In protest against the new regulation that was introduced to give legal recognition to ride-sharing in Gandaki province, the transport businessmen have stopped the operation of public vehicles in Gandaki since Friday.
Under the 'Public Transport Save Sangharsh Committee', the businessmen and laborers have put forward three major demands and expressed their displeasure with the action of the state government. In their demand, it is stated that the recently published regulation on ride sharing should be completely abolished, there should be clear and concrete guidelines in the policy on public transport operations and the vehicle import process, and a contribution-based social security fund should be implemented compulsorily for those working in the transport sector.
According to Kedar Prasad Poudel, the coordinator of the National Federation of Nepal Transport Professionals, Gandaki, the service has been stopped in Gandaki since May 16, while preparations have been made to stop it nationwide from May 19.
The Government of Gandaki Province published the 'Ride Sharing (Regulation and Management) Regulations 2082' through the Provincial Gazette on 1st May. After that, the businessmen submitted a memorandum to the government demanding the cancellation of the regulation and gave an ultimatum of one week on May 8. Due to the impact of the
movement, short and long distance buses, taxis and public transport services have been stopped in Gandaki since Friday morning.
According to Shobhakant Paudel, a member of the Secretariat of the Public Transport Rescue Struggle Committee, about 16,000 public vehicles of Gandaki have been parked in garages and houses, and the businessmen have embarked on a street protest.
The state government has formed a negotiation committee to address the concerns and dissatisfaction of businessmen. The committee formed under the coordination of Kamal Kumar Adhikari, Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, had called the businessmen for a dialogue from 13th May. However, the Sangharsh Committee has not yet participated in the negotiation process. Due to the
movement, the people of Gandaki province are forced to face problems in their daily life due to lack of transport services. The protestors have indicated that the service will be disrupted until an agreement is reached between the government and businessmen.
