good observation although i, personally, don't see anything remarkable of any sort. while i am glad that mr. poudel witnessed the social disparity by himself, the discrimination is quite evident even in ktm or within it's periphery, one does not need to ride to shantichouk of chitwan to see how an under-privileged, discriminated and belittled ethnic groups like chepangs are treated. Shantichouk might be a relatively modern town, but people there are still conservative, women still fast in Ekadashi, and old men still ask caste and gotra before deciding marriage on their children’s behalf. LOL! if that's what he call "being conservative", then i am sure many, if not most, ktmduites are themselves conservatives. fasting in ekadashi and juxtaposing caste and gotra before marriage to see the match is commonplace even in ktm metropolitan let alone in it's nearby villages. and NEA's policy is jeopardizing their own cause and country's benefits has been voiced for almost a decade now. it's just the way it is! i, for one, am always up for privatization to check NEA's monopoly. we've been fighting for petty stuffs and missing the forest for trees since time immemorial. all in all, it's good that this article has recapitulated root cause of some of the major problems of nepal. good on the writer! LooTe