Kathmandu, August 10

At least 33 persons were feared dead after a long route bus heading towards Kathmandu from Sarlahi met with an accident in the wee hours yesterday.

Traffic police said the main reason behind the accident was the bus driver’s fatigue. He had been driving for several hours without a break.

According to traffic police, among the many reasons for increasing road accidents, compulsion to drive vehicles for several hours on long-routes without a break is the major factor.

Keeping in mind the increasing cases of road accidents on long-routes, the government had made it mandatory for all buses plying on routes longer than 250 kilometres to have two drivers, in accordance with the Vehicle and Transport Management Act-1993. However, the concerned authorities have done precious little to implement the rule.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, in its maiden action on February, had taken action against 45 public vehicles plying long routes for flouting the rule of keeping two drivers.

Since then traffic police have hardly taken action against bus owners who violate the rule.

This shows that neither the monitoring body nor the bus drivers and bus owners are serious about following the rule.

Senior Superintendent of Police Basanta Kumar Pant at MTPD said that to enforce the rule the government should increase the fine slapped on vehicles owners who do not comply.

At present, traffic police can only charge Rs 1,000 for violating the rule, which has no substantial impact on rule violators.

“We must introduce harsher punishment if we are to implement the rule for two drivers in long-route buses effectively,” SSP Panta said.

He, however, said action against erring bus owners alone would not help control road accidents completely as there were various other reasons for increasing road accidents.

Highway Security and Traffic Directorate of Nepal had decided to monitor long-route public vehicles through a mobile application some six months ago, but it has not come into operation yet.

Vehicle and Transport Management Act has a provision that the Department of Transport Management can appoint transport inspectors to check irregularities in public transportation.

However, even after decades, the Department of Transport Management has not been able to appoint any transport inspector.

Director General of the Department of Transport Management Kumar Prasad Dahal also acknowledged that they failed to appoint transport inspectors and enforce the rule. He also stressed that the private sector should take responsibility and abide by the rule.

General Secretary at Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs Saroj Sitaula said lack of experienced drivers in the country had made it difficult for them to hire two drivers in long route buses.

“Youths do not want to work inside the country these days as they are attracted towards foreign employment.

Many transport entrepreneurs are compelled to keep their vehicles in the garage for want of drivers.”

He also said that the government’s inability to issue driving licence even years after passing licence test and trial is one of the key reasons for shortage of drivers in the country.

Sitaula added that they would abide by the rules if the government provided them enough drivers.