Bring land plotters to justice

Locals at Taukhel, Lalitpur, were in shock last Friday when the wall of Pushpanjali Secondary School collapsed, killing two students and leaving many others injured. The wall abutting the school building caved in and buried two students in the classroom. Condolences and sympathies to families of the dead and injured have been pouring in from Nepal and abroad.

Education Minister Girirajmani Pokahrel immediately took interest in Taukhel incident. Lalitpur Chief District Officer Rishiram Sharma said that the land plotters who erected wall unsafely near the school despite opposition will be brought to justice. This commitment must have consoled the locals. Since this incident is related to taking of children's lives by sheer negligence, those involved in it should be tried at the court with murder case and punished to the extent of law. Political parties and their sister organisations should not pressure anyone to commute the punishment for the accused. If there is any pressure from anyone, authorities should make them public so that such move will be resisted.

Everyone knows that land plotting is not limited to Lalitpur. Arable lands in other places have been plotted for residential purposes. Long-term solution to this problem lies in building a clear national policy of land use that determines residential area, industrial area, and arable land area. Not doing this immediately will put innocent lives in peril.