Lalitpur, April 26, 2006

Members of the Yanwal clan - the traditional builders of the Rato Machhindranath chariot - are an aggrieved lot. Weighed under the daunting task of building the chariot each festival season, they get only meagre sum of money as remuneration. Besides, those injured two years ago when the chariot had toppled are yet to return to a normal mode of life. Arjun Dangol, 30, fractured his left knee when the chariot toppled on his leg in 2004. His old wounds are yet to heal. “I have had three operations on my knee in a twoyear period at a cost of 4 lakhs,” said Arjun, who depends on crutches to move around. He received some help though, Rs 76,000 from the Guthi Sansthan. An electrician, Dangol has been unable to get back to his vocation. He is the sole breadwinner in his family that includes his mother, wife and two children. But there is some hope for Dongol. The doctors say he will recover from his injuries. The chariot that toppled in Sundhara, Lalitpur, two years ago injured eight people and damaged the chariot too. Shankar and Arjun Dangol were sticking to the chariot and directing its path as it was being towed along narrow alleys of Patan. Though the incident left many shocked and compelled authorities to take precautionary measures, victims like Arjun are yet to get fair compensation. The Laltipur sub-Metropolitan City (LMC), the District Administration Office and the Guthi Sansthan set up a basket fund to be spent on precautionary measures during the procession and also insure the chariot builders, said Purushottam Paudel, chief of the Guthi Sansthan, Lalitpur. The chariot-builders have their own problems.

Money matters take a beating

Kathmandu, April 26, 20

The Nepali economy has received a huge blow by the recently concluded 19-day long strike called by the seven party alliance (SPA) as all business and economic activities came to a complete halt. Economists worry not only over the immediate affect on the economy but the shadows the recent events will cast over the economic growth prospects of the country in the long run. The strike is set to hit this year’s economic growth and revenue mobilisation, according to senior economists and businesspersons. According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), growth rate of revenue generation even at the close of April 13, 2006 stood only at 0.1 per cent. Dr Raghav Dhoj Pant, former member of National Planning Commission (NPC) while talking to The Himalayan Times commented that the strike created a complete vacuum in the economy as all industries were shut across the country. During this time, price of goods went up and shortage of supply was seen.