Langtang Trekking

Nepal's Development Regions: Creating an Obstacle to national integration ?

When someone asks me where I am from in Nepal, I often get confused. Geographically speaking Tanahun, where I am from, lies in the middle of the country. Thus, I should say I am from central Nepal. But, because Nepal is divided into five development regions and Tanahun comes under Western development region, I internalized Tanahun as being in the West of Nepal.

Today, suddenly a thought emerged, the geographical nomeniculture of development regions, like almost everything in Nepa,l is Kathmandu centric and reflects what state and rulers perceived themselves as. Eventhough Kathmandu is not exactly at the center of Nepal, the development regions are named as though Kathmandu is the center of Nepal. For example, Kathmandu lies in Central Development region and anything east lies in the Eastern region and most of the Nepal is West. By this logic, Nepal has more West than east or center. There are three different variations of West - Western Development Region (Gandaki, Lumbini and Dhaulagi…

Nepal For Hyper Loop Connectivity with India and China

Kathmandu, Nepal

In the heels of securing train and water access to India and China and after successfully, disbanding Transportation Cartel in Nepal, Nepal government is planning to implement “HyperLoop” transportation system in near future. According to a highly placed source, Government of Nepal has realized the importance of connecting Asia’s two big and economically growing countries - China and India for prosperity of Nepal. However, current mode of transportation isn’t likely to meet the needs of the future.
China and India with world’s largest populations and rising middle class offer Nepal’s best chance to enter an era of unprecedented growth through trade and tourism. “Look, Out of over 2 Billion population in these countries, there are at least 600 million people who could potentially visit Nepal for tourism, however, due to poor infrastructure, distance and cost, it’s very difficult for most people to come to Nepal,” said a tourism official.
To facilitate fast movement o…

Attacks on the fourth estate.

One of the victims of Maoist insurgency and King’s terrorocracy has been the fourth estate – mass media that flourished under 12 years of democracy in Nepal. From only about two daily broadsheet, one radio station, and one television station, all owned by government, Nepal has witnessed an unprecedented level of media boom. There are several daily broadsheets, news magazines, five nepali television stations, and over 40 radio stations all over the country. The beneficiary, nepali people who have benefited from competitive views, have access to local information, can watch quality television programs, and run their own radio stations. In last several years, lok-geet (folk songs) have become a mainstay (I believe largely due to FMs). But, the plurality of view-points are antithetical to autocratic King and totalitarian Maoists.

Maoists regularly threaten, kidnap and kill journalists and reporters. For Maoists, anyone who writes against their atrocities are “enemy of people”. For King an…

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