Apropos of the news story “Women’s Day being marked today” (THT, March 8, Page 2), while taking out rallies to mark this day, I hope the organisers will not overlook and turn blind and deaf to the cries of deprived women around the  country and even in core city centres like Dharahara, New Road, Ratna Park and temple precincts. In these areas

many disabled women without eyesight, legs, infirm, single mothers and old women without means and power are forced to beg for a living.

Then there are women who, having been deprived of free education, housing, respectable livelihood, are forced to solicit customers in broad day light in Ratna Park, Shahid Gate, bus parks, Koteshwor and pretty much everywhere else including Bhrikuti Mandap. We hope the rally will notice their plight and offer them proper education, shelter, food and money for empowerment. I would like to bring to the notice of Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare that there has been a sudden spurt in child labour especially in transportation sectors. Really young boys wearing oversized chappals can be seen in the public transportation with half their bodies hanging out of windows or dangerously clinging at the door-bar of the moving buses. Some of them even struggle at the wheels of the big buses.

In order to hide their young faces, they tilt their sunshades and mask their face with handkerchiefs. We hope the concerned will notice what some of us see daily on the streets of Kathmandu and take corrective actions. The hospitals can help too by offering free treatments to neglected children, poor women patients “Female patients of kidney diseases deprived of proper care and treatment” (THT, March 8, Page 2).

There is no point in just saying female patients are neglected when they have the power to get medical services. I hope the concerned will pick up our lead and start fulfilling responsibilities to women and children not only in the Capital but also in all Pradeshes.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Cardamom

This is with reference to the news story “No good year for cardamom farmers of Lamjung as price plunges two-fold” (THT Online, March 7). I am very impressed by an attempt that people were doing very well in exporting cardamom. This is one of the agricultural products that Nepal can excel if its production is increased with sustained quality control. However, it is also slightly depressing when the supply of this crop plummets due to price, demand and other factors that can be redressed by the government and people engaged in this business.

It would be very nice if the government and the experts in the field of agriculture try to think outside the box for addressing this kind of trouble in the days to come. The government must be able to establish links between the experts, farmers and importers of cardamom to make it a lucrative business.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne