#729 24 - 30 October 2014 20 pages Rs 50 BIKRAM RAI Celebrating colours POST-MORTEM WHERE OF A TRAGEDY TO BE A We know that our preparedness GURKHA? was disastrous, the question is A retired Nepali how do we reduce the chances soldier who served of needless casualties in future in Singapore tells blizzards, fl oods or earthquakes? authors of a new EDITORIAL book: PAGE 2 “I love Singapore. ust like the Tihar palette (top), the country’s top leaders are trying to I am ready to go Jfind a way to craft a new constitution that will embrace all identities back and die for without undermining national unity. Senior leaders of the three main Singapore.” parties meeting at Gokarna Resort (above) over the holidays have so far EYE-WITNESS TO failed to come up with a compromise between single-identity based PAGE 16-17 federalism and the territorial model. But if the ruling NC-UML coalition SEARCH AND RESCUE agrees to increase the proportional representation ratio in future elections IN MUSTANG to make them more inclusive, it could convince the Maoist-Madhesi BY SUBINA SHRESTHA opposition about the rationale for fewer federal units based on geography. PAGE 3 CHONG ZI LIANG 2 EDITORIAL 24 - 30 OCTOBER 2014 #729 POST-MORTEM OF A TRAGEDY s with the other disasters in Nepal this year (Bhote Kosi landslide, Surkhet-Dang flashfloods and the We know that our preparedness was AEverest avalanche) there has been a lot of blame- disastrous, the question is how do throwing after the Annapurna blizzard last week that claimed at least 45 lives. This is not helpful. we reduce the chances of needless The easiest scapegoat has been the government. There is a lot of things the government didn’t do that it should casualties in future blizzards have done, no doubt. Had there been better regulation, enforcement of existing rules and on safety standards for hundreds of trekkers had already moved up the valley on the porters and guides, the death toll may have been lower. trails to Thorung La and Tilicho who could not be reached. But that would be too much to expect from a bungling Where the government can come in is to require state that is so incompetent it could not even designate telecom companies to build cell phone towers on places an official spokesman to provide the international media like Thorung La, Larkya La, Gokyo and Renjo La which has with a coherent and consistent message about the search heavy trekking traffic in the peak season. This may actually and rescue. be a business proposition for telecom companies which will The Disaster Response Committee did meet at the PMO, benefit from trekkers uploading selfies and videos on social but it underestimated the scale of the disaster, and in typical media from phones. Nepali fashion, hoped for the best. The Nepal Army and ACAP collects $30 from every foreign visitor, and the its rescue helicopter pilots, battle-hardened during the government makes another $10 on the TIMS card. Multiply conflict, did an exemplary job flying in difficult terrain and that by the 100,000 trekkers in Nepal and it adds up to a tricky weather to rescue those stranded in the high passes. whopping $4 million a year just from fees. It would only PIC AND MAP: ANNAPURNA NEPAL AVALANCHE AND BLIZZARD INFO SHARE If some of its choppers had not been commandeered by the take a tiny fraction of that as a one-time cost to build army brass for an ill-timed inspection visit to western Nepal shelters every one hour walk up to Thorung and other survivors to assist in timely search and rescue. on Sunday, more lives may have been saved. popular high passes. These shelters could be leased to tea The wrong response to last week’s tragedy would be for The private sector filled the gap with air support as shop owners in the peak season. the government to make even more regulations that will add well as communication through social media. Much of the The Thorung traverse is not for beginners, and many yet another layer of bureaucracy and corruption. Experience information from the local administration was contradictory, trekkers underestimate its altitude and terrain. Trekking from the TIMS card and trekker permits for national parks sketchy and too obsessed with numbers of dead, missing and companies taking clients to passes above 5,000m could be have shown that the original purpose of those measures has rescued when relatives and friends in Nepal and all over the required to have satellite phones, and better equipment and been lost. As with the Everest avalanche in May that killed world really needed were lists of names, times and places. clothes for their porters and guides. 16 Nepali high-altitude guides, the best way to honour This would have demanded better coordination between the None of the above measures need a lot of money. In the memory of those who died so terribly and needlessly army, local administration and the private sector. fact, had only one of them existed (cell phone signal) on Annapurna is to make sure that we do our best to It was pointed out in this paper last week that the blizzard many people would have perhaps survived the blizzard. minimise the loss of life. was not unprecedented, and there was plenty of warning. The reason trekkers did not get prior warning of the Himalayan climbing and trekking will never be risk free. Information is important, but much more important is to get approaching danger was this lack of communication, and But it is in Nepal’s self-interest to make such an important that information to where it is needed the most. Trekking that was also the reason the outside world had to wait source of employment and revenue to be made as safe as lodges in Manang Village and Jomsom had the news, but so long for news of the identity and whereabouts of the possible for us and our visitors in future. YOUR SAY www.nepalitimes.com CHICKEN OR DUCK? Absolutely bang on target at times. Having worked in Manang NEW CHIEF JUSTICE THIS WEEK The decision to revoke this year’s editorial. It’s awesome. and Mustang, I know fi rsthand Congratulations to Chief Justice tax hike for Indian vehicles entering D Joshi that the vagaries of mountain Ram Kumar Prasad Sah. Nepal, as you argue in your weather and effects of altitude (‘Supreme once more’, Binita editorial, could easily have been Yes, Sushil Koirala doesn’t make this area easy trekking only Dahal, #727). This is great news taken by the department of transport have the energy to argue any when the weather is fi ne. The rest for Nepal and Nepalis and will management (‘Neither chicken nor more, so better to quit and vacate of the time, these mountains are encourage people from every duck’, Editorial, #728). Apart from the chair. The Nepali people need treacherous. corner of the country to dream NEPAL ARMY the fi rst two points of the 5-point not suffer any longer. ‘Dalal & Co’ Jhilke big. I hope CJ Sah has the Most liked on Facebook agreement, none of the others sounds better than ‘Dahal & Co’. courage and guts to undo the Nepal Army continue their rescue have anything to do with Parliament Tapan Das I had passed over the Thorung corruption and degradation of operation in Thorung La on Friday. obstruction. Demands such as La a week before the heavy storm the SC by his predecessors. Most shared on Facebook paying Rs 200,000 to the dead SNOWFALL on my mountain bike and was lucky Mahesh After the storm by Kunda Dixit and the disappeared (are these Avalanche forecasting is to have enjoyed perfect weather. for newly-discovered victims?) commonplace in most mountain What concerns me is that the Hope his appointment is not and legitimising ‘land transactions’ ranges ( ‘After the storm’, Kunda authorities will in the aftermath of just ‘hugely symbolic’ and he is (which we all know were taken over Dixit, #728). The Nepal government this tragedy take a hasty decision indeed the best man for the job by force) simply prove that the deal and ACAP should work together on to curtail some of the freedoms that and gets things cleaned up. was just to accommodate demands installing this technology. A simple make trekking in the Himalayas David Seddon of Maoists and Madhesi leaders. sign in Manang showing weather such a wonderful experience. I How utterly helpless the NC and the conditions would help save lives realise many people who want CONSENSUS OR VOTE? Most popular on Twitter UML are. True ‘wimps’ as you call and give guides a reason to hold to go trekking do not have the One Madhes or two Madhes, Marching to a diff erent tune by them. eager or inexperienced trekkers knowledge and experience of the call should be made by the Stéphane Huët Anon back. the mountains to go alone and people living in the region, and Most visited online page Ben Ayers thus capable guides are a must. not left upon the political bosses After the storm by Kunda Dixit The Constitution is merely But please let’s avoid blanket (‘Consensus on contention’, a mechanism for the purpose of Trekking agencies are only restrictions that will prevent people Damakant Jayshi, #727). Out Most commented After the storm by Kunda Dixit regulating the work of various concerned about pocketing from enjoying Nepal’s wild places. of the 20 districts in the Tarai, organs of the state.