Sites distress users

SANJEEV GIRI

KATHMANDU, SEP 15

Shiva Pokhrel of Dillibazar received a facebook friendship request from a girl named Pooja Lama. Later, this friendship turned into a worst nightmare for Pokhrel as he frequently started receiving erotic messages along with vulgar comments from her. Finally, he blocked Pooja when he found out that girl was a sex-worker.

Sandeep Maharjan, of Basundhara also faced a similar ordeal. Through facebook, he befriended a guy named Sandip Thapa. However, he was stunned when he received a message from Thapa that read, “Nepali girl, one night Rs. 500.” Thapa even started sending pictures of nude women.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Hi5 and Orkut, etc have become an integral part of modern life for urban dwellers. According to Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAP), there are more than 600,000 facebook users alone in Nepal. But these social sites are also being increasedly used for peddling pornography and soliciting sex. Now, authorities are not ruling out blocking access to these sites. This comes amid the government’s tough line against pornographic sites. Access to Facebook has already been blocked intermittently in several countries including Pakistan, Syria, China, Vietnam and Iran following controversies and concerns over pornography.

It is also banned in many corporate houses in Nepal — partly to discourage employees from wasting productive hours. Now concerns about abuse of social networking sites are attracting the attention of the authorities as well.

“If necessary, we may block access to these sites,” said Kailash Prasad Neupane, Spokesman for the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. “We are also holding talks with the Home Ministry to deal with these issues.”

According to the Home Ministry, study on the impact of such sites is underway. “We are planning to issue a notice to the public in this regard soon in cooperation with the Authority. Internet service providers will also be urged to discourage the use of such sites,” said Jay Mukunda Khanal, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.

Internet service providers say that they are ready to cooperate with the authorities. “We have the ability to block access to these sites, but we can only do so if the government issues a directive,” said Binay Bohora, President, ISPAP. “We can block links to particular profiles if there is evidence of abuse,” he added.

Electronic Transaction Act 2063 prohibits the broadcasting of any obscene content through electronic media. Those found guilty can be fined up to Rs. 100,000 or five-year imprisonment or both.

Winners preen at due honour : 6th crity annual awards

SANJEEV GIRI

KATHMANDU, SEP 19 -

The most creative advertisements and their makers were honoured in the 6th Crity Awards held on Saturday night at Soaltee Crowne Plaza. A total of 35 agencies vied for 22 award categories, with five nominations each.

Of the total participants, V-Chitra grabbed the limelight by scooping up five awards —best lyricist, best jingle composer, best TVC editor, best commercial campaign and best creative agency—with its Wai Wai —Gyan Udaya campaign. The agency was nominated in seven categories.

Ad Avenues and Welcome Advertising made a tie for second position, winning three awards each. Ad Avenues clinched awards the best TVC script writer, best TVC cameraperson for its advertisement of Nepal Telecom and best TVC director for Nepal Samachar Patra’s Na Madhesi, Na Himali advertisement. Welcome Advertising, on the other hand, bagged the best art director (print) award for R.K Jewelers’ advertisement and best sound recordist and most popular advertising for Jagadamba Steel’s Nepali Man Manma advertisement. Welcome Advertising bagged the award for most popular advertisement agency by clocking 1458 votes from the general viewers.

Echo Advertising Agency won two awards—the best TVC and best social ad.

Outreach Nepal, Sanjivani Media Services, Mice Ad Nepal, Max L’agence, Ad Point Nepal, Applied Value and Media Hub bagged one award each. Raj Bhai Suwal from Prisma Advertising Agency won the award for the best print photographer.

The award for the best creative youth, a new category added

this year, went to Rishikesh Dhakal and Suraj Giri. The ceremony also felicitated the winners of the best Daura Suruwal competition. While Kedar Sharma, Suman Raj Subedi, Birendra Hamal and Prabin Adhikari walked away with the prizes for best Daura Suruwal category, G.P Timilsina clinched the prize for the most unique Daura Suruwal.

Speaking on the occasion, Nirmal Raj Poudel, president of the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN), said that the association has been able to manage the Nepali advertisement sector to some extent through the annual awards ceremony. He added that the sector has

provided employment to thousands of people and is still in search of creative manpower.

Winners

Best Copywriter (Print) Outreach Nepal

Best Print Photographer Raj Bhai Suwal (Prisma Advertising)

Best Art Director Sujan Chaudhary (Welcome Advertising & Marketing)

Best Jingle Composer Mohit Munal (V-Chitra)

Best Lyricist Araj Keshav (V-Chitra)

Best Sound Recordist Birendra Shakya (Welcome Advertising & Marketing)

Best Radio Spot Sanjivani Media Services

Best TVC Script Writer Abhaya Pandey (Ad Avenues Nepal)

Best Social Ad Echo Advertising Agency

Best Event Manager Mice Ad Nepal

Best Bill Board Max L’agence

Best TVC Cameraperson Bidur Pandey (Ad Avenues Nepal)

Best TVC Script Writer Abhaya Pandey (Ad Avenues Nepal)

Best TVC Editor Harshwardhan Shahani (V-Chitra)

Best TVC Director Abhaya Pandey (Ad Avenues Nepal)

Best Radio Jingle Ad Point Nepal

Best Print Advertising Applied Value

Best Animated TVC (Kiran Bhakta Joshi) Media Hub

Best TVC Echo Advertising Agency

Most Popular TVC Welcome Advertising & Marketing

Best Commercial Campaign V-Chitra

Best Creative Agency V-Chitra

Best Creative Youth Rishikesh Dhakal and Suraj Giri

Ducati to hit Nepali roads in November

SANJEEV GIRI

KATHMANDU, SEP 21 -

One of the most popular motorcycle brands in Europe and America, Ducati is all set to make its debut in the Nepali market. Turbo Motors Trading, authorized dealer of Ducati motorcycles in Nepal, is launching the machine by the first week of November.

Ducati is best known for high performance motorcycles characterised by large capacity four-stroke, L-twin (90° twin-cylinder) engines featuring a desmodromic valve design.

Modern Ducatis remain among the dominant performance motorcycles available today partly because of the desmodromic valve design. Desmodromic valves are closed with a separate, dedicated cam lobe and lifter instead of the conventional valve springs used in most internal combustion engines in consumer vehicles.

According to Abhinav J.B. Rana, chairperson of Turbo Motors Trading, the bikes are being launched in Nepal to cater to Nepalis bikers who have a passion for racing bikes. “Besides, this Ducati is one of the most famous motorbike brands and has unique looks, unlike other racing bikes available in the market which has motivated us to launch this bike in Nepal,” said Rana.

Three models of Ducati motorcycles—the Monster 696, Monster 796 and Hypermotard 796—will arrive from Bologna, Italy, he added. These motorcycles are equipped with 700 cc, 800 cc and 800 cc engines respectively. While the Monster 696 and the Hypermotard will be available in black, red and white colours, the Monster 796 will be available in two colour options, black and red.

The bike has been able to create a huge buzz in the market before its launching. Rana said that they were receiving an encouraging response from biking enthusiasts. “Even before its launching, we are receiving a lot of enquiries. I am optimistic that the bikes will get a good response when they hit the market too,” added Rana. “At first, we will import three units of the Monster 696, two units of the Monster 796 and three units of the Hypermotard 796.” The company aims to sell 10 to 15 units in the debut year itself.

Likewise, the company will bring other Ducati models such as the Super Bike, Sport Classic, Multistrada and Street

Fighter if they receive orders from customers. “We are planning to launch four other models of Ducati bikes in the near future if we receive the expected response from customers,” Rana said.

Ducati’s debut will mean that there will be one more motorbike brand in the Nepali market which participates in the motogp race. Other companies which take part in the race and whose products are available in Nepal are Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki. Among the SAARC nations, the motorbike is currently available only in India and Pakistan.

Ducati bikes are rated number one in terms of performance and style, Rana said. The company will also offer Ducati apparels in the market in the near future.

Turbo Motors Trading plans to open outlets at three places in Kathmandu,

namely Kupandol, Putali Sadak and Naxal, in the first phase. The company will maintain ample stocks of major spare parts and import others from India and Italy as required. A specialized workshop will be set up in the valley, said Rana.

Developers’ chance to rake in lolly

SANJEEV GIRI

KATHMANDU, SEP 22

Housing developers will be at an advantage while the real estate sector will see darker days as the central bank has issued a new directive on Tuesday redefining realty and housing sectors. The directive is akin to the stand taken in the Monetary Policy this year.

As per the new directive, banks and financial institutions (BFIs) will have to bring down their exposure to housing sector to 25 percent within the next two years and the exposure to realty sector to 10 percent. Only if the housing is constructed either for residential or business purposes will it be defined as housing sector. The new directive says that until construction activities for housing are started, land transactions will be considered real estate.

The central bank has, however, been flexible towards both the housing and realty sectors, allowing the BFIs to gradually reduce lending to housing sector to 30 percent within the current fiscal year and 15 percent to realty sector. But, if the BFIs have exposure less than 25 percent in housing and 10 percent in realty sector, they cannot increase lending to these sectors.

“Our ultimate goal is to reduce exposure to both sectors to a comfortable level within two years,” said a senior Nepal Rastra Bank official. “That’s why the directive says not to allow the BFIs to lend excessively to these sectors and those BFIs which have already done so should reduce the exposure as set by the directive.” After the country witnessed a real estate bubble for the last few years until first half of last year, the central bank took stringent measures to prevent any bust in the sector which could bring down the whole banking sector.

Amid intense pressure from the realty and housing entrepreneurs, the central bank took a selective approach to housing and realty sectors. It made policy relaxation for housing sector and tightened it for the realty sector.

Earlier, there was a reverse policy allowing the realty sector to get up to 25 percent loan while housing could get up to 15 percent only within a ceiling of 40 percent for the last fiscal year.

President of Nepal Land and Housing Developers Association Ichchha Raj Tamang said that the NRB’s latest policy on housing sector would give some relief although it would not give a huge boost. “It should be taken positively amid the banking sector facing liquidity crisis for several months.”

According to him, there was demand though to keep the single obligor limit at 50 percent for both realty and housing sector. The stringent measures on the part of central bank against the realty sector have seen the sector getting increasingly constricted in the Kathmandu Valley.

Realty transactions in major five Land Revenue Offices (LRO’s) of the valley went down by 50 percent in the second month of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year. Imposition of capital gains tax and provision of compulsory income source disclosure also contributed to the decline in the realty sector, according to land traders.

The revenue collection of all five major LROs accounted for Rs 264 million in those two months compared to Rs 524.75 million in the corresponding period last year.

Of the total collection of Rs 264 million, Dillibazar LRO contributed the highest—Rs 97.52 million followed by Chabahil LRO—Rs 60.39 million. The Kalanki LRO’s collection stood at Rs 36.36 million.

Collection at the other two LRO’s—Bhaktapur and Lalitpur—has also gone down significantly. The collection at the Bhaktapur LRO went down by more than 54 percent to Rs 31.41 million. Lalitpur LRO lost revenue by more than 61 percent to Rs. Rs 38.30 million.

Tamang said that land price was not going down despite a shortage of credit for the sector in recent days.