EDITORIAL

A Ray Of  Hope

It is a traumatic experience for any person to be displaced from his or her homeland. Such displacements take place usually because of war, unrest or political prosecution. It is a sad incident that more than one hundred thousand Bhutanese of Nepalese origin have been similarly displaced because of political prosecution back in their homeland. And unfortunately, it is Nepal which has had to bear the brunt of this mass exodus. It is almost a decade now since thousands of Bhutanese refugees fled their homeland and crossed over to India before coming to Nepal. The number of such refugees has increased steadily and according to official figures there could be one hundred thousand such Bhutanese refugees in Nepal now. With the help of the UNHCR, the refugees have been staying in different camps in the Eastern part of Nepal. Right from the beginning, Nepal has initiated dialogue with Bhutan to return back the refugees to their country. However no progress has been made in spite of seven rounds of talks between the two countries at the ministerial level.

Sadly, while the refugees are languishing in several refugee camps, it is Nepal which is facing different problems because of the presence of so many added people on its soil. The social problems and environmental damage suffered by Nepal, perhaps can never be calculated in terms of money. Yet, even years after the arrival of the refugees, it is unfortunate that much has not been achieved to repatriate the displaced people. The political instability in Nepal in the last couple of years, did not help matters, and Bhutan took full advantage of that situation to stall things. But now the country has a stable majority government and things can be expected to move ahead on this front. In this regard, it is encouraging that the eighth round of ministerial talks between Nepal and Bhutan will take place next week. This time Nepal has done well by seeking the role of India in creating a cordial environment to resolve the issue bilaterally. It can be hoped that the coming talks between the two SAARC member nations, will bear fruit so that the refugees can go back to their home country in dignity and Nepal can also be free of this unwanted burden.

(Editorial in The Rising Nepal, Sunday, September 5)

 Apt Concessions

  There was a time when Kathmandu was known for its unique beauty and rich cultural heritage. But now, it is also known as one of the most polluted cities in the world. A lot of blame goes to the planners, who did not have any vision of the problems that could come with the growing population and rapid development that would burden the City. Now a time has come when air pollution has become so severe, that the health of the residents are being affected because of it. Even visitors to the City don’t want to stay here more than they have to, because of the pollution. However, more people are being aware of the problem and what is causing it. Virtually everyone has blamed vehicular emission for causing much of the air pollution. Now the first step to control such pollution has started with the government decision to ban diesel three wheelers which are locally known as Vikram tempos. These rattling three wheelers really spew constant black smoke and one can literally see they are fouling up the air.

  But whatever faults they may have, the Vikram tempos ferried thousands of commuters daily and it also provided a means of employment for many people. So while banning them, there was a need to look for an alternative mode of transport also. In this regard, it was encouraging to hear Minister for Finance Mahesh Acharya informing at the national convention of the Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs the other day that the owners of the diesel operated three wheelers will be allowed to import micro-buses with 99 per cent concession on custom duty and they will not have to pay VAT for the vehicles as well.  This decision should help the diesel tempo owners to carry on with their trade, and also not strand the thousands of commuters who depended on the Vikrams. Furthermore, just banning the diesel three wheelers will not take care of Kathmandu’s air pollution. The government must see to it that other equally polluting vehicles must also be slowly phased out and this should include the polluting two wheelers as well. If other cities of the world have controlled air pollution with strict laws, there is no reason why Kathmandu cannot follow suit.

(Editorial in The Rising Nepal, Friday, September 3)