CEO, Mega Bank
Anil jee
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. However, I can see a tragedy inherent in your perception that my “lines of thought (are) becoming more flexible and (I am) moving to a middle ground” now. What you are saying implies that I used to be “negative” and am now getting mellowed down. It is unfortunate that I am perceived as a negative person even by the educated circle without trying to understand the depth of where I am coming from.
It isn’t true at all (this is the only courteous way to contradict you that I know of (unfortunately, I am having to contradict you once more and I don’t know any other way to do so. I request my friends Kiran Joshi and Kanak Dixit to understand my difficulty in having to contradict you once more).
Due to constraint of space provided for articles, I need to use up most of the space critiquing – thereby sounding negative. However, it amazes me that even intelligentsia fail to see my recommendations and alternative avenues that are embedded in my critique.
This time I jumped straight into the way forward that I felt like recommending from the perspective of Nepal’s interest without spending precious resources (in terms of my time and energy and space of newspaper) in terms of principles that have to be enshrined in a treaty on water resources between nepal and india. If Indians are ready to accept the principles that I have enunciated, all the “negative” comments that I have made throughout my life will be redressed/mitigated. However, the principles are such that it will not yield the disproportionate benefit that India is hankering after and I would be surprised if they would accept/agree.
With best regards,
Sincerely,
Ratna Sansar Shrestha, fca
Senior Water Resource Analyst
www.RatnaSansar.com
On Aug 1, 2014, at 12:11 AM, Anil Shah anilkesharyshah@gmail.com [NNSD]
Very good to see lines of thought becoming more flexible and moving to a middle ground!
The destination of the development of hydro power in Nepal has to achieve the objective of inclusive economic and social development of all Nepalis trans Nepal.
It is not an issue of chosing the developimment of power for domestic consumption or export, it is a question of formulating agreements that forges a balance where we can use foreign and domestic capital and know how to construct projects that are financially viable through a percentage of the power being consumed domestically and a certain percentage being exported. With export rates being higher so as to subsidise domestic consumption to a certain extent.
Further more we need to listen to new voices and new ideas, if we only keep listening to the same points of view and expert opinions that have given us over 14 hours of load shedding I think the only thing we will see going up is the hours of domestic darkness. We need to listen to people who are able to see the forest and not just the leaves on the tree. For example why not explore looking at not just exporting electric power but using the trade treaties we that already exist to attract industries that are power intensive to set up large scale manufacturing units in our Terai by offering subsidised power rates making it more profitable for them to manufacture in Nepal for the North Indian markets. Also let us not forget that we are a nation of framers so the construction of high dam projects need to be built with an integrated vision of irrigation in Nepal and water sharing with India to the advantage of farmers of both nations. The potential for cooperative benefit for the people of both nations is limited only by our imagination.
And that is where we need to have faith in the young minds and thoughts in the government, public and private sector, so that we can find new paths to walk on together and reach destinations that generations before could not! The people who sit for negotiations from both nations need to do so without a 'pre-occupied' mindset, not with suspicion and distrust but confidence and hope!
Seeing mindsets opening up in the political, beuracratic, public and private sector is encouraging and as a Nepali I am hopeful that this time round we will move forward...
Anil Shah
Posted by: Anil Shah
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