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Nepal's first cable car, Manakamana cable car will be closed for 50 days for the maintenance and upgradation.

Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd has informed that the service will be closed for about 50 days from July 15 to upgrade the cable car digital system.

Deputy General Manager of Manakamana Darshan Pvt. Ltd. Ujjwal Sherchan informed that the cable cars in 'analog' technology are going to be upgraded to modern digital technology with fiber.

According to him, along with upgrading the digital system, the main wire is also about to be replaced.

Sherchan, said that the main cable wire rod is about to be replaced after 26 years of its establishment. He said that skilled technicians will come from Australian Doppelmayr Company for the upgrade works. The Manakamana cable car is being upgraded in various stages.

For the convenience of the pilgrims to a famous religious place in Sahid Lakhan Rural Municipality of Gorkha district, the cable car service was brought into operation on 24 November1998. 

Manakamana Darshan Pvt Ltd said that although the cable car service is closed, the restaurant service at the entrance (bottom station) of the cable car located at Ichchhakamana-4 Kurintar (Cheres) in Chitwan will remain open.

Your home is an extension of your personality. Often, it can dictate your mental state—the colors you choose can calm or energize you, and the decorative pieces you have on display will either motivate you or make you nostalgic. A lot of thought and work goes behind a house that looks effortlessly chic. A well put-together house, where everything looks just right, isn’t an overnight achievement. It happens little by little, piece by piece.

That said, interior design is an evolving process. There is no end to it. You are never done. It changes (as it should) depending on the season and festival. Many of my friends who are professional interior designers or are passionate about interior design always tweak their décor depending on their mood, the weather, and time of the year. A cousin has different carpets and throws for summer and winter. It sets the mood, she says. Summer calls for lighter fabrics while thicker materials are ideal for winter.

Every year there are décor trends that dominate the market. Sometimes mixing and matching patterns are all the rage while other times florals tend to dominate the scene. Though fashion and interior design often don’t intersect, I notice a lot of design ideas are influenced by runway trends. This year is all about quiet luxury—understated elegance that calls for attention due to its simplicity.

We are talking about dark woods, luxurious soft textures, and traditionally shaped furniture that you can probably pass down to your children by giving them a new life with re-upholstery. The focus also seems to be on underestimated areas of the house like the hallway and pantry. Instagram-worthy rooms with their fancy couches and neon signs with bold declarations are no longer in. Here are five timeless décor trends that are all the rage in 2024.

Green living for a fresh appeal

Green living is more than just a trend. It’s an important lifestyle choice. Sustainability has never been more important than now. As the mercury rises, we must choose natural ways to keep our homes adequately ventilated and thus cool. Eco-conscious interior design takes center stage in 2024 with nature inspired elements. Potted plants, keeping the windows bare to let the light stream in, and bamboo panes and blinds are some options to give your indoor space a cool, outdoorsy vibe.

A permanent home office

Remote work isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s an alternative that boosts productivity by cutting down on unnecessary distractions and commute time. And it looks like it’s here to stay as more companies and offices are allowing people to work from home. Creating an office space is now the need of the hour. You can’t be expected to work from the dining table or the living room couch if you want to strike a work-life balance. Invest in some ergonomic furniture and stylish, minimalistic pieces to make your workspace functional and inspiring.

Chunky accents for the oomph effect

We often clutter our homes with little knick-knacks and while artfully placed ones can add a lot of character to our space, there’s the risk of it looking a bit too cluttered and chaotic. Dusting also becomes quite tedious if you have too many decorative items around the house. The solution to this is to opt for big, chunky statement pieces like a large vase, a sculpture, or a large coffee table that can double as a centerpiece. They add a dash of quirkiness to any space while elevating its style quotient. Choose a focal piece and have a few smaller items around or on it.

Take your world outdoors

Nature and natural elements have become huge design trends in 2024. From cane and bamboo to jute and linen, natural textures are finding their way into our spaces. They are sustainable and easy to maintain as well. But instead of limiting ourselves to the use of natural elements indoors, taking ourselves outside, from the confines of the walls, is also an evolving aspect of décor—meaning outdoor spaces are being given as much attention as indoor spaces. So, look for ways to revamp your patio, balcony, and garden area. Outdoor, garden furniture like swings and low seating areas can add understated charm to a neglected area.

Play with colors

The all-white trend is timeless. But it’s apparently losing its appeal in 2024 due to maintenance issues. It’s often seen as sterile and lacking personality too. Decorators are opting for bolder colors to infuse character into a space. Accent walls in a range of browns, yellows, and blues are also gaining popularity. Don’t be scared to experiment. Choose a color or a color combination you like and play around with it. You can also add colors to your space in the form of fabrics like curtains and cushion covers if you aren’t bold enough to paint your walls a vibrant hue. 

On 25 Dec 2021, Baburam Kandel from Butwal joined HyperFund, an online networking business, on the recommendation of a friend from his village. Without much thought, he embraced the digital business, expecting significant profits. Initially, Kandel invested $1,000 (equivalent to Rs 135,161.80 at the current exchange rate), but within four months, he was drawn deeper into the scheme.

At first, Kandel received some returns, which encouraged him to invest more. Frequent Zoom meetings were held by the people involved in the scheme, promising higher returns for more investments. Kandel, now 40, ended up investing around $10,000 (equivalent to Rs 1,35m). Initially enticed by the potential gains, he ultimately lost his savings to the scam and deceived his downline members as well.

Kandel reports that similar scammers are now operating under different names such as ‘SBG Global,’ MMIT, V-TABS, V-LIFE, and more. Currently living in the Maldives, Kandel shared in a virtual conversation with RSS that many victims hesitate to come forward due to fear of police action for their involvement in the scam.

Ranjana Shrestha, a Nepali nurse living in the UK for over 18 years, faced severe economic, mental, and social setbacks after losing millions of rupees. Persuaded by a friend of her spouse on August 5, 2021, she invested in the fund, believing in its legitimacy. Unaware of the scam, she also convinced her family members in Nepal and several colleagues to invest, thanks to her reputable standing.

Although reassured by the website’s apparent stability, neither she nor her downline members could withdraw their investments. Ranjana expressed her hope that Nepal Police would help recover their funds. She emphasized that while the financial loss is quantifiable, the emotional, psychological, and social impacts are immeasurable. Ranjana and her spouse regularly meet with other victims, seeking justice and raising awareness to prevent others from falling into similar traps.

DB Thapa, who worked in the civil engineering department for an airport in Dubai for 20 years, recently filed a complaint with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) against HyperFund operators after losing Rs 1.95m, including his family members' investments. Thapa joined the scheme in August 2021 and realized it was a scam in April 2022 when he faced obstacles in withdrawing funds. He accused Nepali nationals Devi Pokhrel (aka Roshan Pokhrel) and Lalit Kumar Neupane of masterminding the scam. Thapa estimated that Nepalis globally have lost over Rs 700bn, leading to significant mental, social, and economic distress among the victims.

Victims of HyperFund regularly meet through Zoom to share their experiences and support each other, determined to raise public awareness about the scam. Kandel emphasized the need for cooperation from the Nepal Police and Nepali media to achieve justice and urged authorities to investigate potential illegal transactions.

Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati, spokesperson for the CIB of Nepal Police, reported that they have arrested Nanu Ghimire (aka Kajal) from Lalitpur, accused of orchestrating the fraud. The scammers lured victims through Zoom meetings, promising returns of over Rs 300,000 ($3,000) for a $1,000 investment, using blockchain technology to facilitate the fraud. The CIB has received complaints from 56 people, amounting to over $79.05m. Bogati urged victims to lodge complaints via the official CIB website, assuring that they will not be treated as defendants despite the illegal nature of the business.

The Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank regulator, has declared all virtual currencies, cryptocurrencies (including stablecoins), network marketing, and HyperFund illegal in Nepal. Any involvement in such activities, including transactions, investments, and mining, is subject to legal action.

RSS

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the 400-KV Hetauda sub-station amidst a program organized by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in Hetauda today.

The sub-station is located at Thana Bharyang of Hetuda Sub-Metropolitan City- 11 in Makawanpur district. It is the third largest automatic sub-station in the country based on Gas Insulated System (GIS) and was brought into operation (charge) last Friday.

Along with this, two other sub-stations of 220 KV capacity and 132/11 KV capacity have been constructed at Thana Bharyang itself by Nepal-India Electricity Transmission and Trade Project and they have been charged also since last Friday.

The GIS technology based automatic Dhalkebar sub-station is the first largest such sub-station of the country while the Inaruwa sub-station is the second largest and the Hetauda sub-station the third largest ones. These structures have been constructed to make the east-west power supply reliable and of quality within the country and to facilitate power trade with India.

With the construction of the sub-station at Hetauda, infrastructures capable of transmitting around 4,000 megawatts of electricity have been readied. It is expected that domestic electricity supply would be further strengthened and the electricity trade with India would be expanded, as 4,000 megawatts power can be transmitted east-west from Dhalkebar with the completion of the construction of the Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa 400-KV transmission line.

A double-circuit transmission line of 400-KV capacity that would be constructed from Ratmate of Nuwakot through the US assistance Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) would be connected to Hetauda substation. The required infrastructures have been built at Hetauda substation for this purpose.

The Hetauda, Dhalkebar and Inaruwa 400-kV substation expansion project had been started through the joint investment of the Government of Nepal and NEA under the National Electricity Development Decade program. All the three substations under the Project have been constructed.

The contract agreement for the construction of the 220/132/11- KV Hetauda substation was signed in December 2018. It is constructed by Nepal-India Electricity Transmission and Trade Project with government and NEA investment and soft loan from the World Bank. The estimated cost of the 400, 200 and 132 kV Hetauda substation is Rs 3 billion.