HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS PORTAL
Human Rights Group Submits Memorandum to the Mayor of Changunarayan
Bhaktpur / October 25, 2021
Municipal Level Human Rights Group formed in Changunarayan Municipality of Bhaktapur has submitted a memorandum to the Mayor of Changunarayan Municipality mentioning demands related to different sectors. A team of INSEC facilitators led by the coordinator of the group, Bacchu Ram Neupane handed over a memorandum to Mayor Somprasad Mishra demanding assurance of education, health, food and agriculture and housing rights. The group, which has been coordinating between the local beneficiaries and citizens and playing the role of mediator for the access of everyone in the sector of education, health, food and housing rights in Changunarayan municipality, has identified the problems and submitted a memorandum demanding for a solution.
The group needs to fill the vacancies of subject teachers in schools, introduce the child and human rights education in the local curriculum, monitor schools frequently, plan for educational reform, provide access to technical education to all students, and provide online classroom access to the community school students during the lockdown. There are demands for disability-friendly toilets, everyday tuitions, management of scholarships for students with disabilities, provision of playgrounds, sports equipment and sports trainers, additional educational programs at the municipal level, teaching the children of teachers in community schools and development of English medium education system.
Similarly, the health problems in the local area should be removed, the sale of expired daily necessities affecting health should be stopped, the negligence in the health centre due to the pandemic of Covid-19 and the shortage of free medicines should not be allowed It has been demanded that ambulance service should be provided from all wards, health centres should mobilize volunteers as per requirement, disability-friendly health office should be set up, maternity service should be expanded in health centres and information should be provided about community-operated health services.
Likewise, food and agriculture should be inspected for their quality, market monitoring should be done for expired, under-weighted and over-priced goods, soil testing, action should be taken against those who leave land vacant and incentive and subsidy programs should be introduced for the best farmers. Livestock insurance programs should be introduced, garbage management and meat shops that do not meet the standards should be dealt with, incentive programs should be introduced due to the damage caused to the agricultural sector due to COVID-19, accessible seeds should be brought to all, agricultural loans should be provided at the minimum interest rate, chemical fertilizers. It is demanded that special subsidies should be provided to the farmers for improved seed irrigation, easy marketing of vegetables, fruits and food grains produced by the farmers and special programs related to fish, cattle, poultry and pig farming should be implemented and encouraged.
Regarding housing rights, the memorandum mentioned that the problems of the victims of the earthquake, those who are unable to build houses due to poor economic condition, those who do not have Lalpurja (document of house landownership) in their name, those who are yet to build houses due to criteria and other problems should be addressed with necessary facilities. There is a demand for a separate policy for those who have a Lalpurja but have not been able to get relief.
Ramesh Giri