Apropos of the news story “Fake student IDs being scanned” (THT, Aug. 16, Page 2), Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act, 1993 clearly mentions that no person can work as a conductor in any public vehicle without obtaining such a license. Furthermore, the Act clarifies that no owner and manager of the vehicles are allowed to engage any person below 18 years of age and has no basic skill of reading and writing along with proper physical fitness. In addition, The Child Labour Act, 1992 prohibits employing an underage child in any kind of labour. How many conductors have obtained the conductor’s license? None of the public transport operators has followed this rule. Despite the legal provisions, under-aged boys are seen working as conductors in minibuses, microbuses and tempos.

According to the data, there are more than 400 under-aged boys working as conductors in the Valley alone and more than 7000 others in the transportation sector throughout the country. Most of them are illiterate, do not have physical fitness and lack social etiquette. The involvement of under-aged boys in public transport has been a common problem and they are always in a vulnerable situation. The transport entrepreneurs should hire qualified persons who can deal with the passengers properly and the government should also enforce the law which aims to control child labour. It is high time the government, transport entrepreneurs, stakeholders and commuters played their part honestly to manage the public transport system. Everybody should understand the fact that the legal provisions alone cannot serve the very purpose if the provisions are not honestly implemented. Furthermore, the reasonable remuneration for conductors, standard fare system and proper management of the public vehicles are necessary to curb the fake student IDs and to manage public motor vehicles effectively.

Som Nath Ghimire, Kawasoti

Exhibition

It is really good news that global Exposition and Management Services Pvt Ltd is organising the 19th Nepal International Book Fair 2015 from August 21 for nine days at Bhrikuti Mandap Exhibition Hall, Kathmandu. A press statement issued on August 14 said that reading has always been an integral part of human civilization. There will be  125 stalls set up by 55 national and 20 international publishers. Such an exhibition is sure to promote book-reading culture mainly among the Nepalese. What can be said for certain is that the exhibition is going to attract a huge number of visitors and most of them will be no other than the Nepalese. Let us hope this exhibition will be a success in a real sense. Book-reading culture has been steadily growing in urban areas due to easy availability of books online.

Pratik Shrestha, Kathmandu