Ensure security to citizens
Apropos of the news story “Multiple blasts claim four lives in valley” (THT, May 27, Page 1), it is disheartening to learn that at least four persons were killed and seven others injured in two separate explosions that took place in the capital Sunday, a day before the nationwide bandh called by the Netra Bikram Chand “Biplav”-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN). Initial reports said the devices that accidentally went off were both Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), possibly to be planted somewhere in the capital by the cadres of the Chand-led outfit. It goes without saying that the incidents and other reports related to a series of bombings across the nation have not only sparked fears among the public but have also raised serious security concerns. Such bombings, deaths and injuries are no doubt a grim reminder of the decade-long Maoist insurgency.
The security, therefore, should be beefed up, and the government must take the responsibility of protecting the citizens and take stern action against the miscreants. Also the spate of explosions in the capital and other parts hint at the bleak picture of the security situation, which will certainly discourage the prospective investments pledged by national and international investors at the Nepal Investment Summit-2019, held earlier in March. Given the gravity of the situation, the government and the concerned security intelligence agencies must act swiftly to beef up the security situations throughout the country to avert the possible mindless destruction of lives and property.
On the other hand, the security personnel and the intelligence agency must be given more legal teeth to deal with the armed outfits, which have been aggravating the faltering peace process and posing threats to the national interest.
Som Nath Ghimire, Kawasoti
Garbage
This is with reference to the news story “4,000 kg garbage from Mount Everest brought to Kathmandu” (THT, May 27, Page 2). It is good news that such a huge amount of garbage was collected from the highest point on earth and brought to the capital for proper disposal.
This initiative was taken at a time when the largest number of climbers has thronged Camp IV and above to conquer Everest, where more than 10 people have already lost their lives this season, mostly while descending. Those involved in collecting the waste left behind by the climbers and their supporting staffers say there is still around 3,000 kgs of refuse left to be collected above Everest base camp. Collecting the garbage and their disposal at a safer place has always been an arduous task for the government and the tourism agency as both have not been able to strictly implement the rules that require everybody to bring back about eight kilos of waste apart from their own. It is also high time the government imposed a limit on the number of climbers to the highest peak and other 8,000-m peaks to see to it that the environmental concerns raised by people around the world can be addressed.
Lakpa Sherpa, Lukla
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