Perils of cell phone while driving

Responding to a recent complaint in its newly opened Facebook page, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) commented, “The Vehicle and Transportation Management Act 2049 and Regulation 2054 does not have proper direction regarding the use of cell phones,” and added, “But if we have to analyze the road fatalities, the use of cell phone is a prime reason.”

Contradictorily, MTPD has not maintained any statistics or carried out any investigations regarding accidents or deaths related to cell phone use and driving. Of the 678 registered cases, most of the driving licenses were seized but there is no further information on casualties or damages, if any.

The use of cell phone while driving is one of the eight major traffic violations. Since 2003, the MTPD has been taking actions against violators and conducting various awareness campaigns, but cell phone etiquettes have been freewheeling.

“Roughly, three per cent of the total number of accidents are caused due to the violation of this rule but the actual rates are higher,” informs Superintendent of Police Jagatman Shrestha of MTPD.

Amongst the 800,000 vehicles that swerve notoriously in the capital, the above statistics might be just a handful of cases that have come to notice of some 1,000 traffic personnel mobilized in the Kathmandu District. Clearly, the law enforcement of this serious traffic violation that can cost lives is flawed.

Countless miles of high altitude trails and tracks, until now the exclusive realm of the Nepalese and visiting trekkers and mountain climbers, will experience for the first time in 2012 visits by mountain biking enthusiasts. The mountain bike trails in Nepal are some of the best in the world but also some of the most undiscovered. Often you will be the only biker on the trail for days, affording a highly personal experience with the villages you pass through.

Four 12-to-21-day mountain biking itineraries will be offered starting in March 2012 under the new banner of Ace the Himalaya Mountain Biking Trips. Professional, vehicle supported mountain biking on customized tours will begin over some of the best biking trails in Nepal.

2012 programs to be offered include:

Annapurna Circuit - a strenuous 19-day program suggested for March-May and September-November; cyclists on a daily average cover 25 kms at an altitude range of 5,416 meters, passing through lush sub-tropical rainforest, deep valleys and cultivated fields to wooded alpine and high deserts, with frequent views of the Annapurnas and Manaslu.

Lhasa (Tibet) to Kathmandu - a strenuous 21-day program suggested for June-September; cyclists on a daily average cover 70 kms at an altitude range of 5,220 meters through one of the most remote regions in the world from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmadu in Nepal. The trip follows the Friendship Highway to the Roof of the World, the Everest Base Camp, and descends by the former home of the Dalai Lama.

Muktinath to Pokhara - a moderately-strenuous 11-day program suggested for February-April and September-November; cyclists on a daily average range 25 to 30 kms at an altitude range of 3,710 meters to Muktinath, a pilgrimage center for Buddhists and Hindus.

Kathmandu Valley Rim - a moderate 13-day program suggested for September-June; cyclists cover 30 kms on a daily average at an altitude range of 2,175 meters off the beaten path through rice terraces with superb views of an array of snow peaks from Annapurna to Everest. Included is a stay at Nagarkot, famous for sunrises and sunsets with the magnificent Himalayan back drop.

MLTR in NEPAL.

Danish pop rock band Michael Learns To Rock arrived in the country on Wednesday, ahead of their scheduled concert on Saturday. The three member band proceeded from Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital to Radisson Hotel in Lazimpat where they will be staying for the duration of their visit.

The highly popular band comprising singer-keyboardist Jascha Richter, drummer Kåre Wanscher, and guitarist Mikkel Lentz were greeted with flower garlands and colourful khadas on their arrival. MLTR as the band is known for short, is the second internationally acclaimed act after Candaian rocker Bryan Adams to perform in the country this year.

Adams was the first big international name to perform in Nepal in February and his concert was a massive success in a country hitherto starved of global music stars. MLTR has credited Adams for having paved the way for their upcoming concert. They also revealed that they had always been interested in performing in Nepal but were only invited this year.

MLTR fever in the capital is rising to a crescendo with banners plastered all over the city and the trio being splashed in the media. The trio plan to take a mountain flight during their stay in the country to view the world famous Mt. Everest.

They will perform their evergreen hits like The Actor, Sleeping Child, Someday and That’s Why (You Go Away) in Tundikhel on Saturday.

Tourist season kicks off in Nepal

Healthy arrivals from major source markets propelled tourists’ inflow via air by 16.8 percent in October. The country welcomed 73,264 tourists in October, the highest ever figure in a single month.

The latest statistics of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) show that a total of 443,108 visitors entered Nepal in the first 10 months of 2011, up by 21.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nepal’s major source markets—India and China—have the largest share in the first 10 months’ arrival figure. The countries now account for about 36 percent of the total arrivals. The NTB statistics show arrivals from India grew by 42.4 percent, while that of China surged by 66.7 percent. Largely propelled by strong Indian arrivals, number of tourists from the SAARC region grew by 33.7 percent.

In October, arrivals from Asia (excluding South Asia) saw an overall increase of 40 percent. Except for Malaysia, almost all the markets recorded positive growth, with China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand posting growth of 105.9 percent, 7.3 percent, 5.7 percent, 29.4 percent and 23.6 percent, respectively.

As far as the long-haul markets are concerned, Europe registered an overall growth of 15.1 percent compared to the same month last year with a total arrival of 34,166 tourists. Among the European countries, arrivals from Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and UK went up by 19.3 percent, 25.5 percent, 20.7 percent, 15.8 percent, and 7.3 percent, respectively. However France and the Netherlands registered negative growth of 3.9 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively, compared to the same month in 2010.

The official figures show an overall decrease of 5.4 percent in arrivals from the Oceania region, with Australia and New Zealand recording -0.2 percent and -30.4 percent growths. Canada also recorded a negative growth of 0.2 percent, whereas arrivals from the United States went up by 5.4 percent. A total of 69,115 foreign tourists departed from TIA in October 2011