Restore Bhaktapur Palace

The delayed restoration work at Bhaktapur’s famed 55-window palace has brought it to a state of near collapse. Even then, the appalling lack of coordination between Department of Archeology, the local municipality and donor agencies, the reason for this state of disrepair, continues as never before. It will indeed be a tragic event if this three century old structure that withstood even the great earthquake of 1934 comes tumbling down during a minor tremor. Therefore, it is high time the government intervened to save this valuable heritage from disintegration by attending to it. This is by no means the first time that the government is being reminded, but if the government still does not heed the warning, it will be responsible for any eventuality that may befall the palace.

Ten years ago, the Department of Archeology had drawn a preliminary plan to restore the structure of the palace. Three years later, the German government came up with a new plan that was completely different from the previous one. Hot on its heels came a plan from the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning and finally UNESCO came up with its own plan. No doubt, it was a case of too many cooks. The only difference was nobody lit the fire. Naturally, a few questions arise. First, which body is responsible for drawing up the plan for restoration work? Second, why were UNESCO and the German government involved in drawing plans if the Department of Archeology felt their plans did not stress the preservation of antiques? Third, is the government even aware that the differences in plans are ultimately responsible for this ruinous state of the palace more than anything else?

Due to delay in restoration work, the walls of the palace including the frescos which UNESCO has included in the World Heritage list, have begun to develop cracks and fissures. It is indeed saddening that none of the organisations that were supposed to be responsible for the restoration work have perceived the urgent need to do something about the dilapidated state of the palace. If these organisations are so concerned with restoring the palace, then why is it that not a single one of them has taken any initiative to prevent seepage on the walls during the rainy season. Bhaktapur municipality must also be censured for its apathy.

Had the government mediated among the plan-pushing organisations and resolved their differences, the structure of Bhaktapur’s 55-window palace would have been restored in time. This did not happen. Now, having failed to take care of antique property, Bhaktapur municipality as well as the Department of Archeology are blaming UNESCO and the German government of negligence. Such mutual recrimination will never lead anywhere. The government must therefore intervene to save the palace. The only way to do this will be to get all the parties to agree to their areas of responsibility. Then only can restoration work begin in earnest.

Improving neighbourly relations

By K S Brar

India claims to champion the cause of democracy and human rights in the Third World and its leaders have played quite a big role to change the political system in this country. But what has she done to solve major problems with Nepal, like border dispute, revision of 1950 treaty, Bhutanese refugee problem, transit problem at Calcutta port, regulating the open border, hydropower generation, flood control, construction of dams on the border etc? Nepal expected all these issues to be discussed and solved after the restoration of multi-party system. Instead, India is shrewdly avoiding the refugee problem. She has supported tyranny in Bhutan and kept hurting Nepalese interest and pride. Although India has sat down together with military leaders before, it cancelled the SAARC Summit because of the military takeover in Pakistan. Is there democracy in Bhutan, not to mention many other countries ruled by dictators with whom India has good relations.

What is India getting by stopping its regular Indian Airlines flight to Kathmandu? It only wants to prove that it can hurt. This is how it imposes its will whenever it chooses, at its own sweet will. If security measures at Tribhuvan International Airport are really inadequate, how is it that dozens of other international airlines are conducting their flights? If there are security problems, arrangements to exchange information and share secrets could be made at the proper level with understanding of each other's sensitivity. That way, there would be no hurting of each other's national interest. India really has to do some deep soul searching if it wants to improve relations. It has to take some concrete steps to win confidence. Removing its troops from Kalapani (Nepalese troops should occupy Kalapani), asking the Bhutanese strongman to take back its citizens from Nepal and stopping the creation of irritants at Calcutta harbour and Fulbari road are some of the things India must do. These will be solid confidence building measures.

Are we not to be blamed for whatever is happening to this country ? Have we ever seriously raised important issues with India? Are we ever prepared with good home work that prepares us to press our case/ cause? If we put ourselves in the shoes of Indians, we would do exactly as they are doing to us today. For example, are there any Nepalese teachers in Indian institutions equal to Indian teachers in every respect as the Indians are in this country? This is just one small example of how political leaderships are escorted ostensibly to friendly mine fields.

Problems arising out of major issues, problems at the national level and problems of national integrity have arisen in this country today. Who is responsible for this? Is it the political system or leaders? Certainly not the system. Our leaders should rise above their petty self interest. Democracy can both be a blessing and curse. It could be an opportunity either for development or destruction of the country's socioeconomic well being. Nepal is heading towards destruction like many other new democracies, and it may be too late unless we arrest the trend now.

One important feature of good neighbourly relations in South Asia that seems to be improving is in the Armed Forces. People will find it difficult to believe that even Pakistanis and Indian soldiers in the line of control who face each other eye ball to eye ball, exchange tea and coffee during times of lull. Relations among other armed forces, as experts say, are well maintained and improved by the exchanges of military leadership visits and exchange of officers and soldiers on various training programmes and exercises. May be the people in uniform hold talks in direct, frank and straight forward manner without mincing words. They call a spade a spade. May be they readily understand each other's problems and sensitivities. No military leader ever want to go to war although they keep on preparing for it. It is probably because they speak one language that they are in one grid and there is discipline, a strong Chain of Command and it is a functioning and performing institution.

Between Nepal and India, the military relationship was developed and sustained since 1816. There has been a regular flow of high level visits and exchanges. Whatever the political and bureaucratic relations, the military keeps a perfect but low profiled relationship all throughout. Indian army personnel keep on visiting this country for various reasons. They say majority of Nepal army personnel go to India for junior to senior level courses and exercises. The relations between the two armies are excellent. Nepalese anxieties and sensitivities, it appears, is very well understood at the higher levels. One prominent example is the recent visit by the Nepal army Chief to India immediately after a similar visit to China. This proves that the Nepalese army has been maintaining its neutral, impartial and friendly image on a balanced and equal footing. The Indian president conferred on Nepal army Chief the honorary general rank of the Indian army and he was received by the Indian PM despite India's refusal to resume its flight to Kathmandu.

It appears that the need to smoothen the relationship lies at the bureaucratic and political levels. The two governments should cooperate and closely coordinate even to curb the Maoist escalation of violence and distraction. This has to be initiated right from the top. The pity is Nepal keeps on suffering from the sugar coated hegemony. Nepal has never been trusted with assistance from India despite continuous Nepalese efforts to convince it that Indian national interest would never be jeopardised or hurt. It is either the Nepalese leadership's failure to convince India about its sincerity and honesty or India does not want to take Nepal seriously or there must be an ulterior designs. Whatever it is, there is a huge gap/wall of suspicion, mistrust, misunderstanding and misconception not only between Nepal and India but amongst all India's neighbours. There is wide gap between the rhetoric and implementation. This needs to be bridged. There is a strong belief in Nepal that a direct, free, frank and straightforward talk initiated by Nepal will make India understand. A majority of Indians have tremendous amount of good will for Nepal. Nepalese monarchy has also been a major factor in earning his good will. What we basically need are defined national aims and objectives in the present scheme to things, a unity of thought and effort, a national consensus, a national resolution, a political will with strict discipline. All leaders and all neighbours should understand each other’s importance.

Not so great

By K C Bhatt

Afew years ago, when the dilapidated Naubise-Mugling sector of the Prithvi Highway was being repaired with the help of the British government, this scribe was held up on the way, while he was commuting out of the valley in a bus.

When the delay become too long and the queue of vehicles held up due to interruption; became too long, he had no choice but to come out of the bus he was travelling in and see what the matter was.

Out of curiosity, he walked ahead to find the reason for the unexpected break in his journey. He, to his pleasant surprise, found that the repair work was nearly complete. (The same meant that the ordeal of the bone-shaking journey, while commuting through the Naubise-Mugling part of the highway would become a thing of the past. This scribe, at that time did not realize that a vastly improved condition of the road also leads to unprecedented increase in the accident rate).

However, the job was not fully finished yet, and at certain places, the already prepared structures for the railing were being placed at certain locations.

Invariably, such locations were at the turns from where the precipice of the (often inward) slanting hill looked most ominous- with the view of the clear white froth; that the waters of river Trishuli churns after it hits the mighty rocks of the hills. Indeed, it was a good idea to place the railings at such turns along the highway.

On this occasion, a railing was being placed at its predetermined location with the help of a huge
crane.

There was a white man who was supervising the job and despite repeated attempts by the crane operator to put the structure at the desired place, he was not satisfied.

He nearly took one more hour and more than ten attempts to lift and place this structure by gesticulating and shouting instructions at the crane operator above the loud roar of the powerful engine of the huge crane. Finally when he was satisfied, he signalled other labourers to tighten the bolts and nuts of the railing and also to the crane operator to remove the vehicle and give way to the long held traffic of the highway.

Witnessing his intensity at work, this scribe couldn’t resist talking to the supervisor. He came to know that he was a British engineer and was working on the project for quite some time and also that the project was about to complete.

Before thanking the British engineer for the great job he was doing for Nepal and boarding the bus, this scribe felt a deep sense of disappointment and rejection that: fewer Nepalese engineers would have done the same job with a fraction of the professionalism and dedication of the British engineer.

May be this is the reason why Britain is a great country and Nepal a not so great one, notwithstanding the hollow enthusiasm of the songs with nationalistic fervour and fiery speeches of the politicians.

Price of ignoring population control

By Kuldip Nayar

Someone has to ring the bell every now and then to remind the nation how it is ignoring the poor while taking strides towards development. Indian President K R Narayanan does well to point out occasionally that in the din of economic reforms the feeble voice of the left-out has been drowned. None talks about them, not seriously. Yes, there are tears shed on their plight during election because they, however poor, vote. But then, after the polls, all is quiet. Even the destitution is not mentioned, much less poverty.

The President should also at times spell out the causes of economic degradation. One of them is abnormal growth in population. If he were to raise his voice on this count, he might open the plugged ears of political leaders, particularly those in power. All our development, already slow and lopsided, is devoured by ever-increasing numbers. We are now one billion, adding nearly the population of Australia every year. At the present rate of growth (1.9 per cent), India’s population will double in 36 years, surpassing China in 2040.

I wonder if the President has ever written to the governors, who are under his discipline, to pay special attention to family planning. The monthly reports by governors should have a part devoted to population alone. He should remind the Prime Minister about the slow, slovenly pace of family planning. The programme may come to receive more attention -- and urgency -- once the government knows that the President is closely watching it.

At present, family planning -- the euphemism for birth control which was given up because it is considered crude -- is low in the government’s priorities. It is one of the numerous departments in the Ministry of health and that too headed by a Minister of State. This has been the pattern since independence. Never has any Prime Minister thought of making family planning a separate portfolio and entrusting it to a minister with cabinet rank. In fact, the Prime Minister and the chief ministers in the States should be in charge of family planning. The bureaucracy deals with it superficially because there is no interest at the top.

The government’s attitude can well be judged from the fact that whenever there is a decision to cut spending, the first casualties are health and family planning. Family planning is considered an "uneconomic expenditure." The argument is that the programme does not earn any revenue. Little has been realised over the years that economic development without social development does not take a country very far. Family planning is the key to our development.

In fact, private agencies are far more honest and dedicated than the government’s own establishments. I participated last week in a workshop, organised by Goli ke Hamjoli (friends of the pill) at Agra. Thirty journalists from different parts of UP were present. Exposed to politics all the time, they had not realised how the ticking bomb of population could explode and destroy everything that India had gained.

I found the journalists both enthusiastic and responsive. At least, they went back from the workshop with determination to clear the myths and fears that were linked with family planning. The damage done by Sanjay Gandhi in using authoritarian methods to curb population is still there. Very few politicians talk about the programme in public. They fear that they may be defeated at the polls like Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and the Congress leaders in 1977 -- soon after the emergency.

UP is one of the four states where population growth is the maximum. The other three states are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Their unchecked growth of population is pulling down the entire country.

The numbers in the four states are also creating political problems. The Lok Sabha seats have been frozen at 545. The Delimitation of Constituency Commission is appointed after every decade to decide on the number of seats a particular state should have. The criterion is the number of voters. It boils down to population. The four states, which alone have a population growth of 42 percent, get the advantage of numbers or, in other words, of their failure to check population growth. The Commission has not been appointed for the last 10 years because of the seats the states following family planning would lose. The next commission is due by the end of this year. The government is inclined not to reopen the issue and leave the matter where it stands at present. Is it a solution ?

If democracy means votes, more numbers should get more seats. But it will be neither fair nor just if the four states get more seats because they do not implement the family planning programme properly. Some formula will have to be found to punish them, to make them realise that they cannot have the cake and eat it too.

The Planning Commission once devised the Gadgil formula whereby the Central assistance was in proportion to the population in a particular state. Thankfully, the mistake was realised and the formula changed. Similarly, something will have to be done to determine the number of constituencies in a particular state. This cannot be on the basis of population. Till an equitable way is found, Lok Sabha seats in different states should remain frozen. In the meanwhile, family planning in the four states should be pursued vigorously and relentlessly. Any let up in the field will amount to committing a crime.