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Permit be hanged, we carry on!
KATHMANDU, SEP 05 -
Not many of us know that drivers’ assistants in the public transport sector also need licences. Part V of the Vehicle and Transportation Act 2049 (BS) provisions for a “conductor’s licence” but the clause has, like many others, not been implemented.
Transport entrepreneurs, who are directly concerned with the provision, say they are aware of the legal requirement but blame the government for not enforcing it. They say the Act is obsolete and needs amendment.
“It’s not our job to enforce the licensing provision. If the government is indifferent, why should we bother?” said Dinesh Bhandari, President of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs’ National Federation.
Article 63 of the Act says no one can be a conductor in a public transport vehicle without having a license. Article 64 says that no vehicle owner or manager can authorise anyone without a conductor’s licence to do the job.
According to Article 65, a person who is under 18 years of age, who cannot read or write and who cannot present a certificate of being healthy is not eligible for the licence. Many conductors in public transport vehicles are rank children. Most of them cannot read and write, or differentiate a valid student ID from an invalid one. A few can compute only because they have experience.
The Act authorises charging between Rs. 200 and Rs. 1,000 for breaching provisions. However, the provision is limited to the law book. The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) under the Ministry of Labour and Transport has not paid attention to its implementation, let alone monitor it.
“It’s our fault that the provision has not been implemented,” admitted Anil Kumar Gurung, DoTM Director. “Lack of manpower and guidelines to implement the Articles concerning conductors’ licences are the main reasons for the failure.”
“We have drafted an amendment proposal to the Act, which is yet to be presented to the government for approval,” said Khagendra Prasad Nepal, member of the special committee formed to manage the sector.
Posted on: 2010-09-06 07:36
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