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Around 96.47 percent of the land-acquisition process for the Kathmandu-Tarai expressway has been completed—save for the stretch in Bungamati and Khokana areas of Lalitpur district. The army says land-acquisition in these places have been halted over a compensation row. But the halt has more to do with the cultural significance of these areas.  

As the town planning principles and traditional architecture of Kathmandu valley were transplanted to Khokana and Bungamati in the seventh century, these settlements represent not just a Newari townscape. They also have architectural, aesthetical, and symbolic values. 

The expressway’s construction through these areas will destroy several heritage sites and ancient settlements. Besides the fast track, seven other projects are proposed in these areas. These “development undertakings” could further impact the local heritage, fear experts.  

In 1996, King Birendra had proposed Khokana as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the village is at risk, says Sanjay Adhikari, a public interest litigator for natural and cultural heritage.  

“The 27-meter-wide expressway will destroy the proposed heritage site,” he says. “The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, of which Nepal is a signatory, as well as our constitution, advocate for the rights of indigenous people. But we are ignoring our commitment.” 

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Nepal reported four new Covid-19 cases on Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 740 swab samples were tested today, of which four returned positive. 

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 48 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 592 active cases in the country.

Shanghai reported nearly 25,000 locally transmitted Covid-19 infections on Sunday, as residents of China's most populous city voiced complaints over food and basic supplies and concern spread that more cities may soon be in the same situation, Reuters reported.

Streets of the locked-down financial hub of 26 million people remained as curbs under the city's "zero tolerance" policy allow only healthcare workers, volunteers, delivery personnel or those with special permission to go out.

Shanghai's case numbers are small compared to some cities globally, but it is battling China's worst Covid outbreak since the virus emerged in the central city of Wuhan in 2019. Of the local cases Shanghai reported on Sunday, 1,006 were symptomatic while 23,937 were classed as asymptomatic, which China counts separately.

The city has become a test bed for China's elimination strategy, which seeks to test, trace and centrally quarantine all Covid-positive people to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

The curbs have sharply squeezed supplies of food and other essentials. Many supermarkets have been shut and thousands of couriers locked in. Access to medical care has also been a concern, according to Reuters.

Online videos show residents struggling with security personnel and hazmat-suited medical staff at some compounds in recent days, with occupants shouting that they need food.

Executives for e-commerce giants JD.com and food delivery service Ele.me attended the city's daily briefing, seeking to convince residents that bottlenecks would ease.

JD.com vice president Wang Wenbo said he understands concerns about delivery speed and that the company is focussing on basic foodstuffs and baby care items. Ele.me senior vice president Xiao Shuixian said his company had brought 2,800 more delivery workers in over the past week.

Citizens in several cities expressed anxiety in social media groups that their cities might also go into lockdown, with screenshots shared of maps showing various highways closed across the country, Reuters reported.

Many of the closures may be due to local governments implementing their own measures.

On Saturday the Ministry of Transport said it met with other government departments to work on standardising highway pandemic checkpoints as restrictions at the local level were causing congestion for critical supplies, the ministry said.

A video circulating on social media appeared to show lorries departing Shanghai being scanned with-hand held detectors to make sure no one was trying to leave the city hidden inside. Reuters was not able to confirm the video's authenticity.

The Ram Nawami festival, the birthday of Hindu God Ram, is being celebrated across the country on Sunday.

Lord Ram, who was born to the then King of Ayodhya, Dashrath and his first queen Kaushalyawati, is considered the seventh incarnation of God Bisnhu.

As per the Hindu mythology, it was God Ram who triumphed over Ravana, the then King of Lanka, a symbol of demonic and evil powers, and established peace and harmony in the society.

The ninth day of the month of Chaitra on Shukla Paksha or the period of waxing moon, in the Lunar calendar is celebrated as the Ram Nawami, in commemoration of the birth of Lord Ram, said religious scholar Prof Dr Ramchandra Gautam.

Ram, who is considered as an ideal man and the embodiment of perfect manhood and high morale, was born in the Treta Yug for the protection of virtue.
Devotees visit the temples of Lord Ram and perform special pooja on the occasion. RSS