Not a viable suggestion

Stan Stevens’ edit page article “New federal map” (THT, March 12) is a qualified assessment of the genuine concerns of the Himali people, including their desire for economic and social uplift of the people living in the Himalayan regions.

However, I didn’t find the idea of declaring yet another autonomous region viable. First of all, the champions of autonomous regions should justify with reasonable argument that the creation of such autonomous provinces would better guarantee the rights of people living there.

Furthermore, they should be able to clarify why the existing pattern of five development regions from east to far west is not viable in the changed political scenario. However, the

debates on the subject of regional autonomy are timely and should be extensively discussed before the federal map is crafted on the basis of language, race and ethnicity.

Siddha Raj Pant, via e-mail

Duplicity

Most of the political parties have come up with their election manifestos ahead of the CA polls. However, most of them are verbose and laden with empty rhetoric and false claims. For instance, the Maoists’ claim that they will work to eradicate the caste-based feudal system in Nepal flies in the face of caste hierarchy within the CPN-Maoist party. Furthermore, the major parties are still riven by nepotism and favouritism. Hence they should put their own houses in order before they look to remake the country.

Sunil Sharma, Teku,

Kathmandu

Shop’s open

This is in reference to the news report “HAN expels Tiger Tops from its membership” (THT, March 8). We would like to clarify that Tiger Tops withdrew its membership from the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) on Feb 17 due to fundamental differences. However, all our operations in Chitwan, namely Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge & Tented Camp as well as Tharu Lodge remain open. In Bardia, our Karnali Lodge & Camp is also fully operational.

Kristjan Edwards, Managing Director,

Tiger Tops Pvt Ltd

In dark

Apropos of the news report “In fray, but no idea what poll is all about” (THT, March 11), it is a great irony that some of the candidates who have filed for the April election are ignorant of

crucial elements of CA polls. If the candidates are ignorant of what this election means, the

common citizens cannot be expected to know much about it either. As the polls are just a few weeks away, it is the government’s duty to make people aware of

what CA polls are about. Only when people realise the importane of CA polls can they vote wisely.

Basanta Devkota,

Gaurighat, Kathmandu

Hollow

The International Women’s Day was celebrated across the country on March 8 with fanfare. Political leaders and champions of women’s rights stressed the need to empower women by

providing them equal opportunities. However, the truth is that women in our society are still far behind men in all walks of life. The new constitution drafted by the CA should address this stark disparity.

Dwaipayan Regmi,

Biratnagar