Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

Who Are The Devils?

Corruption is undoubtedly the most dangerous disease afflicting our country today. It should be controlled as soon as possible. Since the Commission of Investigation of Abuse of Authority conducted late-night raids on the residences of 22 senior and junior government employees, society, including influential sections of the media, is shouting at civil servants ("Civil Or Evil?" SPOTLIGHT, August 30). One must not conclude that all civil servants are corrupt. Those who are dishonest are not the only people responsible for the present plight of the bureaucracy. The politicians, under whom they work, and the business giants, from whom they take bribes, are equally responsible. Civil servants, no matter how corrupt, play only a small part in the game. Hence, they are only evils. The corrupt politicians and their right-hand businessmen are the devils.

Pukar Sharma
Baluwatar

Tenuous Link

Many people think corruption thrives because civil servant are paid low salaries ("Civil Or Evil?" SPOTLIGHT, August 30). How can we agree with such a conclusion when we see prosperous countries like Japan, too, facing corruption? We can say, however, that the desire to lead a luxurious life is one cause of corruption. Nepalese civil servants’ desire to own a car and a bungalow is the main reason behind the problem. We cannot control corruption unless we resolve to live a simpler life and think higher.

Ram Hari Karki
Gokarna

Too Ambitious

I laughed to myself reading A.B. Thapa advocate the diversion of Brahmaputra through Nepal (SPOTLIGHT, August 9). What national interest would that serve? Unable to manage our own rivers, we let our imagination fly high. A water resource expert is a person who designs and implements projects so as to cause minimal environmental and ecological hazards with maximal benefit, not our local breed that disrupts projects like Arun. For us, hydropower is the only water resource. When did the Chinese build their navigable Grand Canal? In Sri Lanka, there are remnants of dams built millennia ago. Fifty years of shouting hoarse about our water resource has not yielded even an overall development plan. With cholera- and other disease-infested "drinking" water distributed insufficiently in our capital, residents are advised to wait with parched throats until Melamchi trickles in after lining the pockets of the commission mongers. When the Melamchi water becomes insufficient, we probably bring in the Brahmaputra, and then the holy waters of Manasarovar. Thapa’s next opinion (SPOTLIGHT, August 16) is more to my liking because in a high gradient country like Nepal, high head hydel projects will be more efficient. The smaller reservoirs will also reduce seismic hazards. Could Thapa please explain to a layman like me, what he means by Langtang waterway in his first sentence? This brings me to my final point. Why have we not used for rivers for navigation purposes? The Narayani can be easily made navigable from the Bay of Bengal to the mid-hills. Other rivers of Nepal have similar potential. What prevents us from building navigable channels from east to west along the foothills to interconnect our rivers? Water transport is still by far the cheapest. The networking of rivers should be integrated with irrigation, flood control and other water utilization programs. When we take our own initiative, India that has remained reluctant to open up a seaway along the Gangetic system in fear of Nepal’s landlocked status being removed, will immediately participate. India would benefit more by having sea-going vessels coming up to Patna, Lakhnow, Delhi and Hardwar. The new Indian president in his Independence Day speech has called on his country to develop such a network of river canals to reduce the effects of cycles of floods and drought. With no self-confidence for nation building, we are a country of beggars and looters, dependent on handouts. Such alms meant for the poor people are then looted by the powerful. We experienced a devastating flood about a decade ago. There were high-sounding speeches on flood controls. We folded our hands behind our backs all these years, and now half our country is flooded and the rest reeling under severe drought. In the name of flood relief, the politicians are out in the streets raising alms and taxes to fill their own pockets.

Shukra Raj Acharya
Naya Bazaar, Kirtipur