Today saturday 18th April, there was a news in a national paper, Kantipur, that a certain project aimed at solving power crisis in Nepal to some extent by cutting losses was not able to launch and that the budget of 18 million has swelled to 80 million due to so many demands put by all kinds of stakeholders. The locals did not allow the construction of high tension poles in their land because they did not get enough money for their pain, this delayed the project, then contractors claimed for compensations for the obstruction. It is insane.Â
1. Why do the Nepali person put is own personal interest over the nations’ interest?
2. Why can’t officials enter into win win negotiations instead of this lose-lose-lose scenario (Nepal Electricity board, the contractors and the locals)?Â
What is the problem? Don’t they (NEA)Â have basic foresight that could have forseen this problem and even if they could not, don’t they have the negotiation skills to get out the mess?Â
May be they took it as ‘it is non of my business’. Who’s business is it then?Â
Such news really point to a depressing reality of Nepali development.Â
It is the same phenomenon of lose-lose-lose outcomes that has plagued hydropower projects, water supply (melamchi project), and any major policy change or implementation.Â
It is crazy leaving the Nepali youth so hopeless that he sees getting out as the only solution.Â
But this has to change. We can’t stay in the lose-lose-lose scenario forever. Or can we?Â
Come let us change this and promote win-win-win outcomes. Join me.