Apropos of the news story “NRB gives security tips to banks” (THT, October 24, Page 1), anybody who has waded through melees in the banks in Kathmandu can conclude that such a thing was waiting to happen.

Once I had to teach a confused bank clerk, a brittle youth in his late forties, how to transfer money against NRB permit. He confessed he had never done such a transfer ever, although he was responsible for this. Can you trust such an inept clerk with a grave responsibility? In fact, if you walk into any bank in Kathmandu you will be at a loss to figure out if you are in a bank or a party office. Our banks lack gravitas ambiance and the staff, especially those on the front line, are too callow to serve people whose money lubricate the bank business. After visiting twice for a cheque book, I ordered the clerks in a bank to shove it in their drawers. The little girls struggled in the computer for the check book -  one can make it that they were not computer savvy as they were counseling one another endlessly.

These little things tell tales of the banks’ ineptitude and lack of professional finesse that can snowball into bigger banking mishaps like the current one. To start with, banks must man their outlets with experienced and matured professionals. A good staff can replace 10 girls and boys who lack the nitty-gritty of transferring money to a foreign bank. Sadly, Nepali youths, even with business degrees, are not fit to deal with rush hour customers in a professional manner.  Banks need highly committed, mature and experienced older staff to fly their flags up in the air.

Manohar Shrestha , Kathmandu

Air safety

The frequent flight flight crashes are disturbing. Sometime ago, around 158 passengers were killed when their Air India Express plane from Dubai crashed into a wooded valley after overshooting the tabletop runway at the Mangalore airport in India.

The most unfortunate fact is that many passengers hailing from North Kerala, India were returning home for weddings in their families.

In fact, air travel is more vulnerable than travel by road. Hence, all precautionary measures are necessary to ensure the overall safety of all those aboard the aircraft. Such tragedies have raised serious questions that need to be answered.

In order to bring to the fore all the facts, a thorough probe is needed when it comes to any air crash. Sad to say, however, is that the concerned authorities never plug the loopholes identified by the investigation panel formed by the competent government agencies.

The same lapses occur when another air accident takes place, largely because of the airline operators. Instead of creating unnecessary panic and fears about the tabletop airports like the one in Mangalore in India, it is mandatory to ensure all the air safety norms in such airports the world over.

P. Senthil Saravana Durai, Mumbai