I don’t feel comfortable to write time and again about corruption that has been plaguing the country. However, I cannot remain mum seeing responsible political leaders and concerned officials keeping their mouths shut on the ongoing NOC land scam.

The subcommittee formed by the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, Industry and Consumer Welfare Relations (PCCICWR) has submitted its report saying that there were massive irregularities while purchasing land plots by NOC for the purpose of developing fuel storage facility in various places. This report has even mentioned the levels and positions of high level government officials, NOC officials and several other people involved in the irregularities, “House panel fails to moot action against offenders in NOC land scam” (THT, Sept. 12, Page 1). It was surprising to know that PCCICWR failed to make any decisions and recommend to the government any action to be taken against the culprits during its meeting held on Monday. On the other hand, it is yet to be seen how the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which is separately probing this land scam, will submit its final probe report. In a separate scandal where the government has been cheated of billions of rupees of revenue by Tax Service Commission (TSC) officials, the offenders are yet to be served notice by the Kathmandu District Court. It is frustrating to see that these three TSC officials who are found to be heavily involved in embezzlement are freely roaming around (“KDC yet to serve notices to former TSC trio”, THT, Sept 12, Page 2). The CIAA had filed a charge-sheet against these officials at the Special Court. There was another interesting but not surprising news report to read (“Big III stay mum on corruption scandals”, THT, Sept 12, Page 6). The major political parties—the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN-Maoist Centre — have been maintaining silence when it comes to corruption scandals. As NC lawmaker Dhana Raj Gurung said, it has become difficult to differentiate between the ruling coalition and opposition parties on issues of corruption, as none of the parties have raised any question regarding the scams. Related to other corruption cases, former CIAA chief Surya Nath Upadhyay has said that the major parties have been keeping mum over irregularities in medical colleges as leaders of all three major parties have some kind of connection with the operation of these medical colleges.

Rai Biren Bangdel, Maharajgunj

Use it wisely

I am writing this piece to put emphasis on why a social media like Facebook is a good master and a bad master at the same time. We do not understand the real motive of Facebook. That is to say, it is not helpful for our daily life.

It is rather becoming an addiction tool for most people. We may forget to eat but we never forget to update what’s going on on Facebook. This has generated great problems in our daily life.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne