A month ago, the decision to hand over the buses to the Civil Aviation Authority was made through a secretary-level decision of the Ministry of Tourism, and these buses are being sent to Pokhara, Surkhet, Dhangadhi, and Nepalgunj.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Preparations are underway to take the electric buses that have been stranded in Lumbini for five years and operate them at Pokhara, Surkhet, Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi airports.
A month ago, the decision to hand them over to the Civil Aviation Authority was made by the Secretary-level decision of the Ministry of Tourism, and these buses are being sent to Pokhara, Surkhet, Dhangadhi and Nepalgunj.
These buses were brought for tourists visiting Lumbini via Gautam Buddha International Airport. However, the buses were stranded in Ghampani after the operation process became complicated. Based on the decision taken by the ministry a month ago, the Lumbini Development Fund has now sent these buses to Gautam Buddha International Airport.
The buses brought for Lumbini are being sent outside the district without operating them at Gautam Buddha Airport. Gautam Buddha Airport Acting General Manager Shyam Kishore Sah informed that it has been decided to operate two of the five buses to Pokhara, Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj and Surkhet, one each.
Earlier, a demand was made to bring them to Gautam Buddha Airport and allow them to operate as shuttle buses. However, the demand was ignored and the buses were sent elsewhere. 'We are demanding that at least two buses be given to Bhairahawa,' he said, 'We have given the opinion that the buses brought here would be suitable for use in Bhairahawa.'
Five electric buses and 14 vans were brought to Lumbini 5 years ago to make Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, pollution-free. The 5 state-of-the-art buses and 14 vans received under the grant of the Asian Development Bank have been left stranded due to lack of proper procedures and maintenance. Initially, these buses were to be sent to Kathmandu. Following the instructions of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Lumbini Development Fund has operated two buses for two days and handed them over to the airport.
As these vehicles worth 130 million rupees have been left in the sun and rain for a long time, most of their ACs and other parts have been damaged. According to the fund, it is estimated that it will cost about 10 million rupees for repairs alone. The buses have now been brought to Gautam Buddha International Airport. The ACs of all the buses are damaged. Half of the vans have been damaged and are being stored in the garage. Half of the vans are used by the Development Fund officials and employees. Due to this, there is criticism that they are being misused.
