Re: [NNSD] Mirage of illusionary benefit of Rs 45 billion from Pancheshwar Project

August 19, 2009

Mr Saubhagya Shah

Kathmandu

Dear Saubhagya jee

I trust you don't mind my addressing you such. You too are welcome to address me informally (I prefer that, Mr. Shrestha sounds too stuffy!).

I am highly enthused by your sparing time to write to me. Yes, people in Nepal have been taken for ride by using such bunkum numbers for long. However, I too am a non-technical person (not being an engineer) but have come to understand financial and economic aspects of water resource and hydropower and am using the knowledge to ensure that our motherland doesn't get short changed any further. With the addition of voice of people like yourself, we are bound to succeed. (I just wish it isn't too late by then!)

I find you overly optimistic (begging your pardon) in hoping that Makune would have leant from history. However, I do echo your sentiments.

With best regards,

Sincerely,

Ratna Sansar Shrestha

From: NNSD@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NNSD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Saubhagya Shah
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 19:46
To: NNSD@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [NNSD] Mirage of illusionary benefit of Rs 45 billion from Pancheshwar Project


Dear Mr. Shrestha,

This was an incisive analysis of the misleading propaganda being carried out by Nepal's water mafia to hoodwink the Nepali public. I applaud the effort you have taken to lay everything in black and white so that a non-technical person like me can see who really stands to gain from this scheme and who will actually lose (Nepal).

I still remember the propaganda campaign a decade or more ago when some of these same politicians were shouting at the top of their voices that Nepal would make US $ 1 b each year from Tanakpur. We know how that went. Let us hope that criticalan analysis like yours will help to wake the Nepali public from its slumber and galvanize a strong voice against the long-standing Nepali political tradition of surrendering Nepali resources for false hopes of extending the life of particular regimes. The political class should learn from the fact that Matrika, BP, Grija actually were out of power soon after signing the major water deals with India. Hopefully Makune has learnt something from history and will not sign on the dotted lines on the Pancheshwor or other deal.

Jai hos,
Saubhagya Shah

--- On Tue, 8/18/09, Ratna Sansar Shrestha wrote:
From: Ratna Sansar Shrestha rsansar@mos.com.np
Subject: [NNSD] Mirage of illusionary benefit of Rs 45 billion from Pancheshwar Project
To: NNSD@yahoogroups.comD
ate: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 1:51 AM

Mr DB Singh
Project Chief
Pancheshwar Project

Dear DBjee