Passenger bus operators are reported to be charging exorbitant fares on passengers heading to their destinations outside of the Kathmandu Valley with the start of the festive season. “We have tried to get fuel at various places but failed, our monitoring task has been affected after 15 liters of oil that we brought in a time span of seven days ran out,” said Department’s Spokesperson Basanta Adhikary. A complaint has already been filed stating that the TATA Sumo vehicles that ply the Balku-Hetauda route are charging three-fold the usual amount.
The Transportation Department has sent a letter to the Chief District Officer of Makawanpur to monitor such vehicles that arrive in the district. The vehicles during inspection by the department were found to be using the reserved tag to avoid action. Spokesperson Adhikary said that during inspection the passengers have also been saying that the vehicles are reserved which is attributable to their compulsion to reach their destinations. He added that if the passengers file complaint after the festive season is over, the government will initiate action. The traffic police has arranged for a call center where passengers can call 103 and file complaint. The vehicles falling under the radar of complaint will be stripped off their ‘blue book’ and subjected to further action. The Department has appealed to the passengers to file complaints at 12 Civilian Assistance Booths set up at various locations around the valley if the vehicles are charging excessive fares. The number of passengers heading outside of the valley has also declined this festive season due to the continuing shortage of fuel products, said Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD). “Between mid September to mid October, more than 1.5 million passengers left the valley traveling on 132,951 vehicles. While the total number of vehicles entering the valley counted at 132,266 ferrying more than 1.3 million passengers”, said MTPD Spokesperson Rajendra Prasad Bhatta. RSS
