Kathmandu, January 17

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has formed a three-member technical committee led by Purusottam Shakya, mechanical engineer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, to prepare technical specifications and bidding document for the operation of metro bus service in Kathmandu Valley.

The committee comprises Mohan Prasad Bhattarai of the Department of Transport Management and Nisha Thakur of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport as members. According to the MoFALD, it has stepped up preparation to operate luxury buses with world class facilities in the Valley.

Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Hitraj Pandey said the ministry was preparing to operate metro bus service with government grant and share investment of KMC, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality and all municipalities in the Valley. “The operation of luxurious metro bus service will solve all problems facing public transportation sector,” he informed.

Earlier, the prime minister had announced that the government would purchase 100 luxurious buses to operate them in the Valley, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Birgunj, Bharatpur, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, Pokhara, Surkhet and Ghorahi through concerned local bodies.

The ministry informed that the government was all set to register a non-profit making company under the coordination of KMC for the operation of metro bus service. The company’s name has been proposed as ‘Valley Urban Transport Ltd’. The buses will be operated by this company.

The government has already allocated Rs 250 million in grant and KMC will invest Rs 20 million as shares in the company. Similarly, Kirtipur, Gokarneshwor, Budhanilkantha, Tokha and Nagarjun municipalities have agreed to hold shares worth Rs 3.5 million each. Chandragiri, Dakshinkali, Sankharapur, Kageshwori Manahara and Tarkeshwor are set to own shares of one million rupees each.

Ashok Ghimire, press advisor to minister Pandey, said LSMC would own Rs 10 million worth shares, and Karyabinayak, Godavari, Mahalaxmi and Bajrabarahi municipalities will have stakes of one million rupees each.

Similarly, Bhaktapur Municipality has decided to purchase shares worth six million rupees, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Rs 3.5 million, and Anantaligeshwor, Suryabinayak, Changynaryan and Mahamanjushree Nagarkot one million rupees each.