The conflict between Himal Tarai Transportation Committee and Madhya Pahadi Transportation committee has affected passengers along Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas section. The two committees have prevented each others vehicle from entering into the road sections under their control. [break]
While Himal Tarai Transportation Committee (HTTC) took hold of the buses of Madhya Pahadi Transportation Committee (MPTC) in Banepa, the latter impounded the buses of HTTC at Ghurmi.
According to a Ghurmi local, Ramesh Sharma, hundreds of passengers have been left stranded at Ghurmi after the incident.
The police arrested four people of HTTC for disrupting public transportation. According to Superintendent of Police in Kavre, Gita Upreti, actions of both transportation committees, including the enforcing of syndicate system, are illegal. "Instead of looking for a legal remedy, both committees have shown highhandedness by taking each other´s vehicles under control. We are investigating the issue," said SP Upreti.
“We have not captured any buses. The bus proprietors took the vehicles under their control after MPTC entrepreneurs failed to pay loan installments on time,” said Atmaram Thapa, chairman of HTTC.
Before Dashain, both committees had agreed before the district administration that they would operate public vehicles in a fair manner. Last month, Kavre district administration had requested both the committees to seek a permanent solution to the problem through talks. But the MPTC entrepreneurs turned a deaf ear to the administration´s request, according to Assistant Chief District Officer, Nandi Keshar Tripathi.
“We have been asking Dal Bahadur Tamang, the chairperson of MPTC, to come to the dialogue table. But he has been unwilling to talk,” said Tripathi.
Two months ago, the police had to escort three buses from Katunje Bensi and Kavre Bhanjyan following clashes between the two committees.
Passengers and bus operators both prefer BP Highway
Many passengers choose the BP Highway as it reduces the travel time to various destinations outside the Kathmandu Valley. The distance between Katmandu and Katari of Udayapur district through East-West Highway is 387 kilometers; however, it is only 125 kilometers through the BP highway.
Even transport entrepreneurs prefer the highway as it is the shortest route to Kathmandu from Solukhumbu, Khotang, Okhaldhunga and Sindhuli.
As the highway is still under construction, government has not provided route permit to anyone. HTTC is permitted to run upto Nepalthok, while MPTC can operate upto Khurkot. Both committees have been operating transportation with mutual agreement along rest of the road section upto Ghurmi.
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