Apropos of the news story “PADT sets up six water pots for monkeys in Pashupati area” (THT, May 13, Page 2), this is a benevolent act on the part of PADT.

We hope the PADT will extend the drinking water facility to benefit all 600 monkeys in the great Hindu temple. It would be even better if PADT can build small natural pools for monkeys to drink and play. As always money can be an issue, and we have no choice but to look for funds and technical assistance, including auto sprinklers and water borings from Indian devotees of the Lord.

We can get money and materials from them to serve our monkeys. Meanwhile we should put the core areas, where pilgrims frequent and congregate, under CCTV surveillance to study if monkeys ‘misbehave’ with pilgrims or vice versa. We can even call upon zoology, environmental science and wildlife students to volunteer as observers to study the behavioural patterns of both. Perhaps we should have signs warning pilgrims not to fool around, taunt, tease, feed and lure the lesser living beings.

Pilgrims must also be asked not to flaunt or carelessly carry their bags and food so that the monkeys that act on impulse do not snatch the bags or loot the food. We are aware that even human thugs will not hesitate to snatch bags or gold chains or mobiles if we do not hold them properly. It is useless blaming animals that mistake everything for food. The wisdom lies in being a good careful, responsible, grave pilgrim.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Clarification

This is with reference to the news story “NAC throws safety protocol to the wind” (THT, May 13, Page 1). There is no existence of CAAN approved standard operating procedure, exclusively for VVIP flight operations, and no guidelines whatsoever from any other agency to address safety of VVIP flights.

Obviously, NAC takes care more seriously the reliability and punctuality of VVIP flights, on safety matter NAC takes it seriously all the time concerning all our valued customers irrespective of status of passengers in all our flights. Regarding reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM), in today’s aviation world, each and every international flight is operated within RVSM airspace and all NAC pilots are operating international flight in RVSM airspace for years since the international practice of RVSM was implemented. Each and every pilot of NAC flying Airbus are trained by Airbus in Toulouse, France and are released by Airbus instructors only after they are fully qualified to handle any emergency situation. Every commercial flight of A320 aircraft is conducted by one captain and one co-pilot all over the world. The VVIP flight was commandered by Sr. Capt. Subash Rijal, who himself is the director for operations having instructor pilot experience, designated check pilot experience authorized by CAAN for test flights of A320 aircraft and has successfully conducted A320 test flights and rescue flights in Kabul also. Similarly, Capt. Sanjay Baidya also a instructor pilot with designated check pilot experience, and is the senior most in the group.

Sugat Ratna Kansakar, MD, NAC