The Kathmandu Post
15 May 2015
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE
It seems as though none of the previous Nepali
governments cared for formulating any policy nor guideline to tackle the kind
of massive natural calamity such as the April 25 Great Quake (“The
aftermath” 6 May, Page 6).
As mentioned by Sophia K Tamot, tremendous
challenges lie ahead for the government, semi- government organizations and
private organizations to collectively work towards addressing the urgent needs
of the nation and its people who have been severely affected by this natural
calamity. Looking at the damages of the high-rise buildings, the concerned
authorities did not bother to develop building codes keeping in mind that Kathmandu is an earth-quake-prone zone. Most the
buildings have now been declared unsafe for living by an investigating team
formed by the government.
May be the government needs to seriously consider
involving the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to
investigate any irregularities involved and punish the culprits.
On another side, vendors have begun to sell
expired food items at very high prices. Even bottled water was reportedly found
to be contaminated with traces of sludge (“Food inspectors round market to
curb sale of unfit food, water” 6 May, Page 03). The government and its
machinery need to be more vigilant to ensure that the people, who have been
severely traumatized by the recent killer earth-quake are not cheated from
their rights of getting basic goods at reasonable prices.
The government has been widely criticized
for its ineffectiveness in providing relief materials to affected people on
time. On the other side, this situation can be a big opportunity for both the
government and the major political parties to save face by being actively
involved in the post- earth-quake rehabilitation and reconstruction processes.
Rai Biren Bangdel
Maharajgunj
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