Bleak prospects:

News reports from Nepal give the impression that the ongoing San Miguel Football League is making a poor show. The standard of football in Nepal seems to have gone from bad to worse. Most of the teams are underperforming and technically gifted players are in short supply. One feels sorry for the avid football fans who flock to the national stadium to watch the league matches.

One wonders what the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) under the controversial leadership of Ganesh Thapa has done for Nepali football all these years. Not much, I am afraid. Though Thapa cannot stop boasting about his contribution to the game in Nepal, he should know that good football in not all about establishing football academies, running a handful of youth projects and organising sub-standard football tournaments. His failure to develop the game at the grassroots level, build adequate infrastructure and recruit manpower with the needed qualities has only brought Nepali football down. With the kind of funds available, much more could have been done. But as of now, the national team is in poor shape as it continues to lose game after game in international tournaments. One cannot see a ray of hope for Nepali football even from the overseas unless something concrete is done.

Sushil Thapa, Winchester, Virginia

Rural health:

The news report “Fund crunch, inadequate staff hit Bara hospital hard” (THT, Dec. 12) also applies to most district hospitals. Poor medical facilities in the rural areas are causing patients much inconvenience. The dearth of manpower, shortage of equipment and poor infrastructure are the main problems of government hospitals. The indifference of successive governments towards important sectors like health and education is hard to understand. While the good healthcare facilities are located in the cities, the villagers lack even the basic medical treatment.

S P Pandey, Rehdon College

Sub-standard:

Many new writers are contributing to the Midway column these days, but the quality of articles is deteriorating. As the column is among the most popular sections of THT, sub-standard articles should not be entertained.

Anjan Gurung, Pokhara

Forum:

I disagree with Moneeca Pradhan’s letter “Childish” (THT, Dec. 12) commenting on Alankar Khanal’s Midway piece “Be happy” (THT, Dec. 6). We should understand that Midway often serves as a platform for budding writers, who need encouragement. If THT stops publishing their articles, many of them might just stop writing. It would be much better to point out the areas for improvement rather than merely criticise their work.

Ravindra Shrestha, Lokanthali

Street kids:

The Kathmandu Valley got much colder than on usual days during the last couple of days. This hit the street children hard. They do not even have enough clothes to cover themselves. They sleep on the pavements. And their plight, especially on cold nights, can easily be imagined. NGOs, the government, and everybody should do something for these hapless urchins.

Shiva Neupane, via e-mail