BANEPA, Oct 6: The monopoly of Arniko Transport Service Committee (ATSC) in Kavre district has finally been broken by another committee of transport operators from Tuesday.
ATSC monopoly has ended after the locals formed Sunkoshi East Transport Pvt Ltd and started operating jeeps to various destinations in the district.
The company is operating to 14 destinations in Kavre and seven destinations in neighboring Ramechhap district.
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Although a report published by the District Technical Office has mentioned that the rural roads of the districts are not suitable for operating heavy vehicles, ATSC has been operating its buses on the roads since the past eight years, according to stakeholders.
A big accident took place in Deurali VDC-9 in Kavre district about three months ago due to narrow road. A total of 27 people had died while 39 had sustained severe injuries when a bus operated by the ATSC had plunged into a rivulet.
Considering the danger associated with heavy vehicles in rural roads of the district, the committee has decided to operate only jeeps on such roads, according to Ramesh Sedhai, chairman of Sunkoshi East Trapnsoport Pvt Ltd.
“We will be operating jeeps along seven routes permitted by the District Transportation Coordination Committee. We are operating 50 jeeps to 21 destinations,” informed Sedhai.
The company has fixed Rs 500 as fare per passengers travelling from Banepa to Madanjundari. On the day of the service inauguration Tuesday, the committee took district-level politicians and other stakeholders to Koshipari area of the district on twelve jeeps.
Dina Nath Gautam, district coordinator of the CPN (Maoist Center) announced that the operation of the committee jeeps has formally ended ATSC monopoly in the Koshipari area.
