Apropos of the editorial “Enforce the rules” (THT, August 17, Page 8), even if taxis install two machines each, it would not stop the taxis, which seem to be run by gangsters with political blessing, would not stop fleecing the commuters. These machines work only in a highly civilized country like Japan or in a country where canes rule the roost as in Singapore or Malaysia. In a nation which is neither civilized nor has strong rules of law, the billing machine will give more leeway to the thugs to extract more money from the commuters to cover its purchase and installation. What is the use of metres or machines when the taxi drivers look or walk away from the service seekers as if telling you in body language ‘don’t come near me, I am not going anywhere’? As soon as they see someone approaching them, they will just show their back. And others will come up with stories of all one or two or ten machines out of order, leaving the commuters no choice but to pay what they say. So, as long as the government makes ‘refusal to serve’ a crime punishable by law, taxis will go only by the words of their mouths and not by machines. We have years of experience dealing with taxis in all political backdrops - monarchy, anarchy, democracy and Republic.

Unless the traffic does a sting on each and every taxi and haul the offenders to jail, we will be at the mercy of these thugs. On a different but somewhat related subject, I could not agree more with the advice in your sub-editorial ‘Action is needed’. We don’t need any more words, lessons, lectures, interactions on pollution control in the Valley and the country. Some of us have not attended a single interaction, yet know the perfect diagnosis for Nepal’s endemic environmental, social and political pollution. There is no point in spreading knowledge at huge costs. Since we have many post graduates in environmental sciences, some from foreign universities, we can apply their knowledge and skills to fight the pollution problem. Right man for the right job will solve many of Nepal’s problems.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Motivation

I am writing this piece to underscore the fact that we tend to think in order to develop a country there is desperate need of human resources, or if you like, manpower. I have been saying this to my brother who has studied medicine and has a job in Nepal thinking about making a U turn for a better future overseas. I had never thought a man like my brother, who never dreamt about going overseas, all of a sudden think about securing a future there. As per him there is no motivation or respect for the people who genuinely want to do something in Nepal. He was happy with the salary and all that but the organisational politics are damaging the team work, work ethics and the like. I do not see any point in letting politics do whatever it likes to bring the system at the complete knuckle under.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne