NEW INDIAN AMBASSADOR JAYANT PRASAD ARRIVES THURSDAY

NEW INDIAN ENVOY ARRIVES THURSDAY

Kathmandu, 24 Aug.: Indian ambassador-designate Jayant Prasad arrives Thursday to take up his assignment.
Prasad succeeds Rakesh Sood who has been appointed ambassador to France.
The new envoy presents his credentials to President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav Friday to officially begin his assignment when government is embroiled in a fresh controversy to extend a constituent assembly tenure.
India, which helped broker a 12-point New Delhi accord between India-based Maoists and seven parliamentary parties to bring the rebels into the political mainstream ,is concerned the processes of constitution drafting and completing the peace process have been delayed.
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FIVE DEAD, THREE INJURED IN RUKUM LANDSLIDE

Kathmandu, 24 Aug: With the death of one person while undergoing treatment for injuries, five persons were killed by landslides at Khara, Rukum, Tuesday, the home ministry said.
Three others were injured.
Landslides buried and killed two boys in Salyan Tuesday, the ministry said.
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EXPERTS SEE GREATER SCOPE TO UTILIZE SOLID WASTE FOR BIO FUEL





Kathmandu, 24 Aug.: Bio-energy experts have been encouraged to see more people becoming aware to utilize the solid waste for bio-energy like generating bio-fuel and bio-gas in the recent years, Namjima Dhakal reports in The Rising Nepal.
The National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Tribhuvan University (TU) and Kathmandu University (KU) and other orgaisations have been working in bio-energy sector.
The government has also been allocating budget every year to conduct researches and campaigns for the promotion of bio-energy.
The NAST is now working to produce bio-briquette energy from Eupatorium Abenothorum, widely known as banmara.
Likewise, the environment departments of the TU and KU have been carrying out researches in bio-energy sector, while 200 other organisations in Nepal are also working in the same sector.
However, the researches and other works have not been effective because of lack of a bio-energy policy at the national level.
According to the sources at the NAST, various international Non-Governmental organisations (INGO) were interested to generate the energy from the solid waste but they have been unable to do so as the issue on a global bidding for the rights to generate energy is still being discussed.
Dr. Rabindra Prasad Dhakal, Senior Technical Officer of NAST, said that the development of the bio-energy was impossible until the government introduced a bio-energy policy.
He said that Nepal’s interest to work in bio-energy production grew after witnessing the works being done in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the USA, Brazil and South Africa. These countries have succeeded in generating massive amount of bio-energy.
Dhakal said that some steps were taken in the bio-energy sector in 1990 when India had imposed economic sanction in Nepal.
"However, they were not given continuity later," he said.
The NAST demanded that the government should bring out a special bio-fuel policy providing incentives for the farmers, who produce raw materials like Jatropha plant. The government should also make it mandatory for the Oil Corporation to buy certain per cent of bio fuel and other local products.
If a policy is introduced in favour of bio-energy, various bio-energy experts who are now working abroad in the lack of opportunities in home will return to Nepal, Dhakal said.
About 20 per cent fuel produced from such materials could be mixed in other fuel and can be used for various purposes.
Engineer Ganesh Shah, former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, said that during his tenure he increased the subsidy for the development of bio-energy. But he failed to work enough for the sector as his tenure as a Minister was short.
The NAST is going to organize the first national conference on bio-energy from Wednesday to intensify discussions on bio-energy and biomass related issues, make aware all stakeholders and inspire all entrepreneurs, industries and individuals to utilize the unused sources of energy.
NAST hoped that the output of the conference will be useful in policy making.

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RENOVATION OF CHANGUNARAYAN TEMPLE TO COST Rs. 1.9 MILLION





Kathmandu, 24 Aug.: The Department of Archeology and Palace Management Office of Bhaktapur inspected the Changunarayan Temple to find out the damages caused by recent landslip at the temple premises, The Rising Nepal reports.
Aruna Nakarmi, Chief of the Department of Archeology and Palace Management Office, Bhaktapur, said there are many reasons that caused landslides at the west side of the temple area. One of the reasons is the incessant rainfalls during the monsoon and lack of awareness among the local people about the importance of preserving the famous and important religious places.
Deforestation, unmanaged construction of building and road are the main causes of that led to the landslides, she informed. Although constructions of roads and buildings near and around any of World Heritage sites are strictly prohibited, but some times ago a road to link the nearby village using heavy equipment such as dozers without any authorization.
She further informed her department had informed about the danger of landslides to all the concerned authority. In addition, local people should also be aware about the importance of temple and should work from their sides to make contribution to protect the site. The locals of the area would lose their identification, if they lose the temple listed in the world heritage site, she said.
"We should think of long term mechanism to preserve the temple. The patch up works just to stop occurred landslide further years," she said every sector should be united for conserve its.
The erosion of land at the premises has now reached near the Chandra Surya shrine on the west side of the Temple. .
The pagoda-style temple was rebuilt in 1702 B.S. after it was destroyed in a fire. The king, Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev had renovated the temple in 2018 B.S.
These days renovation of temple is going at the cost of Rs. 1.9 million.
The temple has the statue of King Bhupalendra Malla of Kathmandu. Her mother’s statue can also be seen near the main shrine.

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