Clear weather, wide roads and no trees!

Dashain is finally here and Kathmandu is in full party mode.
 

This is probably the only time in the year you can experience zipping across the empty roads of Kathmandu.

Did just that yesterday. With easy riding and no traffic, had a chance to look around the usually bustling city. With time to pause and reflect, the devastation the widening of roads has caused was now clear as the weather.

People have lost homes and businesses, but the city something more valuable - its greenery.

People and businesses are much more resolute and will find ways and means to recover, but what about nature? It needs our help and protection.

Road widening is a necessity. No one living in Kathmandu can argue against it.

But could this have been achieved sensibly with much better planning. An effort could have been made into saving the trees, rather than unleashing this madness.

Cities across the world are stressing for preserving the ecology, creating green spaces that can survive along with progress.

If we are to create modern cities of tomorrow, green needs to be in. The number of cars on the roads will only but increase, but not at expense of destroying our habitat.

We need to ensure that trees, lakes and mountains remain our landscape.

Not tar roads.