Electric buses and vans brought to the world heritage site Lumbini to facilitate tourists have got green number plates after almost 5 years.

About 16 months after entering Nepal, the buses and vans that got government number plates (white) got green number plates for tourists after five years. 

Buses and vans could not get green number plates due to policy ambiguity and insufficient laws between the federal government, the state government and the Office of Transport Management. After the students of Lumbini Buddhist University filed a writ in the court, it became possible to attach green number plates. 

Lumbini Buddhist University City Campus Butwal BA LLB students Roshan Ghimire, Simana Thapa Chhetri, Naveen Khanal, Praveen Tiwari and Kuldeep Tiwari filed a writ petition in the High Court Tulsipur Butwal bench last October, demanding a proper order including permission. 

Butwal Bench of Tulsipur High Court had issued a mandate to operate the electric vehicles under the Lumbini Development Fund by changing them to green number plates. The joint bench of Justices Rajeshwar Tiwari and Punyashila Dawadi Ghimire had issued an order on March 11 to convert the vehicles into green number plates and operate them for tourism purposes. 

19 electric vehicles, including 5 buses and 14 vans handed over for tourism purposes, were changed from white plates to green ones and the High Court set a one-month time limit to operate them as intended. Last week, three months after the issuance of the mandate, the Transport Management Office, Butwal, gave the number of green plates. Still not all those vehicles have got green plates. One bus and two vans have not got green plates. Two vans have met with an accident and are being repaired in Butwal. The front glass of one bus is broken.