vice chairman of the Chemists and Druggists Association (DEA), Mahottari said that districts like Sarlahi, Mahottari, Sindhuli, Dhanusa, Ramechhap and Dolakha are facing an acute shortage of the medicines.
He said that mainly the medicines required by the blood pressure, diabetes and heart patients are in short supply in particular.
"My pharmacy lacks medicines including life saving drugs for past one week," said Mandira Bhattarai, who runs a drug store in Bardibas in Mahottari.
She added that 100 patients of pressure and diabetes visiting her pharmacy on a daily basis were forced to return empty handed in lack of medicines.
Naresh Prasad Gupta, proprietor of Nishanta Pharmacy, in Gaushala, Mahottari, said that his medical store lacks saline solution too for the past 15 days, adding that store of other types of medicines is also depleting fast.
The Tarai districts have been shut for the past 40 days due to the agitation, halting the supply of medicines and daily essentials and affecting locals in various ways.
The drug entrepreneurs said that the supply of medicines has been affected due to the road blockade in main transit points in areas including Birgunj and Bhairahawa, causing the shortage. Most of the medicines are supplied from India, it is said.
"The road has been obstructed for long, thus halting the supply. It is impossible to supply the medicines by air as planes are reluctant to ferry medicines due to its full bookings," said Ganesh Prasad Sah, chairman of the DEA.
Dipendra Parajuli, chairman of the National Consumers Forum, said that medicines are very sensitive and essential things to save human life, stressing the need to make environment conducive for smooth supply. RSS
Khanidanda Airport runway crumbles
Khotang, Sept 23: The runway at the Manmaya Rai Khanidanda Airport in Khotang district has started peeling off all over although it was blacktopped some four months ago.
Furthermore, the 590-metre-long and 20-metre wide runway has also developed potholes, causing trouble in landing and takeoff of the airplanes, according to Airport Construction Consumer Committee Chairperson, Durga Prasad Ghimire.
Chairperson Ghimire said that construction of such a mediocre runway was due to the negligence of the contractor. He drew the attention of the authority concerned towards it.
The airport was built at a cost of Rs 700 million, mostly from the fund raised from the public and labor volunteered by the locals. The Chanmilga JV Construction Company was contracted for its construction.
Chief District Officer, Govinda Sapkota shared that an instruction was issued to the concerned body to repair the runaway at the earliest. "We are holding talks with the Project Chief, we take action against them if they fail to do the needful," he said. RSS
--------
Rally in Humla to welcome new constitution
Humla, Sept 23: Welcoming the promulgation of the new constitution, local people, and leaders and cadres of various political parties organised celebration rallies in various parts of the district.
Organised by the local Peace Committee, the rallies were held in Kalinchowk, Ekatachowk, Kathechuli, and Dhupi Chautara among other areas.
People from different walks of life including school teachers, traders, social workers, intellectuals and journalists participated in the rallies.
Likewise, Chief District Officer Dr Krishna Bahadur Ghimire and leaders and cadres of various political parties including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) also attended the programme. RSS
--------
Taplejung district opened from 11:00 am today
Taplejung, Sept 23: Teplejung district, which remained closed for the past three days, is opened from 11:00 am today after consensus was forged between the Federal Limbuwan Party Nepal and Taplejung Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The consensus was forged after entrepreneurs and locals urged the bodies concerned to create environment conducive to open market, saying the strike and shutdown have disturbed their business.
Chairman of Taplejung Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Taranath Ghimire, said that an understanding was made to allow opening markets and educational institutions in the district from 11:00 am in view of upcoming festivals.
Meanwhile, private schools in the district would be opened from Thursday, said Private and Boarding Schools Organisation, Nepal (PABSON), Taplejung. However, community schools and transport services would remain closed, said Taplejung Chairman of the Federal Limbuwan Party Nepal, Kirtiman Maden.
The Limbuwan Struggle Committee and Federal Limbuwan Party Nepal have called the banda (shutdown) in nine districts east of the Arun River from Sunday to protest against drafting of the new constitution without Limbuwan province. RSS
--------
Number of Influenza A patients up in Chitwan
Chitwan, Sept 23: Number of people suffering from fever, cold and cough caused by Influenza A virus has increased at different hospitals in Chitwan district due to the change in weather.
Dr Kalidas Adhikari at the Bharatpur Hospital said that now some 200 patients visit the hospital everyday while it was around 140 daily two weeks ago.
The hospital has run out of space and health workers have been treating patients keeping them on floor, said Medical Superintendent at the Hospital, Dr Keshav Raj Bhurtel.
Not only at the government hospitals, the number of patients has also increased at private hospitals and clinics, added Dr Adhikari.
Similarly, some 30 patients also visit the emergency ward at the hospital everyday with the increase in the number of the patients. People from Chitwan, Makawanpur, Nawalparasi, Tanahun, Gorkha, Bara and Parsa also visit the hospital. RSS
--------
Nepal’s constitution unique in the world: Speaker Nembang
Kathmandu, Sept 23: Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang has said the Constitution of Nepal, 2015 made from the Constituent Assembly was unparalleled in the history of the world.
Speaking in a tea reception hosted by lawmakers from the Dolakha District here on Wednesday to mark the promulgation of the new constitution from the CA, the former Chairman of the Constituent Assembly described the new constitution drafted from the CA in Nepal’s constitutional history was unique in the world.
“Nepal’s constitution which has been formulated on the basis of the long struggle of the people is unparalleled in terms of the inclusive principle,” he said, adding that it is highly inclusive as it has been signed and approved by over 85 per cent CA members from various background as some belonging to political party that launched armed struggle, the Madhes-centric parties and through the participation of the women, Muslims, linguistic communities and indigenous nationalities.
Expressing happiness over the materialization of the aspiration of the Nepali people of writing constitution by own representatives dating back to 1949, Speaker Nembang said the CA was successful in issuing the constitution because of the unity among the all the parties and the determination of the people from the mountainous, hilly and Tarai region.
“There were questions whether the constitution is delivering until the morning the day the constitution was slated to be promulgated,” he said, but we defied every odd and now the constitution is issued and there is celebration across the country.
Speaker Nembang said although there is celebration, some reservations remained in some part of the country and urged the party leaders to resolve the dissatisfaction.
Lauding the joint efforts of the Constituent Assembly members to draft the constitution, Chairman Nembang urged the lawmakers to be united and effortful to accommodate the dissenting parties.
He clarified that the new constitution was progressive as well as flexible from every angle unlike the 1990 constitution. "Although every issues raised by everyone could not be incorporated in the newly promulgated constitution, including mine, it could be amended if need be," affirmed Nembang.
Stating that it was certainly a challenge to implement the new constitution in an easy and convenient way, Nembang recalled that he was urging the disgruntled CA members till the last hour of the promulgation of the new constitution by President Dr Ram Baran Yadav.
He urged one and all for the successful implementation of the new constitution that incorporates features like the federal republic, secularism, federalism, inclusiveness and unifying quality from Terai to the Hill region. RSS
---------
