UPDATE KRITIKA SHAH DISCHARGED Kathmandu, 21 Feb.: Kritika Shah, daughter of former Crown Prince Paras Shah and own Princess Himani, was discharged from Norvic Hospital Thursday morning. She was treated for appendicitis. nnnn . LALITPUR SUB-METROPOLIS EMPLOYEES PICKET OFFCE DEMANDING PERKS Kathmandu, 21 Feb. 21 : Employees of Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City today picketed the office of the Municipality Chief saying he made discriminating decision against them, RSS reports from Lalitpur.. The Nepal Municipality Employees´ Association, today picketed the office of the chief since the morning in protest against the decision taken by the office which they allege was directed against the employees not owning vehicles. Chairman of the Association, Gyanuratna Maharjan, said that they were compelled to picket the office as no amount was provided so far to the employees without private vehicles and expenses equivalent to 15 liters petrol was provided to the employees with private vehicles. The office on August 17 had decided to provide 10 liters of petrol every month to each employee and Rs. 750 monthly to the employees without private vehicles. Maharjan blamed the office for providing petrol to those employees who are financially well-off and can afford to buy motorcycle, without paying attention towards other employees who are not financially sound. There are some 200 employees without private vehicles in the office Nnnn ________________________________________ 101-YEAR-OLD PUNJABI MARATHON RUNNER FINALLY RETIRING Kathmandu, 21 Feb.: A 101-year-old Sikh believed to be the world´s oldest marathon runner said Thursday he felt sad to be retiring from competitive events, as he prepared for his last race this weekend, AFP reports from Hong Kong. Fauja Singh, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", began running at age 89 and has since completed nine marathons. But he admitted that age has finally caught up with him. "I am hurt by the fact that I am going to retire," the Indian-born British national, who only speaks Punjabi, said in Hong Kong through his interpreter ahead of his final race this Sunday. "I do not really want to hear the word ´retire´ because I can still run and jump on a bus. It´s a (sense of) negativity that I have never experienced before." Singh, who was a farmer in his home state of Punjab in India before settling in England, has competed in nine 26-mile (42-kilometre) marathons in London, Toronto and New York. Indian-born British national Fauja Singh looks on during a press conference in Hong Kong. (AFP) His best time was in Toronto, where he clocked five hours, 40 minutes and four seconds. On Sunday the runner, who turns 102 on April 1, will compete in the 10-kilometre event on the sidelines of the Hong Kong Marathon, which has a record 72,000 participants in different categories this year. The great-great-grandfather, who lives in Ilford, said he has "mixed feelings" about retirement. "I fear that when I stop running, people will no longer love me. At the moment, everyone loves me... I hope nobody will forget or ignore me. "When you become old, you become like a child and you want the attention," he said, comparing retirement to a "divorce" from a happy marriage. Singh, who weighs just 52 kilograms (115 pounds), says he does not suffer any illnesses but admitted that "racing is getting tough" for him at his age. "I feel that I must retire on a high," he said. "I will not stop running, but will do it for my personal health." Singh was inspired to take up marathons after he saw television coverage of one 12 years ago, not long after the death of his wife and a son and at a time when he said he needed a new focus in life. Although widely regarded as the world´s oldest marathon runner, Guinness World Records has not certified him as such since Singh cannot prove his birthdate. He has said there were no birth certificates when he was born. But Singh has won widespread accolades. He was a torchbearer for the 2004 Athens games and last year´s London Olympics, and appeared in advertisement for a major sports brand several years ago alongside the likes of David Beckham and Muhammad Ali. His trainer Harmander Singh said the centenarian will keep up his routine of running 16 kilometres every day even after retirement. The trainer said he was "intrigued and impressed" by the runner after coaching him for 13 years. "He has a very positive attitude. If I say, ´Let´s do 10 kilometres today´, he will say ´Why not we do 20 kilometres?´" the trainer said, linking the spirit to his name "Fauja" which means soldier. Nnnn