Kathmandu, November 20

Transport entrepreneurs have been found to be arbitrarily charging the passengers taking advantage of the current fuel crisis in the country.

A passenger Dhruba Shah who was travelling to Jay Bageshwori from Swayambhu said he was compelled to pay Rs 65 as against the normal rate of Rs 25 for the route.

Similarly, passengers of other routes have also reported of being compelled to pay high fares even in the Capital itself.

Entrepreneurs, meanwhile, reason they were hardly getting fuel even at Rs 300 a litre though it normally costs Rs 80.

Consumers Forum Nepal, Mid-Zonal Coordinator Roshan Pokharel complained that the city transport were charging fare arbitrarily. However, monitoring bodies are reluctant in carrying out their duties effectively.

He further claimed that some buses that were filling fuel at normal rates have also been arbitrarily charging the passengers.

Meanwhile, Navin Pokharel, director of the Department of Transport Management — the monitoring body — said that they had failed to monitor the situation due to lack of fuel and that the Department itself had been unable to operate its three vehicles for the purpose due to lack of fuel.

He added that they remained silent in the beginning considering the crisis created by the blockade, but now it has been reported that black marketing in the transport sector was on the rise.

Pokharel said they had also failed to carry out monitoring activities these days because Monitoring Department Chief Basanta Adhikari was on leave for 15 days.

On the other hand, Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs’ National Federation Chair Dinesh Bhandari said that they had not decided to charge more than the government fixed rate and even they have urged all transporters to refrain from charging extra fare from passengers.