Civil Servants’ Incentive

THE GOVERNMENT, in order to curtail the number of staff in the bureaucracy and make it more effective and efficient, announced the voluntary retirement scheme for the civil servants the other day. As per the scheme, civil servants, who are more than 50 years old and have already completed 20 years of service are eligible to take voluntary retirement. Civil servants who opt for this scheme would, in turn, receive a lump sum equivalent to seven years’ pension—a major incentive for the employees to opt for retirement. The government has also made provisions of some other attractions for the employees who want to take voluntary retirement. That such a scheme to reform the bureaucracy and make it efficient and effective was on the government’s anvil ever since Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya, while presenting the budget estimates for the fiscal year 2000/200, had clearly expressed the government’s intention to bring about reforms in the administration. Additionally, among the top priorities of the present government, administrative reforms is one. In this regard, it has adopted several measures in terms of policies and programmes.

The government’s rationale for streamlining the administration is that Nepal’s bureaucracy is perceived to be bloated—and hence it needs to be pruned to make it more effective, efficient and people-oriented. Several commissions constituted to recommend measures for administrative reforms in the past have also pointed out the needs for restructuring the bureaucracy by, among others, reducing the existing strength of employees and the number of offices. As per these suggestions, the government has already reduced the number of ministries. Since the nation’s bureaucracy is the tool to implement the government’s pro-people policies and programmes, this latest incentive should be viewed as the government’s decision to bring about the desired changes in the entire administrative mechanism. For, unless the bureaucracy is effective and efficient, such policies and programmes cannot be judiciously implemented to benefit the people. It may be also noted that right after this government came to power, it has adopted the policy to boost the morale of civil servants by, among others, opting to make the bureaucracy a truly professional organisation so that it will provide better and more efficient services to the people. As such, the government’s latest scheme should be commended by all in that it will ultimately lead to the creation of a more efficient, effective and pro-people bureaucracy.

Lake City Blues

POKHARA is the second most favoured tourist destination in Nepal, after Kathmandu. There are those who say it could well be the number one tourist puller if tourists could go there straight without touching down at the country’s only international airport that is in Kathmandu. For all the good things going for it in terms of nature’s bounty, Pokhara’s tourism has not taken off vigorously. The growth in tourism in Pokhara primarily is ascribed to the attraction of Phewa Lake and Machhapuchhre mountain and other scenic settings around it. Being a gateway to the famous Annapurna trail has also helped Pokhara find its tourism moorings. But tourism experts have pointed out time and again that Pokhara’s tourism has not grown in a manner that matches its vast potentials. Too much has been left to the nature to attract tourists with human efforts not on par with what is required. At the same time, what growth it has witnessed over the decades have also impacted negatively, thanks to the absence managed growth.

At present, Pokhara’s looks and conditions are bad. It is visible to any visitor, foreign or domestic. It is to try to better the physical conditions of Pokhara that the Second Tourism Infrastructure Development Project was launched there. The project is designed to better solid waste management, sanitation and roads. From the looks of it, the project, that began two years ago, has not travelled too far. It is bogged down in controversy. There are reports of the construction works not going the right way. Under way at present is drainage works, which has already invited criticisms for allegedly bad handing by the Pokhara municipality. The rivarly between different members of the municipality representing different political parties has also impinged on the running of the project. At this pace, it is clear that the project, which has received 400 million rupees ADB loan, will miss the 2001 end deadline. Can Pokhara afford such turtle speed development of its infrastructure? Certainly not. Drainage disorder in Pokhara, for instance, is famous. The biggest tourist-puller lake of the country, Phewa Lake, is also the puller of sewage. Lake side restaurants and hotels empty their sewage in the lake killing it slowly. A proper drainage system, when it is functioning, is expected to stop this thoughtless action. This is one of the many reasons why the project must be completed as soon as possible. The municipality must pull itself by its bootstraps and let the floundering project back on its feet. Let the Lake City blues be a thing of the past.