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Vehicular movement along the Narayangadh-Munglin road section has resumed from Tuesday afternoon after 17 hours.

The road section was obstructed following a landslide at Namsikhola in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality- 6 of Chitwan at 8 pm on Monday, Information Office at the Road Division Office, Chitwan Chandeshwor Sah said.

The vehicles that were stranded due to the landslide have headed towards their respective destinations.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is going to use the organic insecticide 'Bio Larvicide' to destroy mosquito larva to control dengue in the metropolitan city.

Mayor Balen Shah said that Bio Larvicide is going to be used for the first time in Nepal to destroy the mosquito larva. Shah said the insecticide is organic and it does not harm any other creatures except mosquitoes and their larva.

Taking to a social networking site, he said, "Bio Larvicide is organic. It does not harm any other creatures except mosquitoes and their larva. It is not a pesticide. The insecticide should be sprayed on top of the water.  It produces poison in the abdomen of larva and destroys the digestive process, thereby killing the larva. Larva and pupa of all types of mosquitoes spreading dengue, filariasis, and malaria will be destroyed from it."

An arrangement of counseling regarding dengue has been made from free hotline telephone 1180 round the clock, free ambulance service has been made by contacting at 102 if dengue patient needs to visit hospital and distribution of necessary medicines required for dengue treatment including paracetamol and jeevan jal (oral rehydration salt) at health centers, Mayor Shah added.

Vehicular movement along the Narayangadh-Mugling road section, which was obstructed by the landslide, will resume after six hours, the Road Division said.

The landslide occurred in Namsi at 8 pm on Monday, said Information Officer at Road Division, Engineer Chandeshwor Saha, adding that four excavators are being used to remove the debris.

Although the machines were mobilized to clear the obstruction at 10 pm, it will take six more hours for complete removal of obstruction.

Only 30 percent debris has been removed so far, according to police chief at Area Police Office Muglin, Inspector Bishal Tamang.

The vehicles including passenger buses have been stranded at different places along the road following the landslide triggered by rainfall.

The vehicles coming from Kathmandu are stopped at Muglin, Kurintar, Phisling and Dhading, while those from east-west highway at Bharatpur and Gaindakot, Nawalpur.

Over a decade ago, Nepal embarked on an earnest mission to fortify journalistic safety and uphold press freedom. A spirited endeavor sought to erect a comprehensive nationwide framework safeguarding the integrity and security of those entrusted with the mantle of holding power accountable. Yet, despite fervent determination and resolute global support, the realization of this noble undertaking remains tantalizingly elusive, emblematic of the chasm between aspiration and realization.

This chronicle finds its genesis in 2012, when Nepal’s vision coalesced into the framework for a journalists’ safety mechanism. Years of meticulous labor culminated in late 2019, with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the custodian of fundamental rights, promulgating protocols harmonized with the tenets of the Human Rights Act of 2012. However, the path from conceptualization to actualization has been punctuated with complexities and challenges.

Despite the concerted support of international organizations, lending their intellectual and financial weight, concrete advancement remains a chimera. Underpinning the stipulated guidelines was a triumvirate of mechanisms, conceived not only to shield journalists but to uphold the bedrock of unbridled expression.

At the epicenter of this vision stands a steering committee, envisaged as the linchpin of the entire edifice. Chaired by a distinguished NHRC member, this committee convenes stakeholders from diverse realms, including the Nepal Bar Association, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Federation of Nepali Journalists, and the Nepal Police.

In 2021, the mantle of coordinating this pivotal committee was bestowed upon NHRC member Manoj Duwady. Yet, substantial progress remains an elusive quarry. Despite three meetings, the initiative languishes in its embryonic state. “Scarce resources, pivotal for the mechanism’s activation, are a critical constraint,” says Duwady.

Nestled within this overarching framework, the inception of a task force within NHRC was envisaged. However, an opaque veil shrouds the mechanics of these mechanisms, leaving stakeholders and the public grappling for clarity. Concurrently, the swift deployment of a rapid response unit, tasked with assuaging the predicaments of local-level journalists ensnared in challenges, remains more an abstract concept than a tangible reality. Regrettably, NHRC's vows remain stuck in the realm of verbal commitments, yet to materialize in the form of a functioning committee.

Laxman Datt Pant, a proponent of international media rights and chairperson of Media Action Nepal, leaves no room for equivocation in his censure of NHRC’s inertia. “The commission’s avowals to safeguard journalists and uphold the freedom of expression sound increasingly hollow,” he says. “Inaction not only corrodes the institution’s credibility but also underscores a palpable dearth of authentic commitment to the very ideals it professes.”

With a clarion call for action to supplant rhetoric, Pant implores NHRC to translate verbal declarations into palpable efforts, echoing the spirit of the ambitious UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Having taken root in 2013, this initiative has garnered international solidarity, with prominent entities like UNESCO and stalwarts from the Nepal International Media Partnership providing vital technical counsel to NHRC.

In the face of NHRC’s assertions of constrained resources, a senior official acknowledges an intriguing absence of outreach to international channels for funding.

Ironically, despite multimillion-dollar investments by international entities, the journalist safety mechanism languishes in a state of inertia. Consequently, journalists grappling with danger at the grassroots level find themselves bereft of the prompt succor they direly require.

Bipul Pokhrel, the chairman of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, says that the operational blueprint of the steering committee remains an open question.

“Deliberations are underway to enhance the efficacy of these mechanisms,” he says. Emphasizing the imperative of inclusive stakeholder representation within the steering committee, Pokhrel underscores the significance of financial underpinning.

“With the mandate to safeguard journalists from tangible threats, financial support stands as a cornerstone. Thus, meticulous groundwork emerges as a decisive determinant in guiding the mechanism to realization.”

As Nepal’s chronicle spans over a decade, its odyssey to safeguard its journalistic guardians emerges as a narrative of soaring ideals tempered by intricate implementation. As stakeholders navigate this intricate terrain, the watchful gaze of the press, human rights advocates, and the global community remains riveted, poised for the transformative juncture when words transmute into resolute action.