Apropos of the news story “Right to recall unlikely in new election bill” (THT, September 3, Page 1), this right is a must if Nepal wants to institutionalize democracy, real democracy. There are many parliamentarians out there who cannot contribute to nation building. There is no point in having such characters. The public must have the ultimate power to decide if a winner is fit to continue as a parliamentarian or not. Hopefully, this power will empower people to get rid of parliamentarians who are friends of hoodlums and whose sole focus is housing, banking and medical schools in the valley rather than their constituencies. In the photo on page 2, an old woman is seen wiping tears during a demonstration against reckless driving in ancient lanes such as Ason and Mangal Bazzar. I am foxed by a police response that these inner lanes do not fall under their jurisdiction. I don’t know if this is true. So, who will take care of the thugs? Drivers and riders still drive and honk recklessly in these lanes and I always carry an umbrella with a heavy handle just in case. I will not have bikes grazing and honking at me right at the edge of the alleys. On other news under the caption “Youths to get loan against academic certificates” (THT, September 3, Page 6), this is nothing new, as neighbouring India had this for 60 years or more. Strict mechanism will have to be put in proper place as in India to ensure that youths do not scam the facility or renege on payment. In a country where people can easily manufacture fake license, citizenship and academic certificate, scamming this system would be a cake walk. Hence a strong system is required as in India where scamming against certificate is treated in the same vein as murder. I still remember my principal in Delhi University, brother of a former BJP minister, advising a delinquent student that a letter from him is enough to destroy his life in any part of India. The principals and the colleges are held in such high esteem that their credentials are treated as divine letters even by employers like Infosys and Sun Pharma.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Heritage

It is nice that a regional conference on heritage conservation has been started in Kathmandu (THT, September 3, Page 3). Our heritage is all that has been passed to us by previous generations. Cultural heritage is a legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society – man-made heritage. It is disheartening to note that some people, forgetting that they are doing an irreparable damage to invaluable archaeological masterpieces by inscribing their initials, names, love messages on these national treasures. We must learn to value our inheritance for reasons beyond their mere utility and their functional use. This is because each heritage is unique and exceptional; it is the responsibility of current generation to preserve it. The conservation and protection of these monuments cannot be neglected.

Vinod C. Dixit, Ahmedabad