Disservice to ex-servants:

I was surprised to find out that the civil servants are being given a 20 per cent salary hike. This is not a raise on the basic salary of the officials but an additional facility which means it is not applicable to the retired staff members. This shows that the government is indifferent to its ex-servants and is concerned only about the existing ones. Is this fair? Why has the government neglected the retired servants? Had the government announced a hike in the basic salary, the retired servants too would have derived the benefit through pension. Moreover, they have kept same ceiling on tax which means the staff will have to pay more income tax now. By increasing three per cent on VAT, the government has increased the market price, whereas the market price of consumer goods was already whipped up by the recent hike in petroleum products. This shows the government’s incapability to address the problems facing the public. It is ridiculous to say that by increasing VAT the government will meet security expenses. Some day, it might also increase tax on pension by giving some incredible explanation.

K B Shah, via e-mail

Incomparable:

In a recent interview, the finance minister said that the increased VAT rate is less than that of other countries. This is ridiculous. Why should he compare this with other countries? And if he wants to compare, why not other things as well such as other policies and procedures that are no doubt worth adopting? Which country’s officials fight over the appointment of the governor, for instance? Our ministers should stop comparing things with other countries and rather learn good things from them.

Birendra K C, Nepal

Commerce Campus

Let ‘em handle:

Regarding the sending of British Gurkhas to Singapore and Brunei, it is best to leave the issue to the British government and let them decide what they want out of the Gurkhas they employ in their army. We must abide by the tripartite treaty among Britain, Nepal and India to support any views on this matter. We must also look at the present facilities (not written in the agreement) that the Gurkhas have been granted. If we were to blindly follow the agreement, the Gurkhas would lose most of what they have been given by the British government, for example the citizenship right, equality in pay and extra allowances.

British government has lately introduced a lot of improvement for their Gurkhas soldiers. While carrying news about the solders their interest should be rightly reflected. The UK has been paying for their services and this is an issue which should be rightly interpreted. If the Gurkhas are to be treated equally to their British counterparts, there are other disadvantages that may follow. The media should be careful while making accusations.

Udaya K Gurung, via e-mail

Protect sites:

Bhaktapur is well-known for heritage sites. But the monuments are gradually loosing their allure for several reasons. For instance, many statues are missing from Hanumanghat, a popular place of worship. It is well known that these statues were stolen and smuggled to foreign destinations. Although the municipality is working to renovate and conserve heritage, it is unable to provide round the clock security to the sites. The municipality should keep record of the lost monuments and take appropriate actions.

Rabin Rachalica, via e-mail