Nepali worker shot dead in USA

A Nepali national was shot dead during an armed robbery at Decalb County in Georgia on Monday night.

Damodar Pathak, 39, hailing from Lalitpur district, was shot dead by two armed robbers who looted the BP Gas station on Cedar Grove Road in Ellenwood where Pathak used to work. Police investigating the case said that Pathak was shot dead while he tried to confront the robbers. He had received a bullet in his chest.

He was pronounced dead after taking to the Gradi Memorial Hospital in Georgia.
This is the second death of a Nepali national in the US within a month. Earlier, a Nepali student Narayan Bhandari, pursuing higher studies in the United States, was found dead in Baltimore.

One killed, 34 injured in Jhapa bus mishap

At least one person died and 34 others were injured when a passenger-ferrying bus overturned in Biring rivulet located in between Ghailadubba and Surunga along the East-West Highway at around 11 on Monday night.

Among the injured, Rana Bahadur Subba (58) of Taplejung district died while undergoing treatment in Neuro Hospital in Biratnagar at 3.30 this morning. Seven among others are in critical condition, said District Traffic Office, Birtamodh.
Critically wounded bus driver Ram Bahadur Bhujel (32) of Narayangarh and an adolescent aged around 18 were sent to BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences for treatment while other injured including Ripan Muslim, Rabin Parajuli hailing from Pokhara, an Indian national Jamal Muslim and Nanda Kumari Subba are undergoing treatment in the Neuro Hospital.

Other injured are being treated at a Birtamodh-based local hospital.

According to police, a bus (Na 2 Kha 7465) of Munal Travels heading towards Butwal from Kakadbhitta met with the accident immediately after crossing Biring bridge owing to high speed.

Pedestrian dies after being struck by bus in Buffalo city (Bhutanese Boy)

One 10-year-old boy from Bhutan was struck and killed by a church day care bus Thursday evening at Prospect Avenue and Rhode Island Street. However, he is not yet named by the police.

Buffalo Police said the boy was struck while coming home from school with his 15-year-old brother. Both were walking north on Prospect about 5:30 p.m. when the bus hit the younger brother, the Buffalonews.com reported on December.

According to the report, they were resettled in America last year by Catholic Charities and live in the neighborhood where the crash occurred.

There were children on the church bus at the time of the crash. Nobody inside the bus nor the 15-year-old brother were hurt, the report quoted officers as saying.

The 10-year-old was declared dead at the scene.

Police declined late Thursday to release the name of the victim or the church that owns the bus that struck the child, added the report.

“Police accident investigators said the driver of the bus agreed to take a blood test, but at this point there is no indication of alcohol playing a role in the crash.”

An investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing, according to the report.

News Source: BNS

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549 dead, 5,777 injured in six months

KATHMANDU, NOV 11 - At least 549 people died and 5,777 were injured in road accidents across the country in the last six months (May 1 to mid-November 10).  Available data shows that on an average five people die every day in road accidents across the country.

According to the data posted on Nepal Police's (NP) website, 376 people died in four months since July 1, while the number of injured was 3,668. The Central Development Region recorded the highest 164 deaths with 1,911 accidents in the last six months. Similarly, 117 people died in the region in four months and 1,210 sustained injuries.

The NP data shows 1,587 people died across the country in the last fiscal year, while 12,000 sustained minor injuries during the same period as 5,519 accidents occurred across the country.

Police website posted that 1,734 people were killed in the fiscal year 2009/10, while 1,356 people died in the fiscal year 2008/09. Thus, over 5,000 people have lost their lives in road accidents in the last three and half years.

Drunk-driving, violation of traffic rules, overloaded vehicles, poor condition of roads and vehicles and encroachment on roads are major causes of road accidents. Besides, steering system of motor vehicles, disparity between vehicles and road engineering  are emerging as new challenges towards minimising accidents, said NP Spokesman DIG Binod Singh.

“Although the infrastructure of highways is getting pathetic day by day, it has failed to draw due attention of the government. So driving loaded vehicles at breakneck speed on the dilapidated roads results in accidents,” said DIG Singh.

Thursday's Sunsari road accident victims

Sumitra Mukhiya   

Suntidevi Yadav

Sumitra Yadav

Dharmaraj Yadav

Mantoriyadevi Yadav

Parodevi Yadav

Ritadevi Yadav

Kumaridevi Yadav

Ambika Kumari Yadav

Bholidevi Yadav

Sukalal Yadav

Kumardevi Yadav

Gitadevi Yadav

Ramrajidevi Yadav

Kebalidevi Yadav

Nirmaladevi Yadav

Ijobatiyadevi Yadav

Lakhanidevi Yadav

Source: DCNepal.com

18 pilgrims killed in tractor accident

Kathmandu, November 10, 2011 - Eighteen people were  killed and over two dozen injured when a tractor carrying pilgrims skidded off the road and plunged into a canal at Barouli VDC-2 of Sunsari district on Thursday morning.

The tractor (Ja 1 Ta 4553) heading for Barahchhetra, a famous holy site in Sunsari distric, from Dhanusha overturned and tumbled into the main canal of Sunsari-Morang Irrigation project at around 5 this morning.

According to police, 17 people were squeezed by a trolley. Among the deceased, 16 have been identified as female and two male. All of them were the residents of Tarapatti, Sirsiya-4, Dhanusha. They were on pilgrimage to Barahchhetra.

The deceased have been identified as Dharmaraj Yadav, Maturiya Devi Yadav, Paro Devi Yadav, Rita Devi Yadav, Kumar Devi Yadav, Sumindra Mukhiya, Sumitra Yadav, Ambika Kumari Yadav, Bhuli Devi Yadav, Ful Kumari Yadav, Kumari Yadav, among others.

Among the injured, 19 have been receiving medical attention at the Inaruwa hospital and other five at BP Koirala Institute of Medical Sciences, Dharan.

The police have said the tractor might have been met with the accident due overload and uneven road.

Meanwhile, investigation into the accident is underway.

Personnel from Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, have been deployed in the accident site.  

Valley roads reach saturation point

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 21, 2011 - If figures from the Metropolitan Traffic Police are to believed, the vehicular capacity of roads in the capital have now reached saturation point, something that is worrisome for commuters in the Valley. DIG of Nepal Police Ganesh Rai, who is chief of Metropolitan Traffic Division Office, said there are 30 to 40 percent more vehicles than capacity on roads in the capital. According to Rai, around 800,000 vehicles ply on the 1,594.67 km of roads in the Valley every day, some 300,000 more than capacity. Altogether 570,145 vehicles have been registered in Bagamati Zone alone.

As traffic congestion is at a peak, the average speed of vehicles in the core city area is now limited to 15-20 km per hour, according to Indu Sharma Dhakal, director general at the Department of Roads. “The number of vehicles has reached so high that existing roads can´t handle additional vehicular movement in the days ahead,” said Rai, who presented a report on Kathmandu´s traffic situation to the prime minister early this week. In addition, it is also beyond the managerial capacity of the traffic police. One traffic policeman can handle traffic on up to 1.65 km of road and up to 585 vehicles. As of now there are 965 traffic policemen in the field, some 400 less than actually required in the Valley.

According to Rai´s report, about 30 percent of traffic congestion takes place at the Maitighar section. “If the Nepal Army opens the Maitighar-Bhadrakali road section for the public, the congestion will decrease to a remarkable level,” Rai said. Convinced by the report, Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has already instructed the army to open the Maitighar-Bhadrakali road section. The army is yet to act on the directive. According to the report, Chabahilchowk, Kalankichowk, Koteshworchowk, Thapathalichowk, Gaushalachowk, Maharajgunj and Tripureshworchowk are the traffic congestion areas in the capital. “It is essential to construct flyovers at those places within three to five years to curb the traffic congestion,” Rai added.

Traffic police have not only identified the problems of traffic management in the capital but also floated some short-term plans to ease the problem. Traffic police plan to install more CCTV camera/traffic light controls and deploy cranes for light and heavy lifting and loading, wreckers for light and heavy vehicle and portable combined earth-moving vehicles. They also propose development of mass transportation inste

ad of using small public vehicles and construction of overhead bridges and subways for pedestrian crossing.

Similarly, supply of infrastructure such as electric motorcycles, traffic lights, road markings, traffic islands and footpaths, traffic lights at various places and construction of underground passages are some of the long-term plans. “Either the number of vehicles should be reduced or the existing roads should be expanded for proper traffic management. The government should introduce a mass transportation and metro system and displace old vehicles also,” Rai concluded.

17 sacks of illegal tobacco seized

Kathmandu, October 18 - Police have confiscated 17 sacks of tobacco from Biratnagar Sub-metropolitan City hidden at a store imported illegally from India on Tuesday.

A team of the Armed Police Force and Border Security Force, Morang, had seized the tobacco from a house of Hema Bhattarai of Biratnagar-15.

The team seized the tobacco while acting on a tip-off. The seized tobacco was handed-over to the District Police 
Office, Morang, for further action informed Superintendent of Police (SP) Chiranjeebi Kunwar of the Office of the Border Security Force. 

The District Police Office will hand-over the seized tobacco to the Biratnagar Customs Office after going through necessary investigation.

3 killed 2 injured in mudslide

Kathmandu, October 16 - Three people died while two others were seriously injured in a mudslide at Badhadamal of Siraha district on Sunday morning.

The deceased have been identified as Jaya Yadav, 40, of Karjanha-5, his 13-year-old daughter Rinku and Chhato Singh Danuwar, 45, of Koupari-7.
They were caved-in in the mudslide while collecting mud for household works near the Bairhawa River in Badhadamal-5, police said.

Pinky Shah and her eight-year-old daughter have been seriously injured in the incident. According to sources, they have been taken to a hospital in Mirchaiya for further medication. The others have been rescued by the police and the locals.

Dahal worried over deteriorating party unity

BHARATPUR, OCT 14 - UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday expressed worry over the deteriorating unity of the party and called on the rank and file to strengthen the bond of unity and solidarity within the party.

Speaking at a condolence assembly on the demise of his father Muktiram Dahal, Chairman Dahal claimed the Maoist party was formed as per the necessity of the country and would never distract from its objective.

The Maoist chairman said the emphasis laid on party unity by most of the leaders attending the function has boosted his morale. He called on everyone to become united to deal with the problems.

At the assembly, Maoist leader Dev Gurung, who is close to the party’s hard-line faction led by Vice Chairma

n Mohan Baidya, urged the party leadership to complete the pro-people revolution by breaking “the wall of colonialism” just like the wall of feudalism was dismantled under the chairman’s leadership. He claimed that the dreams of proletarian people would be reaslised only after the completion of pro-people revolution.

Most of the central committee leaders underscored the need to complete the peace, constitution writing and party unity. Around two dozen central leaders were present at the assembly. They remarked that the dreams of Dahal’s father Muktiram and other fathers and mothers would come true only after the completion of major tasks.

Chairman Dahal urged everyone to understand his decision to refrain from observing the 13-day mourning rituals as a symbol of cultural revolution. As per the Hindu tradition, a 13-day mourning period is observed by the sons of the deceased 

person after a member’s demise. (Source: eKantipur)

Bereaved Sindhuli Bazar shut down

Kathmandu, October 14 - Sindhuli district has been left grief-stricken following the untimely demise of 41 persons in a bus accident on Thursday.

The capital bound ill-fated bus skidded off the road and plunged on the banks of Sunkoshi River at Purano Jhangajholi-4, Sindhuli yesterday.

The Sindhuli Chamber of Commerce a
nd Industry called for a-day closure of Sindhuli Bazar to console the victims of the bus accident. Most of the deceased in the accident were from Sindhuli.

The market areas, NGO’s and industry have remained closed. Few vehicles are seen operating on the road.

Meanwhile, the identification of the deceased in the accident has been completed. Police informed that the identification was lingered as the kin of the deceased came lately to have the possession of the body.