Wednesday, July 31, 2013

One for the road : Road expansion in Kathmandu (Published on 2013-08-01 MyRepublica)




Unmanaged roads are the most problematic parts of urban life in Nepal. Roads should be for all those who need it. But in Nepal, we are forced to ask the question: “For whom are these roads? Are they only for vehicles and bike drivers or also for pedestrians, walkers, strollers, cyclists, and physically disabled?”

A pedestrian on the roads of Kathmandu is never safe. Dirt enters your lungs and chokes your breath, mud clings to your body, you can fall over rotting sewage and into open manholes. Passing vehicles can spray your body with open drainage. People say driving in Nepal is an act of bravery. I don’t know because I have never driven in Nepal, but I do know what valour you need to walk on these roads. 

 


There are many important things to keep in mind when you are a pedestrian in Kathmandu. Motorbikes have the privilege to ride in any part of the city at their ease. They can drive on footpaths, on wrong tracks, and can overtake at any place. If you are new to the city, it is vital for you to know that they are free to dash, overrun, or injure you. The second important stakeholders of footpaths are vendors who occupy half of it with their wares spread out on tarpaulins. The pedestrian comes only after these two in the hierarchy of road users.





Road expansion in Kathmandu was the bold PM Dr Baburam Bhattarai’s ambitious project. When he became head of the government, he had put forth his humbug claim of acquiring a double digit growth in the economy by leaps and bounds, phrases he must have read in some book. But it never happened. Perplexed by his failed experiments, he flung himself wholeheartedly into a road demolishing project, which became his first and last semi-success. It was a success because most roads of the city were very narrow, facing the everyday problem of traffic jams. He was the first politician with the courage to tackle this problem. But it was only a semi-success because though there was large scale destruction, only a small fraction of the target was reconstructed. In the three municipalities of the valley, 200 km of road was demolished for widening, but as of today, only 45 km is gravelled and 22 km black-topped. The unmanaged debris on these roads has made commuters’ life hell. It raises the risk of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) which is a serious lung problem for all commuters, especially for infants who use these roads. A recent research report of the Ministry of Health shows that the risk of ARI has escalated in Kathmandu in the past one year. Dust particles were found 2 to 38 times higher in the streets of Kathmandu than the level considered safe by World Health Organization.

In newly constructed cities of our neighboring countries like India and Pakistan, roads are built to accommodate not just vehicle but all types of commuters. Small trees and shrubs are integral parts of such roads, as the greenery not only increases the aesthetic beauty but also generates oxygen, controls air pollution. In Kathmandu, people remember the old days when the 13 km long Chinese Road, part of Arniko Highway ,was extended from Maitighar to Suryabinayak. It was spotted with green trees which had beautiful flowers, and their shades offered protection to travellers waiting for buses. This road is now just a story, as the widening project has destroyed all trees.

Now there is no footpath, and the electricity poles and cable wires clutter the road. All trees and shrubs of the sideways are cut down, without planning for any more plantation. The same destruction of the greenery is to happen in the 27 km Ring Road, slated to grow to ten lanes from the current four. One NGO has estimated that about 1,239 trees will be chopped in the Koteswor to Kalanki stretch of the road. Around 4,000 trees will be chopped in the entire Ring Road. Environmentalists are concerned about this destruction. However, wider roads are inevitable for Kathmandu valley. So expansion and construction of the currently insufficient roads must go on, but without risking the environment. There is always a trade-off between development and environment, but sustainable development is that which optimizes environment protection.

The four-lane Chinese Road constructed in 1970 was considered more than enough, but it became the most congested in thirty years. Constantly widening roads is not a sustainable solution. Alternative commuting modes like underground and overhead roads and convenient public transportation should be planned.

Harmonizing modernization and nature is the new definition of civilization. Pedestrian friendly eco cities are now considered a breakthrough in development. Due to pressure from environmental groups, European nations have achieved a beautiful harmonization of development and nature, which is also reflected in their development indices. Their roads are not only for the vehicles but equally, or more, for pedestrians, cycle peddlers, and handicapped people. In 2010, Stockholm was awarded the ‘Green Capitol of Europe’, which is a symbol of the most liveable city in terms of environment. This year Nantes of western France got this recognition. According to the award committee, a good city should have ‘sustainable transport policy that includes friendly roads for public transport, bicycles with minimized car transports, and provide pedestrians with optimal conditions’. Kathmandu was ranked among the world’s 20 most polluted cities in 2010. We need integrated development policies in the development of our city and its transportation system. Otherwise, after a few years we will again go through the same rigmarole of construction.

Friday, July 12, 2013

विषाक्त खाद्यान्न - लाचार उपभोक्ता (कारोबार असार, २८)

नेपालका आमउपभोक्ता विवश छन्, विषाक्त एवं अखाद्य मिसावटका खाद्यान्न प्रयोग गर्न । विवश छन्, हरेक वस्तुको खरिदमा मिसावटी सामान किन्न । नेपालका उद्योग–व्यवसायहरू बिरामी छन् । यी यस्ता रोगले ग्रस्त छन् जसको उपचार डाक्टर या वैद्यसँग छैन । किनकि अधिकांश उद्योग–व्यवसायको जन्म नै केवल नाफा कमाउने दूषित बीउबाट भएको छ । जो जन्मदा स्वस्थ थिए ती पनि वयस्क हुदाँसम्ममा प्रदूषणले रोगी भइसकेका छन् । मुनाफाका लागि ढाँट र ठगी गर्नु व्यवसायीहरू आफ्नो अधिकार नै ठान्छन् । हालै मात्र भएको सुनचाँदी व्यवसायीहरूको हड्ताल, डेरी व्यवसायीहरूको कर्मचारीमाथिको आक्रमण, पानी व्यवसायीको हड्ताल र पेट्रोल डिपोवालाको खुला बजार नीतिको विरोधले यही देखाउँछ ।


कोलिफर्म एउटा परजीवी हो; जसले रगतमासी, हैजालगायतका थुप्रै पेटका रोग ल्याउँछ र जो दिसा मिसिएको प्रदूषित पानीबाटै प्रायः फैलिन्छ । प्याकेटमा बेचिने बच्चा–बूढालगायत सबैले खाने प्रशोधित  नमुना जाँच्दा यिनमा २ हजार ४ सयभन्दा बढी कोलिफर्म भेटियो । विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठनका अनुसार दूध र पानीजस्ता पिउने पदार्थमा कोलिफर्मको मात्रा शून्य हुनुपर्छ र ५० भन्दा बढी भएमा यसबाट हट्टाकट्टा वयस्क पनि बिरामी पर्न सक्छ । ‘पास्चराइज’ प्रविधिबाट उत्पादित दूध केही बेर उच्च तापक्रममा उमालिन्छ र तत्कालै केही बेर चिस्याइन्छ, जसले गर्दा कोलिफर्मलगायत अन्य जीवाणु सबै मर्छन् । यसैले विदेशमा ‘पास्चराइज’ दूध प्रायः नउमालीकनै खाइन्छ । नेपालका सम्पूर्ण डेरीले ‘पास्चराइज’ पद्धतिको उत्पादनको स्वीकृति लिएका छन् तर ‘पास्चराइज’ गरे कि गरेनन् भन्ने विषयमा यतिखेर अहं प्रश्न उठेको छ । किनभने खाद्य प्रविधि तथा गुणनियन्त्रण विभागले अनुगमन गरेका प्रायः सबै दूध डेरीमा कोलिफार्म पाइयो । सबै डेरीवालाले यतिखेर एक स्वरमा ‘दूध उमालेर मात्र खानुस्’ भनेर हामीले प्याकेटमा लेखेका छौं भन्ने अभिव्यक्ति दिइरहेका छन् । यसले गर्दा नेपालका दुग्ध डेरीहरूमा ‘पास्चराइज’ भए–नभएको बारे आशंका जन्माएको छ ।  भक्तपुरको डेरीमा केही दिनअगाडि २ हजार ४ सयभन्दा बढी कोलिफर्म भएको दूध भेटियो । यो दुखद परिणाम मानव स्वास्थ्यका लागि अत्यन्त घातक पनि हो । कति बच्चा र बिरामीले यस्तो दूध खाए र बिरामी भए या मरे यसको खोजी किन गरिएको छैन । यसभन्दा दुःखद समाचार ती डेरी सञ्चालकले यस्तो भेटिएपछि जनतासँग क्षमा माग्नु सट्टा सरकारी कर्मचारीलाई आक्रमण गरे र पत्रकारका टेलिभिजन फुटाए भन्ने हो । भक्तपुरको डेरीजस्तै काठमाडौं र ललितपुरका डेरीहरूमा पनि यस्तै प्रदूषण भेटिएको छ । जनताको स्वास्थ्यलाई प्रत्यक्ष असर पु¥याउने यस्ता अपराधलाई, भक्तपुरका व्यवसायीले माग गरेका जस्तै, एकपल्ट माफी दिन मिल्छ कि मिल्दैन ? दूधमा प्रदूषण शून्य हुनुपर्छ भन्ने ज्ञान या कुन प्रविधिबाट यस्तो गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने ज्ञान उद्योग खोल्नेले पहिले नै थाहा पाउनुपर्छ कि पर्दैन ? सुनमा मिसावट या ट्याक्सीको मिटर बिगार्नेजस्ता अनैतिक कामको समाचार आउँदा हाम्रा व्यवसायी कसरी जनतालाई ठग्नमा लिप्त रहेछन् भन्ने थाहा हुन्छ ।
सरकारको एउटा ठूूलो जिम्मेवारी भनेको उद्योग–व्यवसायीको ठगीबाट उपभोक्तालाई जोगाउनु पनि हो । सरकार कमजोर र भ्रमित भएको मौका छोपेर गर्दै रहेको ठगीलाई नैतिक या अज्ञानता या नियम नभएको भनेर ‘पानीमाथिको ओभानो’ हुन मिल्दैन । अझ अनुगमनमा फटाइँ भेटिएपछि त्यसको विरोधमा बन्द–हड्ताल र नाराबाजी गर्नु भनेको बिनावस्त्र खुला बजारमा नांगै उफ्रिनुजस्तै मूर्खतामाथिको महामुख्र्याइँ हो । यदि यस्तो सजाय माफ गर्न सकिनेछ भने परीक्षामा चिट चोर्दा समातिएकालाई किन सजाय दिने ?

सुन व्यापारी होस् या पेट्रोल डिपोवाला या डेरी व्यवसायीहरू र उपभोक्ता ठगिएकोमा र ठगी गर्नेलाई समात्दा बन्द, तोडफोड गरेकोमा उद्योग–वाणिज्य महासंघजस्ता संगठनहरूले जनता र नैतिकताको पक्षमा, बन्द र तोडफोडको विरोधमा बोल्नुपर्छ कि पर्दैन ? कि योलगायतका पेसागत संगठनहरूको कर्तव्य केवल सम्बन्धित पेसावालहरूको कर र भ्याट कम गर्न सरकारलाई दबाब दिनु मात्र हो ? नेपाल उद्योग वाणिज्य महासंघले निकै प्रखर भएर लोकतन्त्रका लागि आवाज उठाएको छ । बेला–बेलामा हुने नेपाल बन्दलाई सधैं बन्द गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने आवाज पनि यो महासंघले उठाएको छ, जो नेपालको आर्थिक प्रगतिका लागि अत्यावश्यक हो । तर, यही महासंघले उद्योग–व्यवसायीहरूका अनैतिक क्रियाकलापको भत्र्सना गरी आफ्नो समाजप्रतिको दायित्व दर्साउन किन पछि परेको हो ? बुझिनसक्नु भएको छ । नेपाल उद्योग वाणिज्य महासंघजस्तो व्यावसायिक संस्थाको भूमिका राजनीतिक दलका भ्रातृ संगठनहरूभन्दा फरक हुनैपर्छ ।  

खाद्यान्न अखाद्य या विषाक्त वस्तुको मिसावट अथवा उपभोग गर्ने अन्तिम तिथि–मितिको हेरफेरजस्ता कार्यले मानवीय स्वास्थ्यमा असर पर्ने हुनाले अरू खाले चलखेलभन्दा यो संगीन अपराध हो । केही वर्ष पहिले नयाँसडकको गुदपाक भण्डारको यस्तै मिसावटको समाचार छताछुल्ल भएको थियो । ठूलो जनदबाबपछि मात्र कारबाही भयो र त्यो पसल अहिले बन्द छ, तर त्यसैको छेउछाउमा या अरू ठाउँमा अहिले बेचिराखिएको गुदपाक शुद्घ छ कि छैन ? बजारमा बिक्रीका लागि राखिएका दैनिक उपभोग गर्ने खाद्य सामग्री— जुसदेखि दूधसम्म, पानीदेखि तेलसम्म, हरियो तरकारीदेखि चामल, दालसम्म निम्न गुणस्तरको या विषादी मिसिएको पाइएको छ । केही समयअगाडि खाद्यान्नमा मानव स्वास्थ्यमा गम्भीर असर गर्ने घातक विषादीहरूबारे एक अध्ययन गरिएको थियो । विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठनको सहयोगमा खाद्य प्रविधि तथा गुण नियन्त्रण विभागले भारतको भिम्टा प्रयोगशालामा गरेको सो अध्ययनमा नेपाली बजारमा बिक्रीका लागि राखिएका चामल, गेडागुडी, हरियो सागपात, चिउरा तथा पाउरोटीको नमुना परीक्षण गरेको थियो । परीक्षणका क्रममा ती खाद्यान्नमा मानव स्वास्थ्यलाई असर पु¥याउने नौ थरीका विषादी मिसाइएको पाइयो । देशका २५ वटा जिल्लाबाट नमुना संकलन गरी एक वर्ष समय लगाएर गरिएको सो अध्ययनले खाद्यान्नमा प्रतिबन्धित विषादीसमेत फेला परेको थियो ।

हाम्रो खाद्य परीक्षण गर्ने निकायको कमजोर प्राविधिक क्षमता र मानवीय कमीले छानबिन निरन्तर र स्तरीय हुनसकेको छैन । यति हुँदाहुँदै पनि जे–जस्तो खाद्यान्नमा निर्घात हेराफेरी गरेको भेटियो, यसरी मिसावट गर्नेहरू सोझै उपभोक्ताका शत्रु हुन् । त्यसैले तिनीहरूलाई कारबाही गर्नु जरुरी छ । खाद्य प्रविधि तथा गुण नियन्त्रण विभाग, वाणिज्य विभाग, जिल्ला प्रशासन कार्यालय, प्रहरीलगायतका उत्तरदायित्व पाएका र उपभोक्ताले तिरेको करबाट तलब खाएका सरकारी निकायहरूले यस्ता उत्पादक तथा विक्रेतालाई कडा कारबाही गर्न सक्नुपर्छ । साथै यसको नियमनका लागि इमानदार उद्योगी, सम्बन्धित सघं तथा उपभोक्ता हित संरक्षण मञ्चजस्ता संगठनहरू सबैको जागरूकता र सहयोग उत्तिकै आवश्यक छ ।

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Bridging between Jobseekers and excess liquidity


Provide jobs to able citizens is a major responsibility of the government. To bridge the demand and supply between  enterprenuers and job seeker there should be some semi-governmental institutions. According to NLSS 2011 about 7.5 million population are between the age of 15-30. These are the  youngsters who enter to the job market after completing some education or training. In other word the group of jobless youth.

A year ago banks were feeling thirsty due to liquidity crunch and now they are flooding with over liquidity with no proper outlet for proper streamline the deposit. According to the central bank NRB, the banking sector has an estimated deposit of more than Rs 64 billion and lending from banks was only Rs 11 billions as of last December(Paush Masanta, 2068). Laxmi, the goddes of prosperity and wealth is considerd unsteady and tottering. If money stays in one place it is counter productive. The current event of banking sector in Nepal has exibited the same nature of money. When the loaning outlets are nearly exhausted Nepali banks which flourished and boomed in the past decade are now getting under the pressure of the unused deposits. They are lowering the interest rate and investing in less productive NRB  treasury bills.
Talking to the bankers at his office on December 2011, Finance Minister, stressed on the need for increasing investment in the productive sector, utilising the surplus liquidity currently in the banks and financial institutions. “The liquidity in banks should be floated to the market,” he said, and added the government and NRB will prepare necessary programmes to develop infrastructure for the investment. However, bankers are less optimistic with the miracle promises of the Finance minister.
In November, 2011 the central bank NRB issued treasury bills worth Rs 5 billion, to sooth the outlet problem of the commercial banks but it was an insignificant approach. Currently, the deposited amount at banks is as huge as more than Rs 64 billion and lending only Rs 11 billion. The lowering of interest rate and asking the government for further concessions to the housing loans, show their anxiety. Burrowing from banks has dwindled after the governmental imposed source of big amount of investment in buying any property which that the business in housing, land, and share had dramatically declined.
Thus on one side is a large volume of money waiting for better investment outlets and on the other side is the large labour force  semi educated and skilled seeking jobs. The bridging between these two if can be done will solve a big problem and if not solved properly will transform to one or other devastating consequences. Government, should establish some semi government or independent institute to do research and work as bridge.
Some investment sector for Nepal are industry, business, infrastructure, energy, education, health etc. Which of them are more potential for long term investment is a hot question now.
Industry is Nepal is a failed experiment. Hundreds of industries including several large joint ventures are closure due to labour strikes or energy crisis. Closing of several large industries like Nepal Lever, Hindustan Unilever, Dabur Nepal, and Surya Nepal are some example of such failure. Uncontrollable flood of cheap Chinese and Indian goods creates suffocation to the national industry. Shortage of labour and energy crisis are other impediments. As an aftermath of the visit of the Chinese premier, China has announced to accelerate plans to expand a railway network Joining Tibet with Nepal boarder with an consideration of building a railway line in Nepal connecting the Indian Boarder.  Meantime, India also has several such plans and Indian railways are already connected to several boarding cities of India. These initiations by the two neighboring Giants makes the possibility of large industries more impossible. They are highly industrialized and has cheap labour so that such the transit will flood the Nepali market with cheap goods. Industries like cottage and indigenous product seems to have future.
Other sectors like infrastructure and energy are potential however the large investments and long gestation time needed by them makes such investment risky and inaccessible for small unorganized investors.
Investment in education is still promising however it is saturated in many sense. High competition has made it unethical and less profitable. Strikes and traditional pedagogy has made this sector difficult.
More promising sectors are agriculture, tourism and health. Value added agriculture such as livestock and dairy industry, carpet and dyeing, apple/orange and whiskey production. These are such example where agriculture production is indigenous type and output is value added with semi skilled labours.

Tourism is the evergreen investment sector for Nepal with mountains, hills, rivers, glaciers, temples, Buddha's birthplace and religious locations. But it needs governmental assurance and roads as prerequisite. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2010 about 16 million international tourist visited Thailand and 22 million visited Austria which is a small landlocked country of Europe. On the same year less than half million tourists visited Nepal that according to Nepal Tourism Board was the recorded number.

The newest and highly emerging sector is health. With the ever growing percapita income health service will flourish in the coming days.

Salary raise or cap ?

(unedited version of the article published on July 3, 2013 in Mr Republica) 
Pay hike for government employees has become a thorny issue ahead of the impending budget. All employee unions have been putting pressure on the government to raise their salary level, which has been stagnant for the last three years. They have threatened the government with protests that could potentially impact CA election. On the other hand, political parties during their interaction with government representatives have shown strong aversion to such a raise. 

But this does not stem from their concern for the country. Rather, they seem to be reluctant for pay rise of government employees as all its credit will go to the nonpolitical government. Nepal is among the Asian countries that pay very little to government workers, even while the inflation rate is sky high. Inflation is directly related to purchasing power measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI). If the CPI for food is 10 relative to previous year, it indicates that a food item purchased for Rs 100 last year costs Rs 110 this year. In most developed countries and in many developing countries in Asia like India there is a system of regular adjustment of salary in line with the inflation level. In absence of such self-adjustment mechanism in Nepal, salary always becomes a contentious issue during budget formulation. 

A second factor that may influence government’s pay scale is the country’s economic position. A country with high per capita GDP may be better placed to pay its civil servants well. However, Nepal’s public employee salaries are poor even when compared to countries with similar per capita GDP. For example, Pakistan with about twice the level of per-capita GDP and Bangladesh with per-capita GDP roughly equal to Nepal’s, both pay more to university teachers than Nepal. According to a 2011 World Bank report, Pakistan has a per capita GDP of $1,030, Bangladesh $638 and Nepal $562. 

In 2011, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan’s revised salary for tenure-track assistant professor was PRs 104,000 and final pay for professor level was around PRs 405,000. A recent job vacancy by the National University of Bangladesh, a public body, announced a salary of Taka 25,720 (1 US dollar=Taka 78) for Associate Professor. Private universities there pay upward of Taka 90,500 to its entry-level professors. In India the going salary of a starting lecturer is IRs 21,600 including academic benefits. The final scale of a full professor is around IRs 80,000. We can take this as a reference for salary comparison in the region. 

Inflation adversely affects the salary rate. The inflation rate for the fiscal year 2011-12, calculated by Nepal Rastra Bank, was 9.8. This indicates that if someone earned a monthly salary of NRs 1,000 last year and there was no salary rise, the real salary this year would be Rs 920. 

Civil servants and related workers unions are putting pressure on the government for salary raise. In response, the government has shown an inclination towards some kind of a raise. However, there is some disagreement about the amount of increment, especially in the face of the resentment of political parties. One way out would be to go for minimum salary raise that just covers the inflation rate. For example, if a civil servant was getting Rs 15,000 in 2008-09, his salary would be worth only Rs 11,497 in year 2011-12 due to inflation. Hence, he should get a raise of about 23 percent to bring his salary on par with the 2008-09 level. In the same way the minimum salary increment for different salary groups can be calculated. 

The dilemma for the bureaucratic government is whether to side with the political parties and agree to negligible (or no) pay increase and incur the ire of civil servants or to increase the pay substantially risking a political backlash. The challenge will also be to keep a lid on cost of living. If the inflation is very high, just about any amount of salary increase will be meaningless.