The clock has started ticking for the three major parties, after the President gave them one week’s time, to choose a new Prime Minister on the basis of political consensus.

“Prez gives parties one week to find consensus PM” (THT, July 26, Page 1). There was some hue and cry situation in Parliament after PM Oli decided first to face the no confidence motion registered by CPN-Maoist Centre and NC.

However, he changed his mind later and tendered his resignation. Time has come for the Big Three to show their political acumen keeping the nation and its people at the centre-stage.

So far, they have not shown any political sincerity towards addressing the national interests just because of their egoistic and self-centred politics.

And, judging by their past political attitudes and existing political polarizations among them, the formation of a consensus government seems to be a distant possibility.

The next coalition government supposedly to be first led by Prachanda will not have, for sure, pleasure time.

It needs to swiftly act to bring the agitating forces to the negotiating table and resolve the outstanding political and constitutional problems.

The delayed reconstruction programme should be geared up without wasting any more time.

Rai Biren Bangdel, Maharajgunj

Road safety

With reference to the news story “Valley roads get deadlier for pedestrians” (THT, July 25, Page 3), the only way to reduce road fatalities is by putting heavy penalty on the drivers and bikers who kill pedestrians, especially at the zebra crossings.

Th amount of fine or life in prison will bring the accidents and fatalities down to nil. Sure the transport thugs will go berserk but our apparatus can and should be able to take care of them without much ado.

There is nothing in the world that strong law cannot control as is evident in Singapore.

Yes there are problems galore on our streets such as broken roads; zebras san traffic lights; zebras at dangerous turnings; zebras at a distance of half a mile or more; lingerie-sized footpaths, brimming with merchandise; and the chaotic inner roads and lanes where motorcyclists and commercial four-wheelers, including school buses, whose width just about fits into that of the lanes, intimidate pedestrians with a cocktail of speed and horn.

Funnily, a traffic cop told me that he cannot do anything about parked motorcycles that blocked the entrance to a lane or the speedsters in the inner lanes as these are beyond his jurisdiction.

There are chronic problems on the broadened roads as well, which goes on to prove our hare-brained politicians, bureaucrats and technicians wrong.

These are like death-traps. Without proper traffic rules, even 50-lane roads will spell chaos. Then there are problems stemming from too many cooks spoiling the broth.

This is more evident at the Koteswor intersection, where cop on the island waves traffic to move forward while another one on the land orders to move back. Repair and use of traffic lights will solve all the problems.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu