Just for the record, Based on what I know as of now, I am for Melamchi project. But I am all for engaging with -- and not at all interested in bypassing -- intelligent critics such as Chintan and others so that their public interest concerns are addressed, their brilliant and not-so-brilliant questions are answered honestly and clearly, and that appropriate compromises/give-and-take are made in a trust-enhancing manner by exercising prudent leadership. [I know that sounds a bit corny, but I believe in it.] After all, we all know that all publicly-funded projects in Nepal can surely use larger and wider points of public accountability. In this spirit, unlike some of anonymous Sajha posters, I am all for viewing/treating/befriending Chintan as a very intelligent human being who passionately and vigorously represents voices and concerns that are not necessarily high on the government's, or the donor agencies' or, for that matter, technocrats' agenda when it comes to planning and implanting mega- multi-year development projects in Nepal. As a Nepali interested in Nepal ko bikas, I do NOT view Chintan et al’s concerns as necessarily being "anti bikas" or "anti Nepal". In fact, I welcome them as additional data points which may affect eventual decisions. True, to get things done, a professional friendship with the likes of Chintan calls for a tradeoff in that you have to use additional time, resources and an enormous amount of patience (especially when the constraints are tight), and that you have to put aside frustrations and exasperations . . But my sense is that, in the long run, we will all be -- and so will our projects be -- better off with those additional expenses (call them investments) than without them. oohi ashu