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Excessively cold weather in the past few days has affected daily life in Tarai belt including Sarlahi district. Dense fog from early morning Thursday has made the weather severely cold, with little to no sunshine in the area since Wednesday. Continuous cold wind and frost have exacerbated the cold weather, forcing the children, senior citizens and chronic patients to stay indoors. Movement of people and other activities in the market has also drastically reduced with the dipping temperatures. Meanwhile, the number of patients suffering from cold related ailments too has also increased in several settlements. The count of people suffering from asthma, cough and arthritis has drastically gone up. The older people, infants and new mothers are the hardest hit or are at risk from cold. Meanwhile, normal life is badly affected in the western Tarai including the district of Banke from Wednesday with the sudden dip in temperature. Thick fog has blanketed the region from early morning affecting the mobility of people. The minimum temperature in Banke district was recorded at 10.5 degree Celsius on Thursday. Likewise, regular flights to and from Nepalgunj airport are affected for the past two days due to poor visibility because of the thick fog in the morning time. However, regular flights are taking place in the afternoon time, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Banke office.

With an impressive growth rate in the remittance inflow compared to the last year, the country has received Rs 378.04 billion in remittance in the first four months of the current fiscal year. The growth rate is more than 20 percent against a decrease of 7 per cent in the same period of the last year. “In the US Dollar terms, remittance inflows increased 10.8 percent to 2.93 billion in the review period against a decrease of 7.3 percent in the same period of the previous year,” according to the Nepal Rastra Bank. Issuing a current macroeconomic and financial situation based on the first four months of the current fiscal year, the central bank has stated that the number of Nepali workers (institutional and individual-new) taking approval for foreign employment increased 102.5 percent to 195,196 in the review period. The number of Nepali workers (Renew entry) taking approval for foreign employment increased 46.4 percent to 87,428 in the review period. It had increased 249.1 percent in the same period of the previous year. Likewise, the Balance of Payments (BOP) has remained at a surplus of Rs 20.03 billion in the review period compared to a deficit of Rs 150.38 billion in the same period of the previous year. However, the current account has remained at a deficit of Rs 35.40 billion in the review period compared to a deficit of Rs 220.91 billion in the same period of the previous year, according to the central bank.

According to the Nepal Police data, on average, seven people die and 69 are injured in road accidents in the country every day. Dan Bahadur Karki, acting spokesperson of Nepal Police, says motorbike casualties account for a large percentage of this number. In the past week, an Armed Police Force officer died when his bike collided with a school bus. Three other people died, and four were injured in accidents in Sunsari, Saptari, and Kailali. A German national, who was headed to Kathmandu from Narayangarh, died when his motorbike was hit by a jeep. Two people, including another foreigner, suffered serious injuries. Driver’s negligence, mechanical defects, and poor road infrastructure, including but not limited to good roads and proper signs, are the main reasons behind road accidents, says Karki. “Motorbike riders are especially prone to accidents as two-wheelers are unstable.” Motorcycle drivers often ditch helmets, speed, drive under influence, and then they have to navigate poor roads, adds the spokesperson. In developing countries like Nepal, motorcycles dominate the roads. According to the latest data at the Department of Transport Management, of 3.22m vehicles registered in Nepal, about 78 percent, or 2.53m, are motorcycles. SP Sitaram Rijal says most swanky motorbikes that ply the roads in Nepal aren’t suitable for them: 125 cc bikes would be more than sufficient but there are bikes of 500 cc and greater capacity available in the market, and these are more popular among youths. Over the years, the Nepal Police and the Metropolitan Traffic Police Department have come up with ways to reduce road accidents, from implementing strict lane discipline to the anti-drink driving campaign. These measures, though important, haven’t been enough, they say. Deepak Tamang, the founder of Creation Driving School, says you can’t always fault the authorities or expect them to shoulder all the responsibilities. Driving, he says, is a personal thing. And when you are out on the road, you must drive safely and responsibly. “Most bikers don’t ride as much as do stunts on the road. And everyone is always in a hurry,” he says. Suman Giri of Samyukta Driving School says the minimum age to acquire a motorbike license should be increased to 21. As of now, you can get one when you turn 16. Teenagers, he says, want to ride motorbikes as soon as they are legally allowed to. Their parents also give in to their demands and buy them whatever they choose. “Youngsters often ride motorbikes that they can’t maneuver properly. Their feet don’t reach the ground or the bike is too heavy for them,” says Giri. The onus lies on the parents to guide their children instead of just buying them fancy motorbikes. Tamang adds the focus should also be on learning to ride or drive properly rather than just passing the license trial exams, which is the trend right now: 75 percent of the ‘students’ enrolled at his driving school just want to get a license. Few are bothered about theoretical knowledge and, as a result, people don’t understand even the most basic traffic rules, he says. Worse, in Nepal, there is no concept of a learner’s permit or provisional license, a form of restricted license given to someone who’s learning to drive. In many other countries, to obtain a permit, you must pass a test. Also, you must have a learner’s permit for a certain time before you are allowed to apply for the real thing. This, Tamang says, polishes people’s driving skills in addition to giving them time to understand the rules and regulations. “Earlier, there was a system in Nepal whereby you were required to sit for a mandatory one-hour class on traffic regulations before license collection,” says Tamang. In Nepal, having a license doesn’t mean you are equipped to ride on the road, he adds. Pushpa Maharjan, the owner of Dev Driving Institute, says there’s also a blatant disregard for rules. Bike riders, especially, are careless—they ride in the wrong lane, overtake from the left, and squeeze their way through jeeps and buses. The police force is strapped for manpower, according to Karki, with just one officer for 1,666 vehicles. Every day, 845 new vehicles are registered. Which is why it’s essential to develop a system to monitor traffic, adds Maharjan. Currently, there are CCTV cameras in most hotspots but these are only used when there are accidents, to verify claims. “In reality, someone should be monitoring these 24/7, and action should be taken against those breaking the rules,” says Maharjan. One of the main reasons why people break rules, those ApEx spoke to say, is because they think they can get away with it. The Metropolitan Traffic Police Department (MTPD) laments that most of their prevention measures, including heavy fines, have failed to bring about the needed change in people’s attitudes. Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, the spokesperson of the department, says it’s mostly motorbike riders between the ages of 18 to 35 who are injured or die in accidents. “There’s a sense of invincibility at that age. Adrenaline-fueled youngsters tend to race on the road,” says Bhatta. Coupled with bad roads, that is a sure shot way to disaster, he adds. To curb this, the MTPD, in collaboration with the Nepal Red Cross and Nepal Scouts, is running awareness programs in 99 schools and colleges. It also plans to get youth volunteers involved in traffic management. The department hopes the experience will make youths conscious of road safety. SP Rijal adds the police department has gone all out in its efforts to curb road accidents. There is, however, a lack of public and government support. Recognizing the need to tackle the problem of road accidents, the WHO recently launched the second edition of the ‘Powered Two- and Three-Wheeler Safety Manual’. It provides guidance to help decision-makers and practitioners come up with a comprehensive set of rules and regulations needed to save lives. With case studies and evidence, it includes recommendations on developing better roads, ensuring safer mobility for all road users, and vehicle safety standards. “It’s going to take a collaborative effort of different government sectors—the transport department, road department, and local authorities—to curb this escalating problem,” says the Nepal Police spokesperson. 18 to 35 years - Injured or deaths 1 traffic police officer for 1,666 vehicles 845 new vehicle registration every day In Nepal, there are 7 deaths and 69 people are injured in 57 accidents every day The top 3 reasons for bike accidents - Driver’s recklessness, Overspeeding, Poor road infrastructure In the past four months, Shrawan to Kartik, there have been 3,336 accidents.  Vehicles involved - 5594, Two-wheelers - 2646

Land revenue offices across the country do not have a good reputation. They are perceived to be one of the most corrupt government offices, thanks to nexus between government officials and middlemen to fleece service-seekers. Tasked with responsibilities like land sale, purchase and collection of land taxes, these offices have become a hub for corruption. Even government-conducted studies show corruption thriving in these offices. Alarmingly, irregularities are rife in these offices despite a series of government measures to curb corruption.  Middlemen operating around these offices are one of the most visible indications of illegal transactions taking place there.  In 2021, the government issued a circular to prohibit middlemen from entering the offices to control irregularities there. But the circular largely remains unimplemented. Shyam Prasad Bhandari, Spokesperson for the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), says there is a high degree of corruption in the offices related to land revenue and management. According to the annual report (2021-22) of CIAA, of all government offices across the country, government offices in the Bagmati Province have had the highest number of complaints registered against them. According to the report, 33% complaints are related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs, including local governments, while land-related offices stand in the second position with 8 percent complaints. As we receive more public complaints from those offices, we have managed a separate section with more human resources, Bhandari said. The operation of these offices is so cumbersome that service-seekers cannot get their work done without involving middlemen. The middlemen ‘help’ service-seekers with official work by charging certain fees, which they use to bribe officials and line up their own pockets. Several irregularities like registration of public land in the name of individuals, 'creation' of fake owners by forging documents, and land plotting have been carried out with the involvement of concerned officials.  Former CIAA Chief Nabin Ghimire had once said that revenue offices would be without staffers if action were initiated against corrupt officials. This statement also paints an alarming picture of deep-rooted corruption in these offices.   CIAA frequently conducts sting operations at land revenue and survey offices. There are many instances of officials caught taking bribe. A few years ago, CIAA had field cases against officials of land revenue offices in Chabahil, Dillibazaar and Jhapa, en masse.  Public fed up This week, ApEx conducted a survey at some of the land revenue offices in the Kathmandu valley. Findings of the study show that corruption has not gone down. Alarmingly, the study shows that both officials and middleman are using more cunning ways to line up their pockets by fleecing the public. The lack of action against corrupt officials has dampened the spirits of service-seekers.  In course of the survey, some service-seekers confided that they have stopped complaining about bribes they give to officials and middlemen because they do not want to spoil their relations with middlemen. Due to public complaints and intervention from CIAA and other anti-corruption agencies, there has been some improvement in service delivery but corruption has not gone down. Land revenue offices have a decades-long history.  The Mal Adda (Land Office) was established in 1953, while the Pota Registration Addha -- land tax registration office -- came into existence in 1978. The latter was responsible for approving written documents related to the ownership, sale and purchase of land, etc. The Survey Department and the Department of Land Revenue were established in 1957 and 1959, respectively. District land revenue offices were established after the political division of Nepal into 75 districts. In terms of cleaning up their tarnished image, land revenue and management offices have a long way to go.    Alarming picture Of all government offices, offices in the Bagmati Province have the highest number of complaints registered against them, per the annual report (2021-22) of CIAA. Thirty-three percent complaints are related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs, including local governments, while land-related offices come second with 8 percent complaints. An APEX survey has found that graft has not gone down in land revenue offices. Peoplespeak Rajkumar Karki  My stationery has been around the LRO Dillibazaar for the past 10 years. It’s been a while, the place is not as full as it used to be. It is because banks have not been giving enough loan, and there has been no kitta kat (land plotting). So, there are only minimal people visiting.  Dr Dhiraj Shrestha  I have been visting the LRO Dillibazaar for the past 2 weeks and none of my work has been done yet despite a lot of back and forth. I am on leave from my work and I have patients to look after. There are only a few people in the information desk, and no one is willing to help us out in times of confusion.  Jibrail Sheikh Because there aren’t many service-seekers, my work is going quite smoothly. Everyone has been helpful and I have not hit a snag so far.