KATHMANDU, May 4: Transport entrepreneurs have halted operation of vehicles across the country today apparently in a bid to press the government to bow down to their monopoly as a syndicate.
As a result, life has been affected including in the capital city, with passengers leaving for their destinations stranded. The protest was called by the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association (FNNTEA). The agitators have demanded a scrape of the recently issued Transport Management Directive that intends to break syndicate and other monopoly of transport entrepreneurs.
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The FNNTEA argued that the Directive was brought in place without consulting them.
"Our aim is also to end bad practices and activities in transport. However, the government has tried to squeeze us by issuing the Directive without consulting us, and especially at a time when we were demanding a powerful authority that would serve the rights and interests of the government, transport entrepreneurs and the consumers," said FNNTEA General Secretary Saroj Sitaula.
However, other transport entrepreneurs who are not associated with the FNNTEA have showed their readiness to operate vehicles only if the government provides security. "We are ready to operate vehicles if the government provides security," said General Secretary of Tourist Bus Association of Nepal Krishna Acharya.
Approximately 400,000 public vehicles across the country are associated with the 305 transport entrepreneur committees under the FNNTEA. (RSS)
