Kathmandu Post

Date | Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Login | Register

Jump to :

Letters»

Voice Of The People

NOV 08 - Disaster prone
Nepal is vulnerable to several types of disasters (“Lessons from Sandy,” November 1, Page 6). Preparedness for disasters mean having organisation, trained manpower, equipment, material, emergency plans and the ability to execute the emergency plans. It means having all measures necessary and incidental relating to disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery by all governmental and private sector agencies to protect life and property. Nepal has however been performing below standard during disasters. For example, I was rather amazed to see the uncontrolled crowd at the scene of the Sita Air accident site a few weeks ago. All those who witnessed the live telecast on television will certainly agree with me that there is an acute need for detailed groundwork by emergency response forces on how to deal with disasters.
The roles of our local Village Development Committee heads and City Mayors during disaster response stages are either missing or non-functional. The local government down at the village level must be organised and prepared for any kind of untoward incidents until reinforcement from the central level is available. For this purpose, the community-based approach to disaster management will be most effective, keeping in view our geographical features and the degree to which Nepal is prone to disasters. The community must be invited to take part in the planning, preparation and response stages.
Govind Thapa
Additional Inspector
General of Police (Retd)
Lalitpur
tourism slack
It’s ominous that the number of tourists coming to Nepal has fallen (“Monthly tourist arrivals fall for the first time in three years,” November 2, Money 1). The decline in arrivals is worrying for the travel and hotel industry, as October has traditionally been a peak tourist month since tourism began to flourish some 60 years ago. The abrupt drop in business deserves more serious and studious analysis than simple slapdash responses from those looking after the travel and hotel sectors.
Jwahar
Via Email

Rubbish talk
The irresponsible statements made by UCPN(M) leader Barshaman Pun that the president is planning to make a move shows that Chairman Dahal virtually has no control over his party(“Prez-UCPN(M) animosity hits boiling point”, November 5, Page 1). The general public is afraid that such statements may invite more turbulence unless checked in time. As such, Dahal has tried to clarify the things that were said as not being his “party`s position”. If true, Dahal should put his foot down as leader of the party and command others to stop talking rubbish.
Arun Shrestha
Lalitpur

Land-air safety
It was my pleasure to read about air safety issues in the Post and particualry agree with the idea that Nepal can’t remain passive when it comes to developing human resources and safety awareness at a time when the country’s tourism and aviation industry is growing (“EASA asks CAAN to submit action plan,” November 7, Kantipur online). On my frequent visits to different places, I have observed certain key factors that are extremely important in aviation, regardless of where one is flying to and when. If the government isn’t going to do anything, at least passengers can ask about safety on the planes, their crew and captain and the route they are to take. That would go some way in holding authorities to account.
Narayan Bahadur Basnet
Kathmandu

sexual choices
Nobody is blaming the Occident and its culture, if that is what Sewa Bhattarai is trying to insinuate, for homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality and scores of other unnatural sexual practices and aberrations (“Alternate sexuality,” Oct 28, Page 7). However, in order to prove this, there was no need to subject our Epic Mahabharat to Freudian psychoanalysis scrutiny, as male bonding without innate
sexual innuendos has been part and parcel of our Oriental culture since time immemorial. Lately, due to Western thought, people are wary of holding hands with same-sex friends or even affectionately cuddling children lest they be accused of being gay or pedophiles, respectively. Sexual needs, desires, preferences and attractions are unique to all individuals influenced by biology, society, environment etc. You cannot really blame a shepherd-boy who spends most of his time with his cattle in the hot Tarai heat for his penchant for bestial
proclivity. You certainly cannot blame the Westerners for his act or thinking process. Nor do they need to teach him the pleasures of bestial indulgences. Just blame it on mother nature!
J Talchabhadell
Bhaktapur
Posted on: 2012-11-09 09:02

Post Your Comment

*Please note that all the fields marked are mandatory.**
* Full Name
* Address
* Email Address
* Comment
* Captcha	Get another CAPTCHA code

Note:	Comments containing abusive words or slander shall not be published.