Tackling Noncompliance

The culture of noncompliance is pervasive in Nepal. Vehicle drivers do not follow traffic rules; nor do passengers and commuters. People serving in positions of authority are found flaunting rules and taking advantage of their status and privileges to exploit the loopholes to their advantage. Professional workers are found disregarding standard protocols and defying their codes of conduct. Manufacturers produce substandard goods. Traders indulge in adulteration. Shopkeepers overcharge or thrust outdated goods and supplies on gullible consumers. Rules are there – only to be bent to suit one's interest and to advance personal gains. One utterly fails to understand why Nepalis across the board tend to indulge in non-compliance.

A recent inspection by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City found only 20 businesses out of 497 inspected operating in compliance with regulations. Over 200 shops were found to be running without proper registration. The KMC's festival-focused monitoring that began in the last week of September uncovered widespread violations. Among the inspected shops, 133 were selling expired goods, 311 lacked price lists, and 200 were unregistered. The inspection covered 438 grocery stores, 18 sweet shops, 19 dry food stores, 7 spice shops, and 15 dairies. Practically every shop inspected was caught in wrongdoing in one way or another. The scale of non-compliance – be it deliberate or unintentional – is just unacceptable. Biscuits, chocolates, instant noodles, spices, ketchups, and bottled jams and juices were found selling long after their expiry dates, price lists were not displayed, and food items were stored alongside harmful chemicals. In sweet shops, approved food colors were used but often in inappropriate quantities. The inspection also revealed reused cooking oil, missing production and expiry dates on sweets, and poor hygiene in preparation areas, shops, and utensils.

Non-compliance may result from a cocktail of reasons. Ignorance of the rules, and poor or lack of proper training could result in non-compliance. For example, according to KMC findings, while the sweet shops used approved food colors, the quantity used appears to have been beyond the prescribed limit. The country's largest metropolis took some tangible steps to monitor and provide on-site instructions to address the problems. However, it should be noted that inspections, monitoring, and supervision cannot be a seasonal job. It should be a year-round activity; and anyone found repeating the mistakes should be punished within the boundary of the laws of the land. Public health is a serious issue and is not something to be compromised with. However, we also know that punitive measures – no matter how harsh or regular they are – are hardly enough to address the problems. They need to be backed up by proactive follow-up actions aimed at improving the ethical standards of the community involved. Nepal has three tiers of government but they do not seem to be working in tandem at all. The federal government, the provincial government and the local levels often engage in power tussles. Should this continue to be the order of the day in the months and years to come, efforts to ensure food safety and enhancing food hygiene, or improving the quality of governance will just fall flat. Money will be spent but the results will not be achieved. Cooperation and coordination between the three tiers of government is a must to combat any wrongdoing or misconduct, including noncompliance.