The news published in Kantipur on Monday with the title '25 billion collected from consumers in the name of pollution control, the government does not know where it was spent' made people think. This is no ordinary news. Deeper than the environmental crisis, it is an important document of gross negligence of governance and betrayal of citizens.

Over 25 billion pollution charges have been levied in 17 years. But the government is silent about its use. Such a situation raises only one question – for whom is the government and how is it running?

Nepal Oil Corporation says that the amount has been deposited. The Ministry of Finance claims that the amount has been deposited in the 'National Fund'. According to the Ministry of Environment, they do not get any budget. The lack of coordination between these three agencies of the state is ridiculous. Even more bitter is the structural failure of the state apparatus. On the one hand, the government collects funds from the general public under the heading of 'pollution control'. On the other hand, Kathmandu is one of the most polluted cities in the world, but the state is silent. There is no solid plan for pollution control. The implementation side of the plans is thin and opaque.
Environmentalists have repeatedly warned that the main sources of pollution are traffic, industrial dust, brick industry, lack of road maintenance and unbridled development. If the amount of pollution fee raised at this time had been spent on road maintenance, promotion of electric vehicles, expansion of greenery, management of brick industry and improvement of public transport, surely we would not have to face such a terrible situation.

What the current situation looks like, neither the government's policy nor the intention is right. If there were, the fees that would be collected forcibly from citizens would certainly not be spent in an unaccountable and non-transparent manner. Absurdity and capriciousness in public expenditure can never be the character of a democratic nation. This is sure to create a serious crisis on the citizens' trust in the government.

It would still be foolish to ignore this topic as a common one. The government should immediately publish the complete details of the money raised in the name of pollution charges, under which heading, when, how much and how it was spent. Not only that, everyone involved should be brought under scrutiny based on the zero tolerance policy. So now this issue is not only related to any one ministry or agency. It is also a serious test of justice, accountability and public policy making.

– Techendra Adhikari , Biratnagar