View Towers or Libraries? Nepal: View Towers…Definitely!

READING TIME: 5 minutes
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Among other things, greed rules an economy that is NOT knowledge-based! That is, making money by any means and, for those in positions power and authority, at any cost is the goal for most — damned be books, schools, and libraries.

The tweet below by Galaxy TV reads:

  • “View Towers worth 17 billion [>150 Million USD] to be erected around the country
  • 10 billion public funds and 7 billion public-private funds
  • 18.7% population under the poverty live
  • With 28.6% struggling to put food on the table and clothes on their back, these erect towers are taunting poverty
  • full report”

So why so much money in that which clearly have so little potential for return on the investment? Corruption and greed — the potential for personal financial gain!

On October 30, 2021, quoting the above tweet, I tweeted out the following. “17 view towers are in the books!!! How many public libraries are being planned? My own guess? Likely none! They STILL haven’t begun the construction of the national library on Kantipath in #Kathmandu.”

Why did I raise the topic of libraries? I raised the issues of libraries because I have an understanding of the importance of and value in libraries and instilling a reading habit in the population. One of the most important–if not THE most important–projects I was involved in as a social worker was building or setting up libraries in schools. As a matter of fact, whenever international friends and others contact me with requests for suggestions on things to contribute towards, I tell them, “School libraries!” The reasons are simple: I benefited greatly from libraries at the schools I attended in Nepal, I developed a reading habit, and I am aware of the benefits of reading — to both children and adults.

And why did I guess that none might have been planned? Ever since arriving in the country in 2013, as far as I could see, libraries had NOT been prioritized. Not long ago however, I discovered that I had been wrong in my guess, which I’ll have more to say later.

What’s more, in August that same year, more than two months prior, I had come across an article describing the pitiable conditions the books in the 2015-earthquake-damaged national library in Kathmandu had been in and tweeted about it. The article headlined, “A Country That Does NOT Value Knowledge.”

I tweeted both the article and the embedded video — describing and showing, respectively, the complete and utter callousness of the authorities towards one of our national treasures: books.

(In case the video above does NOT play, try the embed below.)

Not long after, I had come across another article about another public library on the brink of being a casualty of greed, which, again, I had tweeted about.

In addition to the public library, another structure suffered a similar fate in Kathmandu in the 2015 quakes: Dharahara. Less than two year following the quake, the mostly male members of the executive branch of the government, pledged to rebuilt it with backing from the then-Prime-Minister KP Oli.

Sure enough, they pretty much completed the reconstruction of the structure by early 2018, just two years later.

What about some of the thousands of schools destroyed by the quake? Here’s what the article had to say about it.

Owing to its history, the most prominent phallic symbol in the valley, Dharahara is, yet again, the View Tower to beat all view towers! Here’s what the glorious “folly” looks like now.

#NoMyDharahara. This photo was taken in May 2022.

What of the National Library? Around October 30, 2021, I had learned first-hand no progress had been made with its reconstruction, rather relocation: I came across the empty site one morning.

A few months later I came across an article describing their plans for the new library building at the new site.

Of course, I didn’t believe that they would actually complete it within 2024. Just two months later, I came across another article describing how the contracts had been canceled upon discovery of corruption! What’s new?! That, by the way is, actually, likely, euphemism for “not all those who were involved were satisfied with their share of the pie.”

What are the chances that it will indeed be ready by 2024? Slim to none!

Let me remind you again that it’s been seven years since the earthquake. In that time, Dharahara has been rebuilt. Many view towers, I am sure, have also been built — BUILT, NOT rebuilt — since then too. After all, the following photos I found on twitter are of View Towers around the country. Notice how many there are!

And as if they aren’t enough, as you already know, more are being planned, as per Galaxy TV.

But, here’s the other outrageous bit: libraries, apparently, have ALSO been in infrastructure development plans of different municipalities as per the national mandate. Unlike the view towers though, all efforts have been thwarted or all plans for their constructions and/or their set up sabotaged!

But then again, why wouldn’t you when you value money more than knowledge and an insignificant percentage of the population read for leisure?! Why wouldn’t you?!

What do you think?

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