I am prompted to write this after a recording session at NTV. Despite my objections the session was dominated by technocrats who knocked the rest of us silly by going on about the Indian plate and the Tibetan Plate, active fault and other technical terms that no one cares much about. What was said incompletely or, left unsaid, is perhaps more crucial: Whatever the cause of earthquakes, all indications are that Nepal is next in line for a big one, an earthquake. Also, the risk of one is too serious a matter to be left to technicians alone. Damage control is easier when people are prepared and this requires political commitment at the highest level. Technicians could take five years for a massive awareness campaign. Leaders of the country can do it in three months, and achieve complete unity across party lines. Organisations like NSET (National Society for Earthquake Technology) or SCAEF-Nepal can carry out the actual donkey work.

Bibhuti Man Singh
SCAEF- Nepal