With the end of Visit Nepal Year 2011, the country embarked on Visit Lumbini Year. The birthplace of Lord Buddha definitely needs publicity and developed as a tourist destination, so the campaign is a goof initiative. But as in the previous year, the stakeholders would do well to give the capital and other places a cleaner look.

Uncollected garbage, posters plastered all over the walls and footpath vendors make walking around the city a nightmare. Certainly, it does not take much effort to give Kathmandu a cleaner look. As the first port of call, the first impression of the city is a last impression. And I am not sure if visitors are returning home with a positive image of the country. And don’t tell me, we need consensus among the parties to improve the sanitation in the capital and elsewhere.

By: P. Sherpa, Kathmandu

Source: The Rising Nepal, December 12, 2011