Apropos of the news story “1,800 containers pile up at Vizag” (THT, July 5, Page 13), Nepali traders and public servants are notorious for show-casing their inept and shady characteristics wherever they go.

Therefore, it is no surprise that 1,800 containers have piled up at the facility provided by the Indian government for the convenience and ease of third-country trade of its neighbour. It would not be surprising if Vizag authorities are soon swamped by Nepali containers exceeding their maximum capacity of 8,000, citing 1,001 excuses.

Leaving the Vizag problem aside, why are our public servants so enamoured of using their private phones and emails for official communication which is apparently the main reason for container glut?

There is a reason they do so. But isn’t this against the law? They must be aware of what happened to Hillary Clinton for using her private email. But Nepal is no US. The country must come up with laws banning private phones and mails for official communication in the public offices and on the roads. Everyone should be given official mobile and email for official communication.

I would like to share an anecdote about mobile phone which the readers and the nations’ bigwigs will find interesting. Here is the story....I went to the “Malpot” (land revenue) office and told the boss that I  would like to fill up a form to have my land surveyed. He asked me which century I was in and told me that the office does not survey land anymore.

He says the survey staff can survey the land only privately. So I requested him to survey my land privately. He gave me a private mobile number and asked me to call him as “Ebony sir”. Flummoxed, I told him that such a worthy officer’s name cannot be like that. He obviously did not want to take a chance with me.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Shame

This is with reference to the photograph “Locals planting rice saplings on a muddy road along the Chabahil-Boudha stretch in a symbolic protest” (THT, July 5, Page 2).

It is sad to learn that locals have planted rice saplings on a muddy road. I feel so sorry that the government of Nepal has failed to repair the road. Our government had once shown the humanitarian support by sending rice to South Korea.

We can say South Korea has emerged as one of the leading nations in the world when it comes to development works. However, we are lagging behind. I would not like to thoroughly criticise the government. I think, we are also responsible for what has gone wrong with us. We are the owners of millions of property such as house and plots of lands. We rent house, we buy and we sell land. Have we ever thought about paying tax for the government?

We need to develop culture that even when we drink a cup of tea in restaurants we need to pay tax. A drop of water drop makes the ocean. I think we need to correct ourselves first before protesting the government. The first world countries’ citizens are given facilities by their governments as they pay huge amount of tax for their nations.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne