"We’ve been searching for the Nepal government for 22 months but in vain. It’s mising," said a college lecturer in a deeply saddened tone. He was saying that there was the ritual Nepal government as far as reciting democracy was concerned, but its job was to protect all types of criminals that have done as much as they could against the ordinary masses. He referred to the monopoly of black marketers who have excessively exploited the people. there are laws in the country but so-called government has not had any guts to implement them because it is controlled by the mechanisms of mafia gangs," he angrily speaks up in a local cafe while he was also being watched with care by two middle-aged men nobody knew what institution they represented.
Perhaps the teacher might be correct. His perception cannot be considered too imaginary. In Nepal, everybody complains that corruption is all-pervasive; even cabinet members admit is exists strongly. But none of the concerned authorities can ever expose those involved in corruption. Ordinary people strongly believe that heavy corruption is involved while dealing with international contractors of hydro-electric projects. This must be the main reason why the Nepal government of any period emphasizes on hydro-electric projects worth billions of dollars, far higher amount than her national budgets.
So far many such expensive hydro-electric projects have not been able to deliver desired services to people. At present, 46-hour weekly load shedding has been imposed on the people. Nepal’s national productivity ahs sharply declined because of it.
However, the Nepal government has maintained its policy of selling electricity to India at a nominal price. The policy looks quite self-contradictory because the Nepalis have been forced to pay for the electric bills without being able to consume electricity while the government has been supplying uninterrupted power to India at a heavily subsidized price. Similarly, the 22 month-long oil scarcity in Nepal has now got far acuter than ever before. More than 85 percent vehicles have been garaged as they do not have fuel. More than 80 percent motorbike users have not been able to use their means as they do not get petrol even after 16 hours of queue-up.
At the same time, petroleum oil dealers have been hugely profiting through black market channels. The Nepalis do not doubt at all that there is an apparently understandable nexus between the black elements within the government and the money mongering dealers’ association. As the artificial scarcity of oil has been imposed on the Nepalis for almost two years, the secondary reasons given propagated by the government are not credible for publics.
Publicly apparent evidence that the Nepal government is missing for the Nepali publics is that consumers’ rights have been trodden upon at every step of public life. Adulterated food is sold in the market. Transport enterpreneurs forceful exploit passengers, who are likely to be beaten badly if they speak anything.
There are laws for every violation of people’s rights, but some other extrajudicial forces misuse them while the government becomes a mere spectator. In this situation, the Nepalis feel that their human rights violations reaching an alarming degree have not been documented and acted against.
No matter how long the current crisis in Nepal remains, the Nepalis will have to find a way out for a progressive Nepal against all regressive attempts.
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