Letters (Spotlight Weekly)

Urban Deterioration

The cover story "Unplanned and Haphazard" (SPOTLIGHT, August 1) clearly pointed out how urban areas particularly Katmandu valley is turning into a concrete jungle. The unbridled population growth and haphazard construction of new buildings is the most striking problem. In this backdrop the authorities have to be serious to carry out a long-term programs rather than engaging in patch-up planning .Not only government but we common people should also help in solving this problem. Without our help government can do nothing. The effort of town development committee and some other private housing companies is really admirable. But they should care for the concerns of middle class and lower middle class families as well.

Sudipti Thapa
New Baneshwore

Relocate Industries

I agree with the view of Mr. Purna Kadariya that relocating industries and other facilities at the periphery of Kathmandu will bring the valley's population pressure down ("Unplanned and Haphazard" SPOTLIGHT August 1). Mostly people come to city area for the opportunity of employment and to avail of other sundry facilities. Industries are major source of employment. If they are settled at the periphery region, people need not come to city in search of employment. Then population will be reduced in core urban areas. I think process of relocating industries and providing facilities at the periphery region should be started immediately. Government should think about it seriously and take a quick action. Another benefit of locating industries outside the city area is that it will also bring down the level of environmental pollution.

Santosh Mishra
Hattisar

Stop Butchering Trees

Recently, the majestic Eucalyptus trees along Chabahil road were hacked down — all of them, that is more than fifty mature and beautiful trees. Within a span of two weeks, the road to Bodnath was turned into one of the many un-shaded, ugly thoroughfares of the Valley. With no reasons ever made public (and with no public resistance), Kathmandu was deprived of one of its unique ecological landmarks, right next to one of its important historical sites at Chabahil. Exactly ten years ago, the Department of Roads (DoR) had started to fell the trees along Arniko Highway, all the way from the Ringroad up to the eastern rim of the Valley at Sanga. However, a spontaneous and quickly growing public campaign by concerned individuals and environment action groups, with support from the media, succeeded to stop the indiscriminate butchering of this tree-lined landmark of the Valley, planted in the early seventies as a far sighted example of environment engineering, giving shade and visual comfort to an increasing number of people who use this road both on wheels as on foot. We all know that these trees were technically not the best choice to be planted but now, as then, the word is trimming, not cutting. Not loosing this landmark. As a result of the campaign it was agreed by the DoR, and all other concerned that only those trees with actual risk of causing danger should be carefully selected by experts for felling (and new ones planted in their place), that all trees on the side of the Trolleybus lines should be trimmed at a certain safe height so they could grow a new canopy, and that anyway monsoon was the worst time of the year to do that. A few trees were actually trimmed near the airport, but during the ten years since then not one single new tree was planted in replacement of the 400 already gone. Also no further trimming was ever done. Again, - and more recently, the Bhaktapur division of the same DoR again began to cut the trees along the Highway, with no regard of the decisions made in 1993. Ironically, some 20 trees felled at the Bhaktapur junction are now being replaced with a park with low brick walls — a "park" without trees. Already most of the trees on the way to Thimi are cut — even on the opposite side of the Trolleybus lines — and the remaining ones up to the Ringroad will be gone in a couple of weeks if nothing is done to prevent it. On their way to Bhaktapur and beyond to see the once famous "Green Valley", tourists would drive through an ever expanding industrial corridor, on the Valley's most ugly highway. Please help to stop this barbarous act immediately!

Ludmilla Hungerhuber and Goetz Hagmueller
Kathmandu

Promote Land Pooling

The concept of land pooling could work effectively in Kathmandu ("Unplanned and Haphazard" SPOTLIGHT August 1). Without proper monitoring and control, people are haphazardly constructing houses and business centers not even abiding to the existing building codes. In such a situation, the city is turning into one ugly metropolis. To prevent further deterioration, the government should go ahead with the concept of land pooling, which it has already implemented in places like Dallu and so on. This could be the best option for Kathmanduites. Furthermore, the government should also discourage the random distribution of land by unprofessional brokers who just divide big land unscientifically into small pieces and sell them at exorbitant prices.

Kedar Thapa
Samakhushi