Nepal, Dec. 11 -- Janakpur airport has finally succeeded in installing functional landing lights. The runway has been freshly paved sometime ago. The re-fuelling depot of the Nepal Oil Corporation does maintain a few tankers near the tarmac, but their content and capacity remain a closely guarded secret. Inquiries fail to reveal whether the airport has enough stock of aviation fuel for emergencies. The new terminal building has been 'nearly complete' for almost five years. It's still getting finishing touches.

The condition of city roads has significantly improved. Footpaths, however, continue to be hugely inadequate. It shows that urban planners of Nepal are obsessed with the movement of cars rather than of people and display scant rega...