Bajhang gold rush

The story concerning the closure of schools in northern region of Bajhang after most of the students, teachers as well as guardians embarked on yarshagumba is likely to cause public

concern, “Teachers on yarshagumba trail, schools shut” (THT, May 20). The schools will remain shut until the end of August. The loss of over three months of education will bear heavily on the studies of the students, but they clearly have other priorities.

With the prized medicinal herb going for as much as Rs 600,000 a kg, most villagers are more concerned about guaranteeing their livelihood in the face of the food scarcity and increasing food prices. Moreover, a portion of money made from selling yarshagumba is funnelled into the same schools. Everybody is making hay while the sun shines. As long as the studies of the students are not seriously hampered, I don’t see anything wrong with poor people looking to make some money.

Samriddhi Serchan, via e-mail

Spare her

The farce surrounding the alleged abduction of NSP (A) chairperson Anandidevi Singh never seems to end. Anandidevi was made public on Monday after going “missing” for over two weeks. The Khushi Lal Mandal-Sarita Giri faction of the party had accused the Shyam Sundar

Gupta-Yasvant Singh faction of abducting the widow of late Gajendra Narayan Singh. Earlier, it was the latter faction that had accused the former of keeping her in close confinement.

No one knows the truth as Anandidevi has not been allowed to speak on the issue. Monday’s incident at the Reporters Club when the two sides nearly came to blows marked a new low in the NSP’s history. The issue should be resolved at the earliest, and the frail old lady should be spared all this dirty game.

Kausal Pant, Itumbahal

Take a break

I presume it would not be incorrect to describe Madhav Kumar Nepal’s appointment as CPN-UML’s head of foreign department a demotion. In my opinion, Nepal should have quit active politics for the time being and engaged in some serious soul-searching before the general election due in a couple of years.

He would thus have enough time to mull about the mistakes he made and come back with a new outlook and vigour to seek a new mandate. Nepal proved himself a responsible politician by stepping down following UML’s humiliating defeat in CA polls. This will not go unnoticed when he seeks re-election.

Aman Koirala, Dhumbarahi

Bird flu

Bird flu cases in Baghdogra of India, barely 10 km from Nepal border, is an ominous sign for Nepal. Import of poultry and other farm products from the area should be banned immediately and extra vigilance maintained at major entry points like Kakarvitta and Bhadrapur. Bird flu is likely to pose a serious health problem if it makes it way across the

border, one that Nepal is in no position to handle.

It is equally important to check smuggling of poultry products through the porous border.

Otherwise all other efforts to check bird flu’s entry into the country will come to a naught.

Anisha Gurung, via e-mail