Spend money locally

It is good news that the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has collected Rs. 34 lakh from tourists visiting Durbar Square in the past three months. The question is: Where will all that money go? In the spirit of fairness, the money should be ploughed back to the community so that the

heritage site can be maintained for the benefit of future generations. The money earned from Durbar Square should be spent locally.

The City can bring drinking water to the neighbourhood. It is amazing that even today there is no piped water in the very heart of Kathmandu. With the lakhs that the municipality is raking in, it can at least lay some new water pipes. It can also provide financial aid to groups that portray characters like Lakhe, Dagin, Baumata etc during various festivals. It is unfair that local people have to struggle to put on these performances, while the City collects all the money. Lastly, the money should be spent on subsidising traditional building materials like dachi appa and carved windows. This will enhance the artistic look of the area and help to attract more tourists.

Mohan Ratna, Maru Tol, Kathmandu

Tragic deaths

This refers to the news item titled “Woman’s decayed body found in Nagarjun forest” (THT, February 12). It is surprising that two foreign women have been brutally killed and dumped in the Nagrajun forest, which is a heavily guarded area round the clock. It has been clear that this is a case of rape and murder. This also poses questions about the possible negligence of army guards since no visitor can enter the forest without buying a ticket. The RNA must give a clarification on these two incidents.

These are unfortunate events for the country. We have still not had any cases of the Maoists targeting foreigners. Such incidents could prove disastrous for Nepal, which is heavily

dependent on the tourism industry. We cannot afford to send wrong signals abroad at a time when some Western countries are already urging their citizens not to travel to Nepal.

Krishna Thapa,

Kathmandu

Water flow

“Power crisis: A simple way of softening its impact” by A B Thapa (THT, February 13) was an intriguing article. However, there is an obvious apprehension about the problems that would follow after the diversion of the Bagmati waters to Kulekhani reservoirs. The miserable

situation of the Bagmati, thanks to diversion of sewage pipes into it, has caused slow water flow of this river. I wonder how the stagnant sewage could be washed away or at least

diluted.

Bishesh Khanal, via e-mail

Bad idea

I strongly feel that it is futile to celebrate Valentine’s Day because it is neither our

culture nor our festival. The media creates the whole Valentine hype every year. It is actually a Western festival and it holds no significance for the Nepalis. Why should we promote it then?

Bharat Giri,via e-mail

Great day

Valentine’s Day is a special day to express love. It is thus a great idea to celebrate it with lots of fanfare. It is also nice to see our youngsters celebrating it in the major cities of the country.

Shishir Thapa, via e-mail