Editorial: A cold heart

Winter is already in the air and it should send a chill up the government’s spine. Worryingly, it has not. As in previous winters, governments at the center, provinces and local levels are in deep slumber by monopolizing all the warmth that state powers give them even as the laity, particularly disadvantaged sections of the society in Nepal’s southern plains, remains ill-prepared as ever to deal with cold weather, cold wave in particular, that leaves behind a trail of deaths every year. 

Facing the most serious risk to their lives are the senior citizens, children and women from these sections. 

By the way, what do government authorities do to avert casualties resulting from harsh weather? 

Not much, if we are to forget about some isolated incidents of distribution of fuelwood and warm clothing, apart from the issuance of regular weather bulletins. 

This near-total indifference on the part of the government authorities is only bolstering a negative public perception about the polity. A growing perception is that there is no dearth of governments these days, that Singhadurbars have sprung up at every nook and cranny of the country but governance is sorely lacking. Indeed, these power centers located quite close to the doorsteps of the people seem least bothered about the plight of the people facing a cruel and grim winter with no food, warm clothing and shelter. As for the Singhadurbar located at the center, it is well beyond the reach of the commoner like an island of prosperity located in the middle of a sea of poverty.  

The right to life, right to food, right to shelter, right to education and the right to employment are some of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Nepal 2015. But the state has not been able to protect these rights. When temperatures dip, daywagers cannot go to work and that means the absence of food on the table. A dipping mercury means cold nights and it can prove to be a killer for families without warm clothes and bedding materials. Cold weather also means a surge in instances of respiratory diseases like pneumonia and aggravated health conditions that can put the lives of senior citizens, women and children at most serious risk.    

Whenever temperatures dip, schools in the Tarai shut, robbing children of the right to education. Can our authorities not make arrangements for warmer classrooms to keep the classes going?     

Rather than isolated acts of ‘kindness’, government authorities should get their act together, identify citizens/families at risk and come to their rescue in a coordinated manner. After all, it is the duty of a state officially ‘geared toward socialism’ to save lives, isn’t it?