OPPOSITION PROTEST MOVES TO NAPALGUNJ Kathmandu, 3 Feb.: Nine opposition parties, including NC and UML, are coming out of the streets in Nepalgunj Sunday to pull down the 16-omnth government of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai who has ignored the demands. UCPN Chairman Prachanda Saturday asked opposition at its general convention in Hetauda to give up street politics and join the ruling side to hold constituent ssembly elections to end a prolonged deadlock. Opposition says its movement is to safeguard democracy. Protests moved to Nepalgunj from Dailekh and Biratnagar. nnnn EXCESSIVE COLLECTION OF YARSHA [HIMALAYAN VIAGRA] MAY LEAD TO ITS EXTENSION Kathmandu, 3 Feb.: Yarchagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a caterpillar fungus popular for its alleged aphrodisiac properties, is under severe threat in its natural habitat due to excessive and premature harvesting to meet growing demand and price surges both in the local and global trade regimes, warns a study, Pragati Shahi writes in The Kathmandu Post.. Nepal is the second largest supplier of the precious medicinal species, which fetches thousands of dollars per kilogram in international market, after China. Beside China and Nepal, the species is also found in the high mountains of India and Bhutan. The total production of this exotic species is estimated to be around 1 to 3.2 tonnes in Nepal while it is around 80-174 tonnes in China, shared the findings of the study titled 'Trade, harvest and conservation of the caterpillar fungus in the Himalayas'. The research paper, prepared by Uttam Babu Shrestha and Kamaljit S Bawa, both associated with the Department of Biology at the US-based University of Massachusetts, is due to appear in Biological Conservation, a science journal, later this year. The research was conducted in the remote alpine pastures of Majphal Village in Dolpa district located in western Nepal in May and June 2011. Dolpa is regarded as a major producer of Yarchagumba, contributing about 40 per cent of the country's total supply in 2011. According to Shrestha, there has been a significant decline in annual harvest of Yarchagumba in the years between 2006 and 2011 in Dolpa due to unsustainable harvesting practices to meet exploding market demands and price surges particularly in China, which is also the world's largest consumer of the species. For instance, the average amount of the medicinal species traded by one individual was around six kilograms in 2006, which dropped to four in 2010. The decline is around 32 pieces per harvester per year during the same period, the report states. Besides Dolpa, Yarchagumba trade has also been reported in Darchula, Jumla, Kathmandu and Myagdi districts. There has been a dramatic rises in Yarchagumba prices in both the national and international markets. In 2001, Dolpa harvesters sold the fungus for Rs 20-25 per piece but they received Rs 200-600 per piece in 2011, an increase of 900 to 2,300 per cent, according to the report. The annual production of Yarchagumba in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau is thought to be around 85-185 tonnes with a current total estimated global market value of $5-11 billion. It is estimated that the best quality fungus from China can fetch up to $100 per gram, making it potentially more expensive than gold. Yarchagumba is used in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine to cure a wide range of health conditions like asthma and cancer and also to strengthen the lung and kidneys and boost energy. "There is a need to implement regional-level conservation measures along the Himalayas to ensure the sustainability of Yarchagumba," Shrestha said. Nnnn SAHJA YATAYAT POISED TO RETURN WITH BIG BANG Kathmandu, 3 Feb.:- The defunct Sajha Yatayat bus service has reentered public consciousness in recent weeks. Reports of its impending return to Kathmandu's streets have fuelled conversations, mostly prompted by nostalgia for the once-popular public transport service. Even Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai tweeted last week that he was fully supportive of restarting the transport service. "I am all for starting Sajha Yatayat. Good public transport--only solution to the traffic jam and pollution," read PM Bhattarai's tweet, Amik Kharel writes in The Kathmandu Post.. After a hiatus of nearly four years, Sajha's new management is positive about reviving the bus service very soon for residents of the Kathmandu Valley. Officials at Sajha claimed that they will be the first to introduce high-tech buses for the public in Nepal. "We are confident about operating the best bus service in the Valley," said Mahendra Raj Pandey, manager of the Sajha Yatayat Cooperative. Pandey relayed that newly purchased Tata buses have reached Raxaul and will be in Kathmandu in the next few days. Sajha has imported sixteen sophisticated buses with luxurious seats and automated doors for entrance and exit from Indian manufacturer Tata. The 55-seat buses can also accomodate 15-20 standing passengers in the wide spaces in between, said Pandey. "These buses comfortably ferry 90 passengers at one time, which will also contribute to minimising traffic congestion," he said. Pandey said that these buses will have two CCTV cameras and display screens for advertisements, public notices and entertainment. "The vehicles are compliant with Euro III emission standards thus reducing the negative impact of fuel emissions on the environment," said Pandey. Initially, the Sajha buses will be operating on two routes: Harihar Bhawan-Tripureshwor-Ranipokhari-Kamalpokhari-Gaushala-Koteshwor-Satdobato-Lagankhel (16.5km) and Satdobato-Lagankhel-Jawalakhel-Tripureshwor-Teku-Kalimati-Kalanki (16.4km). Both the routes will have two-way services. The route licences will be acquired after the buses arrive in Kathmandu. Pandey assured that the buses will charge the government's fixed public transport fares. The company also has plans to add more routes and buses in the future, along with plans to outsource drivers and conductors for the operation of the buses. "We had initially planned a ticket printing booth but for now, we will have conductors with printed tickets," said Pandey. Salient features • Individual seating for 55 passengers and standing space for 15-20 more • Automated doors to improve efficiency at bus stops for boarding and exiting • Improved safety features with two CCTV cameras nnnn POLICE EFFORT TO RECLAIM WALKERS’ LANES Kathmandu, 3 Feb.: In course of the past two weeks, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD), through its ‘Operation Sweep’, has impounded 1,526 vehicles, including two-wheelers and four-wheelers, in the Kathmandu Valley for wilful parking, The Himalayan Times reports.. The initiative of the MTPD and its valley units is aimed at controlling haphazard parking of vehicles on footpaths. It follows traffic police officials’ conclusion that street vendors encroaching upon footpaths and those involved in wilful parking have caused an increase in road accidents by forcing the pedestrians to walk on the road itself. “Road accidents have gone up due to wilful parking on the road and spillover of pedestrians on the road due to footpath encroachment, prompting us to drive out vendors from the streets,” DSP Pawan Giri, MTPD spokesperson said, pledging to put an end to road encroachment for effective traffic management. With footpaths cleared in 791 places of the valley during the period, traffic congestion has eased to some extent, he said. The MTPD informed that it has cleared roads and footpaths in Jorpati, Gyaneshwor, Bansbari, Jawalakhel, Maharajgunj, Bouddha, Gaushala, Koteshwor, Jawalakhel, Kalanki, Kalimati, Durbar Marg, Singha Durbar and Kamalpokhari. It warned that it will bring to book those rickshaw-pullers, cart-pushers and drivers of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, who park their vehicles in ‘no-parking’ areas. “We will continue the initiative based on its effectiveness in traffic management,” Giri informed. The MTPD has also removed vendors from overhead bridges for hassles-free movement of pedestrians. “Pedestrians have felt compelled to use roadway due to footpath encroachment and wilful parking in busy areas. We will take action against those, who violate the Vehicle and Transport Management Act,” he warned. Civil police have been helping traffic police in this initiative. nnnn