All is not well with Nepal’s transportation sector. The government, transport entrepreneurs and their employees are responsible for the mess seen in the country’s transportation sector. Although the transport entrepreneurs have been providing services to the needy commuters by operating buses, trucks and other vehicles across the country, they have, however, prevented healthy growth of the transportation sector by not allowing new comers to operate similar services. They also resort to illegal practices and often tend not to abide by the rules. A news report the other day had it that the local bus entrepreneurs in Rasuwa district were not allowing the tourist buses to move ahead from Ghattrekhola-Timbure section of the road and forcing the tourists to ride their buses which are not comfortable. Mostly, Chinese tourists who enter Nepal through Rasuwa Gadhi travel via this route, but the local bus entrepreneurs do not allow the tourist buses to carry them. Due to this illegal syndicate system being practised by the transport entrepreneurs in Rasuwa, the tourists must undergo an ordeal, sending a negative message about Nepal’s transportation facilities to the tourists wishing to visit Nepal. The Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), the umbrella organisation of tour operators, has expressed serious concern over the syndicate practice of the transportation entrepreneurs in the district and demanded an immediate end to the illegal practice.
Indeed, the illegal syndicate system in the transportation sector has been in practice not only in Rasuwa but also across the country. As a result, regular commuters as well as tourists have to face difficulties while travelling to their destinations. The pilgrims to Muktinath and other religious sites also suffer from the syndicate system as the local transport entrepreneurs do not allow the entry of vehicles reserved by the pilgrims and other visitors to the area. Moreover, the tendency of discouraging the entry of new entrepreneurs who want to operate comfortable transportation services prevails all over the country. Though, according to the law of the land, syndicates of any sort are illegal, the government has been unable to fully implement this. Consequently, we often get to hear or read about the inconveniences caused by this illegal practice to the commuters. It is indeed intriguing as to why the government in Nepal has never been able to stop the transport entrepreneurs from violating the laws and traffic rules. The recent case in which the transport entrepreneurs organised a chakkajam across the nation to oppose the reform measures introduced by the traffic police with the good intention of controlling road accidents is a testimony to this. Everyone should follow the rules, and the government should be strong enough to punish anyone who violates them on a regular basis. If the government takes strong action against the transport entrepreneurs who disobey the law and traffic rules, the mess prevalent in the country’s transportation sector will surely be brought under control. However, the people and the political parties should cooperate with the government in cracking down on the law violators.
(Source: The Rising Nepal) To See the Press Release from NATTA : Click Here