Transport mafia

That transport syndicates operate right under the nose of our administration, despite the fact that such cartels are not allowed by Nepali laws, clearly point at how inept our law and order machinery is. We are not writing this to bell the cat because the formation of such cartels is not a new phenomenon in the country. Transport syndicates, which have been a real inconvenience to both the public and most of the entrepreneurs, are rife across the country.



However, the fact that a truckers syndicate in the far-western region had the audacity to announce the reintroduction of the syndicate system through a press conference though that is against Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act as well as Vehicle and Transport Management Act and that nothing has been done to break it until now clearly tells us that law and order situation in the country has gone from bad to worse.



The reintroduction of the syndicate system by the truckers in the far-western region has been having a telling effect: Prices of commodities have gone up by 20 percent to 25 percent. For example, transporting goods from Dhangadhi to Achham has increased by Rs 130 to Rs 370 per quintal, which will unfortunately have to be eventually borne by the consumers.



Transport fares to ferry goods from the region to Kathmandu too have doubled because truckers lose out on opportunity cost as they have to wait for their turn to return, or return without consignment. While the teeming millions suffer, the gains from it are shared by a few criminal elements such as the influential members of the syndicate system and local-level politicians of even the major political parties and the police, among others, who let the system operate by flouting all existing laws.



This syndicate system, which long-distance public bus owners are also forced to be a part of in most parts of the country, is something that has to be stopped immediately—once and for all. The practice is against the spirit of competition, which is the hallmark of a free and open market that our state claims to espouse. Killing competition kills the spirit of entrepreneurship and that can have far-reaching consequences on the economy and the society as a whole. Stopping this practice immediately is also urgent as it will otherwise discourage budding and upcoming entrepreneurs.



The government can make a beginning in this direction by bringing those in the forefront to book. Then, it can proceed to make an example out of those aiding and benefiting from the system by operating from behind the scene.

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