It would also be worthwhile investigating the reasons why those in high positions, particularly lawmakers, indulge in this kind of forgery Eight lawmakers of the CPN-Maoist Centre stand accused of forging the government seal and signature. They are said to have done this by tampering with a letter that had been issued by the Department of Consular Services (DoCS) to permit their kin to acquire visas to visit Spain. This is indeed a serious matter and should be taken up seriously. That the politburo meeting of the CPN-Maoist Centre has formed a three-member probe panel which has been assigned with the task of submitting a report on this matter within seven days can be taken positively. The DoCS, the concerned department, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has forwarded the required documents to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police to carry out a thorough probe to garner evidence against the accused. Such acts are indeed very shameful. The people look up to the lawmakers and when they misuse their power it is indeed very deplorable. The CPN-Maoist Centre should do the needful so that if found guilty these erring lawmakers are brought to book and punished according to the law. It would also be worthwhile investigating the reasons why those in high positions, particularly lawmakers, indulge in this kind of forgery so that taking corrective action may be easier. This misuse of red passport is not the first of its kind in Nepal. In the past a number of lawmakers had been found guilty of similar irregularities. As such, these lawmakers acted illegally by misusing their power and authority. So far the CIB has stated that it is carrying out investigations to find out the facts. Since these charges are of a serious nature the investigations need to be thoroughly done and the accused prosecuted. The law should take its course without obstacle. The eight accused lawmakers were recommended for the Spanish visas by the DoCS and they had added the names of their assistants who happened to be their kin in the visa applications by unscrupulously forging or tampering the visa applications. This forgery case was disclosed by the media and some of the lawmakers have also admitted adding names in the recommendation letter first issued by Parliament Secretariat asking the DoCS to do the needful. The unethical and illegal act on the part of the accused lawmakers is tantamount to human trafficking. Their action clearly shows that they wanted to take their near and dear ones to a foreign country where they can easily disappear. It appears that the accused lawmakers did this, taking the help of people who ply the trade of changing the hologram and photograph of a diplomatic or red passport for financial gain. We do not have details about the scale of this clandestine activity but if these allegations are found to have solid basis, further legal action should be initiated without fear or favour. The Parliament Secretariat should also enhance its institutional capacity so that no lawmakers shall get any chance to tamper with the official documents in the course of visa processing. For example, the accused lawmakers would not probably have thought of committing such a crime had the Parliament Secretariat dispatched a digital copy to the DoCS along with a hard copy to the concerned lawmakers. Ban in earnest The government has decided to make a renewed effort to ban the sale, distribution and use of plastic bags throughout the country beginning with the new fiscal year which starts on July 16. This is indeed welcome as the free use of plastic and polypropylene bags has a number of serious disadvantages which include spoiling the beauty of the landscape and polluting the environment. The government’s earlier decision to enforce this ban fizzled out as it had just started taking effect when the major earthquakes hit the country in April-May of 2015. At that time, manufacturers of these bags had mounted protests against the government’s decision, and the government had said that they would be given some time to switch over to manufacturing bags of other materials such as jute and cloth. Not all types of plastic bags will be banned however; this will be decided on the basis of microns. The new criteria should be clear and the producers who number 200 and employ 10,000 people should be duly encouraged to make a switch. But once the decision takes effect, it must be strictly carried out.