Cover-up attempt

This is in reference to the edit page article, “Higher Education: Prachanda’s perspective and realities” (THT, Dec. 8). Though most of the time I admire Dr Mana Prasad Wagley’s write-ups, but his high praise of the management of Kathmandu University (KU) is cosmetic. In the bad name of politics and its intervention, and in the good name of former Indian president Dr. Abdul Kalam and his views, the author has tried to cover up mismanagement and

irregularities rampant within KU administration. Moreover, it is difficult to understand which values the writer implies the KU education to be upholding. The values like truth,

transparency, equality, rule of law, justice and personnel replacement, which the

society cherishes, are miles away from KU. Prachanda extolled KU’s success story but, unlike normal practice, refrained from glorifying KU administration under its present vice-chancellor and his coterie. He knows that KU survives because of the people working at the ground level, e.g. in the classrooms. Likewise, the message from Dr. Kalam is there to absorb and

assimilate within oneself first.

Dr. Bibhuti Ranjan Jha, Kathmandu University

No relief

The vendors have been removed from the footpaths in many places. It is a good step taken by the administration that will make the pedestrians’ lives more convenient and safer. Yet, the fact remains that many footpaths are clogged, not by vendors but by the construction materials or the bikes and cars parked there, and the pedestrians have to walk on the road. And for pedestrians on the road there are dangers waiting at every step because of the haphazard manner in which the vehicles zoom past. No one seems to be giving any thought to getting the respective owners booked for obstructing the smooth movement of pedestrians on footpaths. The pedestrians on their part have to face the speeding vehicles at every corner. Maybe some sense will dawn on the traffic police to do something in this regard.

Dibya Tuladhar, via e-mail

Land reform

It is learnt that the government has formed a Land Reform Commission. I think all the state-owned land that was converted into private property during the last 240 years should be brought back into state ownership. Such state-owned vast areas of agricultural land should be converted into kibbutz or farming communes. Each farming commune should consist of about 100 families. The agitating landless Nepalis should be given an opportunity to work in such farming communes and encouraged to apply modern techniques for better output.

V P Sayami, Kathmandu

Corruption

Minister for Law, Justice and Constituent Assembly Affairs Dev Gurung has stated that there is an urgent need to formulate a national strategy to effectively fight corruption. Minister Gurung has further elaborated the strategy for tackling corruption by saying that corruption is a crime against the people and the state. Minister Gurung also needs to introduce a bill in the

legislature to define corruption as the violation of the existing laws. Failure to do this seems to have encouraged corruption.

Rabi Manandhar,

Kathmandu