Celebrate World Environment Day with dielsel tempos

We really celebrated the World Environment Day, didn't we? We did it because we had to. After ebbing of all the gimmicks, now remains the question - with what? With rallies, seminars, press releases, paid-messages in broadsheet newspapers and what not? Only one think lacked in the chaos of celebration - a promise to upgrade pollution scenario in Nepal.

When the journalists were thinking about the best peg to write a story on World Environment Day, some officers in the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (http://moest.gov.np) were trying there best to let diesel three-wheelers ply again in the Kathmandu Valley ! Just remember it took a mountain of efforts for us to ban Bikram Tempos three and a half years ago (ad it was again replaced with a hell of micro-buses). Shame on you, shame on me!!!

Sad but true, melting of snow is not hot topic here, but melting of commission at the cost of the country's environment is hotter. May be security of Sitaram Prasai is the hottest.

I have lately known that a direct pressure from the cabinet of ministers brought a quake in the ministry to let diesel tempos enter the valley, though it is not allowed by the present legal provision. I won't still say that any minister or his daughter is involved in this masala.

None other than Morang Auto Works (the infamous importer of two-stroke RX 100) and Chaudhary Group were in search of some loopholes in the ministry and the government laws to let innumerable tempos run again in the valley. The Marwadis ( have have to go to their jatts, because it matters) could not find worse ways to pollute this poor, small and sacred valley than again importing diesel vehicles. They are just a handful of outsiders, who will collect all their money and run away to India after they find that it is impossible to live here in valley and make money out of black smoke. And tell me dear minister, what we poor residents of this valley are going to do, who have done nothing harm in past 2000 years in this valley?

Meantime, some of the key conservationists are enjoying junket in Netherlands to participate in the CITES (http://cites.org/) COP14. Those "conservationists" who could not save rhinos, tigers or monkeys must be drinking beer with the award-winning crocodile tears. I'm afraid they will ask the CITES authority to let red-sandalwood come to Nepal for smuggling - for it was making a good money for top-level leaders.