Pokhara, February 6

Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee today obstructed vehicular movement in Pokhara protesting the decision of the Gandaki Transportation Management Office to give route permit to a new transport committee to operate passenger buses in the city.

Transport entrepreneurs affiliated to the Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee obstructed vehicular movement in various places, while vehicles of the committee stayed off the roads to protest the decision.

The transport management office has issued route permit to Bindabasini Transport Entrepreneurs Committee to operate passenger buses in the city areas of Pokahra.

The Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee is currently operating as many as 300 small and big buses and microbuses in the city, while Bindabasini Transport Entrepreneurs Committee started operating three buses in the municipal area from yesterday. Transport entrepreneurs affiliated to Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee vandalized the office of chief of the transport office Krishna Aryal protesting the decision yesterday.

The Bindabasini Transport Entrepreneurs Committee was registered for operating city buses on October 20, 2012. However, it could not bring its buses into operation due to protest by the existing transport committee.

Meanwhile, chairman of Bindabasini Transport Entrepreneurs Committee Sam Bahadur Gurung said that it was unfair to impose syndicate system in the transport sector. “It’s a free market and everyone has the right to operate vehicles anywhere in the country,” he added. He further said that the Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee was not following a scientific fare system and the buses operated by the committee were not environment-friendly.

Similarly, secretary of Pokhara Bus Entrepreneurs Committee Amrit Sharma said the committee has not obstructed movement of emergency and private vehicles.

He said transport entrepreneurs, transport management office and the administration should hold talks to determine the number of vehicles which can be added keeping in view passenger flow and capacity of roads.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Kaski Chief District Officer Hari Prasad Mainali, security agencies and representatives of the transport committees decided not to allow the new buses to operate for a week. Mainali said the dispute would be resolved within a week.