Patan Museum Revisited #120 22 - 28 November 2002 16 pages Rs 25 p8-9 ” EXCLUSIVE Pandey meets press Newly appointed information minister, Ramesh Nath Pandey, spoke to media Thursday Famine by February at the Reporters’ Club. Western Nepal is running out of food. His remarks: MOHAN MAINALI in BAJURA Political deadlock: CENTRE FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ “Major political parties should support the unger doesn’t make headlines, war does. The deaths government to restore of over a hundred policemen and Maoists in the law and order and hold H Jumla battle last week was big news for the papers in parliamentary and local elections.” faraway Kathmandu. But here, in the remote hills of Talks with Maoists: “We can resolve western Nepal and away from the glare of media, this problem through quiet diplomacy. If hundreds of thousands of Nepalis face an imminent and we resort to diplomacy via media then ALL PICSMOHANMAINALI catastrophic food shortage. If nothing is done now, local we will be in the same situation as last year. We have to show that we can officials warn, there will be famine by Feburary across resolve this problem ourselves.” these hills. The king’s role: “His Majesty is fully There are many reasons: the food blockade by the committed to work with the political security forces, the Maoists looting what little the farmers The fallow terraces at Pandusen, only tractors can ply on the rough road to from Doti to Sanfebagar, the airport at parties and towards multi-party democ- have, the worst drought in 50 years, roads and bridges not Kolti destroyed in April, and (below) a young woman loads salt on a cattle caravan at Sanfebagar. racy, but that can flourish only if there is maintained regularly. stability.” The effects of malnutrition can already be seen in the The role of the political parties: another seven days. oil, instant noodles. “We have to walk barefoot, we have children. Able-bodied men have migrated to find work, to “Political parties are the lifeline of a The “food for work” programme had in the past nothing to eat, we are back in the stone age,” says Jasiram escape forced recruitment by the Maoists, and avoid democratic system. the present prob- provided grain to the neediest farmers. But after the Shahani, a shopkeeper here. lems in the country can’t be resolved by being caught in security dragnets. Only the children, Maoists looted godowns, the programme has been stopped. The food blockade has hit the local people more than destroying that role.” women and elderly remain, and they are all hungry. Then the Maoists destroyed both Sanfebagar and Kolti the Maoists. A villager in Pandusen told us: “The Maoists On the media: “The government has no “We are all going to starve to death this year, that’s for airports, and roads are blocked due to security reasons. come in groups and force us to feed them at gunpoint. They intention of restricting press freedom.” sure,” 82-year-old Surya Prasad Giri at Kolti village tells Even if the situation improved, the road from Doti to don’t care whether we have enough food.” The Maoists also visiting reporters. “Please take this message out, journalist Sanfebagar is in such a bad state that only tractors can ask for a grain tax from farmers who have no cash, and sir.” Officials in charge of the regional administrative make it. What little food there is in Sanfebagar moves on they are forced to five ten pathis of grain per household offices in Dipayal and Surkhet seem oblivious of the Weekly Internet Poll # 60 human back, or is transported by mules, sheep or even to feed the proposed rebel barrack in the hills of Kandha. looming calamity. Q. Do you support US military aid to Nepal? cattle to Martadi. Along the route, there are no police or At Kolti, we see the charred hulk of the airport Locals say this year’s meagre harvest of rice, kodo and army to be seen. Maoists from Accham often raid con- control tower, the remains of the NFC godown, the karu will last them a few more months. When we ask Giri voys, in September they looted rice ferried on 100 mules. government buildings that have what will happen after that, he looks up to the sky and Now, to prevent food from falling into the hands of been torched in the past six shrugs: “We will eat poison plants. There is plenty of that Editorial p2 Maoists, the security forces allow only small quotas of months. And then we see a up in the mountains.” Let’s get this food on a weekly basis by private traders. But the margins Maoist grafitti scrawled along the In village after village in these rugged mountains we hear over with are too small for the merchants to want to make the side of a building: “Let’s con- tales of struggle, survival, and despair. Food grain produc- dangerous eight-day roundtrip from Sanphebagar. It’s struct physical infrastructure in the base areas.” tion in the district is down by 60 percent because of the not just food that is To avoid a serious famine here, the road from Doti to Total votes: 2,493 drought, according to the District Agriculture Office in stopped, the security Bajura has to be repaired immediately. It is the lifeline not Bajura. “We can’t grow rice here, but this year the drought Weekly Internet Poll # 61. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com personnel have also just for Bajura, but for Mugu and Humla as well. Security is Q. Did the political parties make a mistake by not even destroyed the kodo and the bears came and ate up the banned batteries, needed so food can move up. If that is not possible, the joining the council of ministers? maize crop,” says Harka Bogati, pointing at his fallow canvas shoes, cooking food should be escorted and distributed by human rights CORRECTION fields. The out-migration of able-bodied men also means and relief organisations. Due to a layout error, the result of the Nepali Times/Nepalnews.com there is no one to farm the terraces. poll in the hardcopy version of Nepali Times # 119 carried a mistake in And, finally, western Nepal needs a government that the pie chart. The corrected chart is given below. “The number of people, especially The error is deeply regretted. - Editor cares. Giri’s message: “They have never come to see our from northern Bajura leaving for Q. Which of the following offers the best solution hardships since Kolti was destroyed by the Maoists. other parts of the country as well to the present political impasse: Why did they join the public as India is on the rise,” says service if they Mukti Narayan Bhandari, at the don’t care?” ! CDO office in Bajura which estimates that a quarter of the region’s population of 800,000 has already left. Total votes: 1,885 Southern Bajura is slightly better constituent assembly elections reinstatement of parliament off because of access and soil conditions. interim all-party government But even here, the fertilisers have not none of the above arrived this year and much of the stored high- yield seeds have been eaten. “Next year looks very bleak,” concludes Bhandari. The district suffers an annual shortfall of 7,800 tons of grain. The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) could only get 780 tons to the district last year. This year there won’t even be that. The local NFC depot in Martadi hasn’t received a single grain of food this year, and there is now only enough subsidised rice to last 222 EDITORIAL 22 - 28 NOVEMBER 2002 NEPALI TIMES LETTERS 22 - 28 NOVEMBER 2002 NEPALI TIMES 333 Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Design: Kiran Maharjan PEACENIKS must do everything to defeat your editorial (“Un-united taken then and now is [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com FOUR WHEELS GOOD Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] I was uncomfortable with the our own “axis of evil”, including nation” # 118) where you touching but I wanted to Subscription: Anil Karki [email protected] slightly derisive tone of accepting aid from the US and quoted sacked Sher Bahadur know more about Mr Berger Regarding the quest of a constituent assembly, CK Lal states Sales: Sudan Bista [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur Bhagirath Yogi’s piece on Britain for weapons. I am using Deuba claiming to be “the best as well, along with his Nepali that everything such an assembly can do “a sovereign GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-543333-7, Fax: 01-521013 your online edition “Peaceniks a fake name to protect myself prime minister Nepal ever had subjects. For example, his parliament can do better” (“Four wheels of democracy”, Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hattiban: 01-547018/17 on warpath” (#119). Although and family from Maoist and will ever have”. However, I own family life, his children #118). First of all, a parliament would need the correspondent he has tried to be fair in the murderers. felt a pang of pity for us or lack of them and their mandate from the electorate. A normal parliament, like a article, the headline and box ìPlinyî, Balaju Nepalis. If this is the best we occupation. Or, at least, the renewed or a newly elected one, doesn’t have this clear LET ’S GET THIS OVER WITH “Revolutionary roadshow” can get to lead the nation when number of books he has commission and thus lacks legitimacy.