Confidence Remains

NEPAL which was popularly known as a land of peace is now wracked by a spate of unprecedented violence perpetrated by the so-called Maoists who have been declared terrorists some four months back. It was their bloodthirsty campaign that led to the declaration of the State of Emergency on November 26 last year. Despite the fact that the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 has the provisions to everyone, the terrorists have not heeded the genuine call for adhering to it and join the mainstream of national politics. This makes it clear that they do not want peace nor do they have the desire to let the Nepalese live a peaceful life of their own. The killing of innocent people in cold blood, destruction of valuable and necessary infrastructures, looting and creating terror have been the ploys of the Maoist outfit. For them, as if this was not enough they have been calling for one bandh after another in a bid to hold the people to ransom and destroy the very economy of the country. Their call for a five-day bandh was, fortunately, foiled because of the people’s solidarity against such futile measures of the Maoist terrorists.

In this connection, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, talking to the National News Agency (RSS) has confidently said that the terrorists unleashing murder, violence and terror in the country would never succeed. This stems from the fact that the government has mobilised all of its security apparatus to combat the menace. As Premier Deuba pointed out, the people, political parties and the international community have provided the necessary moral support to the government in the battle against Maoist terrorism. He also said that he was for peaceful negotiations but the Maoists themselves were renegades and do not listen to reason but are bent on creating havoc, terror and fear. For talks to take place with the terrorists they must first of lay down their arms to the security agencies. This makes it clear that as long as the Maoist terrorists resort to violence the security forces will go after them. As the current events point out, the security forces are gaining valuable ground as they have captured a few terrorist leaders and also published the photos of some 40 top Maoist leaders and the government has put a price on each head and different types of weapons the Maoists have. Despite the going being difficult, optimism has been raised that it is a matter of time that terrorism will be eliminated from the country and the people will be able to lead a life of dignity in an atmosphere of peace and security. Prosperity of the country will only be possible then.

Sissoo Planters’ Woe

SISSOO tree planters of Rupandehi district, as per a news item, are said to be worried by the spread of a disease that is affecting their trees. The disease, according to the sissoo tree planters, gradually dry up the affected trees. This means that the sissoo tree farmers’ investments and other inputs needed to nurture these hardy trees are also drying up right before their eyes. Considering the fact that sissoo trees are now growing in over 32,000 hectares, the planters have every reason to worry. The more so since these hardy trees take at least 10 years to reach maturity. As such, it looks to reason for the concerned authorities to come up with feasible remedial measures before this disease starts to spread like a wild fire through these sissoo plantations. For, once these maturing sissoo trees contract this malady, then they would not be deemed fit to be processed to derive timber. As all know, the timber derived from sissoo trees commands premium prices in the lumber markets because of its hardiness and insect-resistant quality. It is for these reasons that house-owners and furniture-makers, despite the high prices they have to pay to purchase sissoo trees’ timber, prefer to use it to make their houses or furniture.

Sissoo tree plantations, it may be recalled, started to make their appearance about a decade ago. That too in the lush, alluvial plains in the south since these hardy trees need a hot climate to grow and thrive. One reason for this was that while the demand for timber derived from sissoo trees was on the rise, the lumber mills were having a hard time to meet the rising demand due to, the rampant felling of sissoo trees in the forests by poachers and squatters alike. To meet the shortfalls, the lumber company had to import sissoo trees’ timber, thereby depleting the nation’s perennially scarce foreign exchange reserves. The concerned authorities, to make the nation self-sufficient in timber from sissoo trees as well as to halt the run that imports of sissoo trees’ timber was giving to the nation’s scarce foreign exchange reserves, availed all those interested in starting sissoo tree plantations with soft loans and other inputs. Hence, if these objectives are to be met and the planters’ investments safeguarded, initiatives to control this disease should be speedily forthcoming from the concerned authorities.