Euro III buses to ply Pokhara streets before Dashain

POKHARA, Aug 8: Euro III standard buses are likely to ply on the streets of Pokhara well before this year´s Dashain festival, which falls in mid-October. Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs´ Association (PBEA) is gearing up to replace Euro II buses with more advanced versions of the vehicle in the tourist city.



"We are bringing in 16 Euro III buses in the first phase," said Vice Chairman of PBEA Chij Kumar Gurung. "They will hit Pokhara´s streets before the Nepali people´s biggest festival." [break]



PBEA´s initiative to introduce Euro III buses in Pokhara is in tune with District Transport Management Committee (DTMC)´s decision to replace all 15-year-old buses with Euro-III buses in Pokhara sub metropolitan city and Lekhnath municipality. DTMC, headed by Kaski´s Chief District Officer (CDO) Yadav Koirala, had instructed all Pokhara-based transport entrepreneurs´ associations to comply with its decision three month ago.



Irrespective of the government´s rule that requires replacement of just 20-year-old buses in other cities, including Kathmandu, the Kaski DTMC decided to replace all 15-year-old buses to keep Pokhara environmentally clean. The Kaski DTMC had taken this exceptional decision as per a report prepared by Sunil Khanal, then Gandaki zonal chief of the Department of Transport Management Office (DoTM).



In sync with the Kaski DTMC´s instruction to transport entrepreneurs to introduce at least 30-seat buses, the PBEA says all of its new Euro III buses will have the capacity to accomodate more passengers. Gurung said their initiative will contribute to preserving Pokhara´s environment as Euro III buses emit less smoke.

Following the footsteps of PBEA, Pokhara Taxi Entrepreneurs´ Association (PTEA), is also set to replace some old taxis and micro buses with Euro IIT vehicles. According to Senior Vice-chairman of PTEA Baburam Adhikari, 20 taxis and four micro buses will be replaced with Euro III buses in the first phase.



However, Euro-III vehicles to be brought in by PBEA and PTEA will be outnumbered by outdated and pollutant vehicles. Currently, PBEA has 251 buses plying Pokhara´s streets while over 4,200 taxis provide service in the tourist city. Most of the transport entrepreneurs say they want to replace their outdated vehicles with Euro III vehicles but are reluctant to do so as it would cost them heavily.

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