Apropos of the news story “Telia to pay corruption fine of $1bn” (THT, September 23, Page 12), bribe seems to be a part and parcel of Telia marketing strategy to quickly enter and exit communication business in the corrupt Third World. But for the US and its stringent regulatory global oversight policies, companies like Telia would have ruled over countries like Nepal and Uzbekistan, the crucibles of corruption, with their brand like Ncell and Ucell respectively. Can Nepal use the US power and goodwill to twist Telia’s arm to extract capital gain tax arrears running into billions of rupees? Also, after being fined billions by the US for emission cheating devices in their products, Volkswagen and other big auto names face new European carbon dioxide emissions limits. Countries like Nepal must be on their guard to ensure that the products with faulty devices such as emission cheats and Takata airbags, which are bankrupt now, do not make inroads into the country. Nepal can also learn precious lessons on punitive measures for erring businesses in the country. Some business houses which have been serving the politically empowered Nepalese with adulterated oil and juices could be sent into the pages of business history by slapping billions of rupees in fines.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Save earth

It is sad that the massive earthquake in Mexico killed over 230 people, sending shock waves across the world. The nature’s fury always poses threats to mankind. Till date there have been various reports of natural disasters like landslides and earthquakes killing numerous people the world over. Almost all the countries in the world have the best technology. Then what is the reason for such natural tragedies? All the countries have to dig deep into the actual facts and figures.  The people and the countries today are in a rush, running from pillar to post to achieve everything in life. They don’t have time to spare for others. The hectic lifestyle even stops them from thinking of the sun, the sky and the earth that are the real torchbearers and creators of the world. Urbanization and realty-related activities have so far taken a heavy toll on the layers of mother earth. In fact I have seen such activities in Mumbai during my job tenure now. Furthermore, my native districts of Tamil Nadu are now battling against the drought conditions caused by monsoon failure.  The Tamiraparani River that is the lifeline of Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari is now under the threats of illegal sand mining and exploitation. As a result, the Tamiraparani is now grappling with possible ecological damage. As a person hailing from these areas, I am always concerned about such bad things. Remember, we have only one earth. Even a small mistake committed against mother earth will have the ripple effect somewhere. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each and every country to take all the possible steps towards safeguarding the earth.

P. Senthil Saravana Durai, Mumbai