Naya Nepal Naya Blog

It sounds unbelievable that the rag pickers, who go around the city scavenging for rags, scrap and plastic wares in piles of waste, earn more than a gazetted first class officer of the country.

Presenting a study report about the scavengers conducted in 20 places of Kathmandu Metropolitan and Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Centre for Integral Urban Development (CIUD) said the professional pickers make more than Rs. 21,000 per month.

According to the report, one picker collects more than a hundred kg of trash including rags, plastic wares and scrap per day. These items are sold for Rs. 7 per kg in an average, which makes more than seven hundred per day, amounting to Rs. 21,000 monthly.

“Their earning is enough to manage the quality life but they don’t use it for their good and neither have the saving habit,” said Brinda Shrestha, one of the researchers. “They spend most of the income on alcohol and entertainment.”

According to Shrestha, more than 70 percent of the pickers are from indigenous communities out of which Tamang comprises over 20 percent. Around 12 percent pickers are Indian nationals.

The report has stated that 60 percent of the rag pickers are from economically active group—16 to 35 years. Seventy-seven percent of them are fully illiterate and the remaining can write their names.

Octogenarian leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, known by his near ones as Kishunji, is a celebrated name in Nepali politics. But, there is one more trait of him which makes him famous among his fellow leaders — his love for betel leaf (Paan).

According to Ameeta Kapaali, Bhattarai’s care taker, he chews three to four paans even these days. This is five times less than his earlier intake, all due to poor health. “He used to have 15 to 16 paans a day,” says Kaapali.

Since his health does not allow him to visit paan shops, Kaapali says she orders plain betel leaf usually from Pulchowk and prepare it hygienically at home.

Bhattarai’s love for paan has linked him with the sellers of paan too. His most frequently visited paan shop is at New Baneshor where he used to order paan until a year ago. The shop “Shree Ram Paan Bhandar” which has been running for 25 years now was Bhattarai’s preference even before the restoration of democracy in 1990. He used to visit a paan shop at New Road also which has now shifted from its spot.

“I remember him chatting with me for two hours before he had to attend a secret program during the Panchayat Regime. I was proud to have such a reputed personality as my regular customer,” said Shiva Narayan Shah, the shop owner.

According to Shah, Bhattarai’s favorite flavour was Maghai Patta, a flavour which uses small leaves of light-green colour, with tobacco. When the Nepali Congress party office was at New Baneshwor, he used to visit the shop at around 8:30 every Saturday. On other days, he used to come there as many times as he passed by. After he became Prime Minister of the interim government in 1990 and elected government in 1999, he used to come to the place on a vehicle and usually sent his security guard to the shop to get paan for him.

“Maghai patta become famous among others due to Bhattarai’s preference for it,” Shah said.

Sources say that Bhattrai is a paan addict right from his teens. When he was in jail, many of his friends used to take paan for him during visiting hours. “Many of his friends used to come with paan to meet him. Sometimes even the jail staffs used to get betel nut and leaves for him,” said Nepali Congress leader Ram Jeevan Singh, who was with Bhattarai in Nakhhu Jail for seven years (1973-1980).

Bhattarai was admitted to hospital last month after he had congestive heart failure and pneumonia.

Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subash Chandra Nemwang is holding discussions with the heads of all the 14 thematic committees under the CA.

In the meeting underway at his office in Singha Durbar on Sunday, the thematic committee chairmen have put their views on technical and contentious issues of constitution drafting.

Nemwang held discussion with the thematic committee heads following an understanding, at a meeting with major three parties, to forge consensus on the CA calendar of events by tomorrow.

The activists of Matrika Yadav-led CPN (Maoist) smeared black colour on the face of Director General (DG) at the Department of Forest at Babar Mahal in the Capital on Sunday.

A group of about 20 Maoist cadres painted black on the face of DG Madhav Prasad Acharya in his own office. The group even chanted slogans against him in the office premises.

The group has accused Acharya of giving protection to the corrupt District Forest Officers (DFOs) and engaging in deforestation and embezzlement.

In a programme organised by CPN-UML at Baneshwor last Sunday, Acharya had criticised ex-minister Matrica Yadav as a corrupt minister and had praised the current Forest Minister Deepak Bohara.

Apparantly frustrated for failing in her Schools Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams, a student has committed suicide at Sataun Thulapokhari of Putalibazar Municipality here in the district on Saturday.

The deceased identified as Man Kumari Dhakal of Rajasthal Higher Secondary School was found hanging in the balcony of her residence. She might have killed herself after she failed in he SLC exams, District Police Office informed.

Dhakal was physically impaired too, family sources said.

An unidentified gang stabbed a youth to death in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, on Saturday night.

The deceased has been identified as Chhatra Bahadur Rai, 20, an employee at Mechi Zonal Hospital.

The gang of four persons who came on three motorcycles attacked Rai with sharp-edged weapon near the hospital at around 10 p.m. He died on the way to hospital.

Rai was a member of the Young Communist League’s Bhadrapur Municipal Committee, according to a Maoist leader, Hikmat.

He was killed while returning home after watching the World Cup football match with his brother.

Police have launched a massive manhunt to identify and nab the killers.

Police said few suspected persons have been detained for interrogation over the incident.

A person died after falling from a cliff in Chyamche of Taghring VDC-1 in Lamjung district on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Rajesh Sapkota, 28, a contractor of Beshi Sahar-Chame road construction. Sapkota is a resident of Sindhupalchowk.

Police who came from Bahundanda Police Post and locals are trying to retrieve his body from the cliff.