Welcome Rollback

WITH the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) reducing the price of some petroleum products following an instruction of the government, consumers are expected to get some market relief. When the prices of petroleum products were raised on March 25, naturally consumers in general were not happy. No price hike ever is greeted with applause by the general public. NOC said it had to raise the prices because it was suffering huge losses. Besides, as Minister for Information and Communications, and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey told journalists Sunday, the government subsidy to POL products had only ended up making the products cheaper in Nepal than in India, and thus prompting smuggling in huge quantities across the border. This is a well-established fact that the porous Nepal-India border serves smugglers very well when they want to make a quick buck out of smuggling different daily essentials into India when there is a profitable difference in prices of the same products on either side of the border. Notwithstanding these facts, it is indeed welcome that the government told the NOC to reduce the prices taking cognisance of the fact that the prices of petroleum products in the international market have seen a declining trend and the war in Iraq was heading towards an end. This reflects the alertness of the government as to the price trends in the international market situation and a commitment to respond to domestic public wishes as they pertain to essential items like POL products.

The NOC's decision to rollback the prices of diesel, kerosene and aviation is sure to be welcomed by the public. Equally welcome would be the assurance of Minister Pandey, who is also the spokesman of the government, that the latter would constitute a monitoring and fixation committee to keep a watch on the price in the international market and on the import and sale of petroleum products. It will include representatives of Consumer Forum Nepal and Forum for the Protection of Consumers' Rights. The involvement of consumers' bodies in monitoring the import and sale of petro products will hopefully have a salutary impact on the way the business of petroleum products is done in the country by NOC, the sole authority importing and distributing POL products in the country.

Adieu, Dr. Hagen!

DR. TONI HAGEN, 86, passed away Wednesday in Switzerland. Late Dr. Hagen, as per a news item carried by this daily the other day, was suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. The sad and unfortunate demise of Dr. Toni Hagen, apart from forfeiting Nepal and the Nepalese people of one of their best friends and well-wishers, has indeed left a numbing void in their hearts. The reason for this is an open book to not only the Nepalese but also to others, especially development experts, abroad. For, it was he who, through his intrepid travels throughout Nepal as well as his copious write-ups and erudite books on Nepal's geography, communities and their unique cultures, can be said to have greatly assisted in putting Nepal firmly on the world map. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that he did all this, and much more, for Nepal and the Nepalese people single-handedly. For, what simply cannot be overlooked is that prior to and even during his decade-long sojourn in Nepal in the '50s, the country was virtually unknown to rest of the world. Whatever was known about Nepal and its people, it was either through bits and pieces of information squirreled out by, among others, the traders or by the rare breed of explorers who risked their lives and limbs to travel incognito in the country. This was because the then rulers were wary of foreigners trampling all over the country. And, to keep inquisitive foreigners out, the then rulers had declared the nation out-of-bound to all foreigners. Except, of course, to those that the Ranas extended their invitations. From amongst them, Dr. Toni Hagen was definitely one.

While the reason for inviting late Dr. Hagen, even after so many decades, is still a moot point, one could be that even the then isolationist rulers of Nepal were feeling the inexorable winds of change sweeping through the world in the '50s. Nevertheless, late Dr. Hagen, a geologist by profession, got a rare chance to not only fill up many vexing blanks in the map of Nepal, but also to put his cerebral knowledge of other disciplines to beneficial use. His selfless labour of love, apart from earning him world fame, also greatly indebted a grateful nation and its people. Undoubtedly, we will be missing his sagacious advice for decades to come.