The editorial published in Kantipur titled 'Loss of Accountability of Funds Raised to Control Pollution?'

Kathmandu Valley has been suffocating due to highly polluted air for the past few days. Dust, forest fires and old vehicles that use fossil fuels play a major role in this. Every year this problem comes with the onset of winter.

The government is not interested in ensuring the right of every citizen to live in a clean environment, even though it has been a decade since the constitution was promulgated. Due to this, citizens have to breathe very unhealthy air, while on the other hand, a clean and healthy environment is directly related to the health of citizens.

The government has started collecting pollution charges from the sale of petrol and diesel fuel since 16 years ago (2065/66 year) without increasing pollution. Initially it was collected at the rate of 50 paise per litre, but in 2074/75 it was increased to one rupee and for the last four years it has been collected at the rate of one and a half rupees.

The money raised in this way is deposited in the account of the government by Nepal Oil Corporation, although the concept is that the money collected will be spent by the Ministry of Forests and Environment by making a pollution control program, there is a practice of depositing it in the accumulated account of the government and spending it on development, construction or other reproductive activities.

20-year-old vehicles should be replaced immediately, promotion of electric vehicles, ban on the operation of vehicles that do not have green stickers after testing the smoke from time to time, timely maintenance of vehicles, stop the indiscriminate development of forests, destroying water sources, stop the cutting of green trees, promote the planting of plants in empty spaces, ban on setting fires and take strict action. Consciousness!

– Gangaraj Aryal , Panini-8, Pali, Arghakhanchi