"Over 80 percent of buses have so far been attacked by the protestors. It's a taxing job to find a fine bus in the route," said Shekhar Sharma Guragain, advisor of Himal Yatayat Entrepreneurs Association. "Among 62 only 12 of our buses are in good condition."
Stating that the new constitution has failed to fulfill their demands, Madhesi Morcha is agitating for over two and half months now. This has brought people's normal life in the Madhes region to a complete halt. The transport sector is among the worst hit sectors because of the strike. Guragain claimed that the protestors have been targeting night buses and only few buses plying in the route might have been able to escape their wrath.
Before the fuel shortage crippled life across the nation, over 200 buses generally left for the capital from Mechi zone in a day. In the aftermath of the fuel crisis that crippled fuel availability across the nation, among others, only half of these buses are making it to the destination, Roshan Acharya, chief of Jhapa Traffic Police said. "We have not counted thoroughly. But, more than half of the buses are in worse condition due to the attack. And this has happened despite police protection to these buses," he said.
Acharya informed that the protestors have been very aggressive and have not spared even little security lapse for attacking passenger buses. The attack by the protestors is quite violent. They pelt stones, smash windows and obstruct the road by laying down tree trunks and boulevards on the road, he informed.
Drivers and helpers have started wearing helmet to avoid possible injuries. "What to do? You have to risk your life to travel through the Madhes districts. Yet, people are doing that. Drivers and conductors have been forced to put on helmets," said Kewal Ram Rai, vice president of Ujyalo Yatayat Transport Entrepreneurs Association. "Only four out of eight of our vehicles are in proper conditions. Others window and windscreens have been smashed. Driving bus without helmet is very risky for drivers."
Transport entrepreneurs have been forced to repair vehicles in rush as the agitators continue to smash windows, doors and other parts of long route buses, informed Rai adding that considering the ongoing protests the windshields and window glasses have been not repaired. "There is no point in replacing new windshields as they are going to break them again. Instead we have replaced the broken windows with plastic windows," he said.
Due to lack of monitoring, some of the buses have been forcing passengers pay hefty fare for several routes. Shortage of fuel supply and the perilous journey has been badly affecting transport entrepreneurs, Rai said while complaining that that business has suffered badly since the beginning of unofficial blockade by India on Nepal in mid September. "On one hand, there is fuel crisis, on the other hand, no safety is guaranteed on the road," he said. "God is our only care taker!"
He slammed the government for not being able to provide security to the transport sector that has been hit hard by the ongoing unrest in Terai and the fuel crisis. "If you talk about us, we have already suffered loss of around eight lakhs so far. Our only goal is to take our passengers to destination safely and we are committed to our duty. But why has the government failed in providing security to us and in taking care of the situation?" Rai said.
Guragain said that the actual loss incurred to the transport sector so far remained unaccounted for while maintaining that many entrepreneurs are reeling under pressure to the mounting debt. "Most of the vehicles plying on the road are on loan. And in situations like this, it is impossible to pay installments and relieve ourselves from loan. This chaos should end," he said. "How long the buses would be using helmets, plastics or cartoon boxes for safety. This sector is going to collapse if the problem is not sorted out soon."
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