Urgent steps needed

The news report “Tobacco Control Act must to check preventable deaths” (THT, April 7)is indeed alarming. Despite knowing the fact that consumption of tobacco in any form shortens the users’ life by ten to fifteen years, the users seem to neglect this fact and continue with their habit.

The deaths caused by tobacco-attributable disease will rise to 8.3 million in 2030, that’s more troubling and it’s an increase by 65 percent compared to 2004.

But the anti-tobacco campaign couldn’t achieve its goal, and the use of tobacco is rampant all over the country. Significantly, the tobacco users are increasing everyday and there’s no legal provision that prohibits children from smoking and chewing tobacco.

The campaign will only be effective if the government is committed to take action. The government can’t even imagine shutting down factories that produce tobacco products because of their contribution in the form of revenue to the national coffer.

Sanjay Shrestha via e-mail

Ridiculous

Apropos of the news report “Locals make Kumarighar out of bounds for tourists” (THT, March 6), it’s not an appropriate decision to keep tourists away from seeing the living goddess.

Nepal is marking the year 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year. Therefore, it should exercise a lot

within two years to attract as many tourists as it can so as to make the year remarkable. But the trend seen in the religious sector is disappointing.

As Nepal is also known as a country of the living goddess, how are such ridiculous decisions made that prohibit tourists from seeing our cultural practices of centuries.

Is it the impact of continuing feud between locals and the KMC over the financial matters only or something else? Isn’t it surprising not to have heard any voice against it or an attempt to settle the feud by the authorities concerned? It’s a sensible issue and the Ministry of Culture must take action to get the records of earning so far revealed. Further, it should end the ongoing feud by deploying government employees to collect the money that goes directly to the national coffer.

In order to attract a greater number of visitors, a part of the collected fund must be spent on renovation of the heritage sites.

Above all, the tourists are here to see our ancient history, culture and heritage, and, of course, not the crowd of the city.

Ranju Shrestha, via e-mail

No action

The speeches delivered by various Maoist leaders on April 6 were good to listen to, but I wonder if their words would be put into action.The speech of the Prime Minister simply blaming other parties was inappropriate. The speech of Minister Dev Gurung, to unlock the cantonment was shocking.

Threats of another leader against threats for dismissing the government was nonsense. Minister Mahara’s voice regarding the influence of the international community was inappropriate too.

When the Maoist

chairman himself is busy in international tours, his words carried some meaning. The main

objective of their speeches was to get media attention plus applauds from their supporters, which they got.

Dwaipayan Regmi, Biratnagar