The controversy over the operation of electric buses and vans purchased under grant aid for tourist facilities continues. These vehicles have not been able to operate smoothly since they were brought into the country. They have become stranded due to laws/rules that have become obstacles to regular vehicle operation.

The Lumbini Development Fund has tried to operate them, but has not succeeded. As a result, the buses have been stranded in the sun for twelve months. Lumbini Development Fund employees are riding in electric vans.
No one has taken the initiative to remove the legal obstacles to operating buses in and around Lumbini. As a result, vehicles worth crores are in a state of waste.

During the 2079 parliamentary elections, the then Home Minister Balkrishna Khand had brought the buses into operation for some time. The bus service was started by organizing a program at the Lumbini Development Fund premises. After the elections, the bus service was also stopped. After that, the fund tried to change the government number plate and run the bus, but the concerned body did not give a solution . 

During this period, problems including legal provisions that do not allow taxis (vans) and buses with government number plates to be rented and legal complications that have arisen to change the government number plate to green for tourists to ride have been causing problems in operating these vehicles . 

14 state-of-the-art electric taxis (vans) and 5 buses were brought to Lumbini under the Clean Energy Project with the grant assistance of the Asian Development Bank in 2077 Mangsir/Push for tourists coming to Lumbini. The total investment in the vehicles is equivalent to 130 million rupees . The government had paid 35 million rupees in customs duty for the import of the vehicles .

These vehicles received government number plates only 16 months after entering Lumbini . Also, the name was transferred to the Ministry of Tourism . As it took time for a technician from the capital to come and inspect the vehicle, the number plates could not be obtained immediately . After receiving the number plates, the ministry handed over the vehicle to the trust. However, it was not used for tourists, saying that vehicles with government number plates cannot be used for other purposes other than government work. The trust claims that there is a problem in operating government vehicles with white number plates for tourists as there is no provision in the law to change the number plates to green or any other number plates. After a long delay, four students studying law at the City Campus of Lumbini Buddhist University in Butwal filed a writ petition in the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court. After that, the number plates of buses and vans were made green in 082 Baisakh on the order of the court. Even after changing the number plates to green for tourists, the trust is not in a position to operate buses and vans. The trust is facing problems because the trust does not have a procedure for operating buses and vans, said Rajan Basnet, information officer of the Lumbini Development Trust. ‘There are legal complications even when allowing the private sector to operate,’ he said, ‘the fund itself does not have the manpower to operate it.’

The fund does not have drivers and co-drivers to operate large buses and vans. He said that due to the poor financial condition of the fund, it is having trouble paying salaries to those currently working. ‘There is no way to add employees,’ he said, ‘There is a problem because there is no basis for how many years and how much rent to allow people to operate buses and vans.’ According to the fund, the fare rate for petrol-powered vehicles has been fixed in Nepal so far. However, he said that the problem is that the fare rate for electric vehicles has not been fixed.

‘Vehicle misuse’

Vehicles brought for tourism services with grant aid have been damaged after being left idle for a long time. The windows and doors of the vehicles are broken. Three out of the five buses in the fund are not in a condition to be operated. The buses have been damaged due to reckless driving. During the 2079 elections, the bus was operated for two to four months for the general public. After that, the fund also operated the bus for some time, calling it a Dhamma Yatra. However, the fund stated that it was closed after problems arose due to non-payment of fares.

Bus driver Surendra Yadav said that private buses are also facing problems due to protests from time to time. The large windows of the front and windows of the buses have been broken. They have been crushed and scratched in places. The batteries have run down. There is a problem of not getting bus parts. There is also a problem due to the lack of good repair centers in Butwal and Bhairahawa. Vans have also been hit by reckless driving. Two vans have been in an accident and are unable to move. The front windows of the vans have been broken. The ‘body’ of some vans has been crushed. The tires are damaged.
Most of the vehicles have reached a standstill. Despite the delay in providing services to tourists, the fund's employees and officials are enjoying the convenience of driving vans at will. The fund's officials and employees are misusing the vehicles with green number plates that carry tourists to travel with family members and relatives.

Lumbini Hotel Association President Lilamani Poudel said that it is incompetent for the fund's employees to sometimes say something and sometimes not to drive buses and vans. 'It is clear from the misuse of these vehicles how friendly the development fund is to tourism,' he said, 'It is a sad thing for Lumbini that the buses are now in a state of breakdown and cannot run.'

Buses and vans were provided to revive the tourism sector that was devastated after the 2072 BS earthquake and to provide facilities to tourists after the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa was operational.'

Prime Minister's Office's 'interest'

Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism took a high-level decision to send 5 electric buses under the Lumbini Development Fund to the Civil Aviation Authority. After receiving information that such a process had begun, locals protested. Arjun Kurmi and Sakil Ahmed Khale of Lumbini Cultural Municipality submitted a memorandum to member secretary Deepak Shrestha on Monday. They urged the bus vans to be operated in Lumbini and warned against playing with the feelings of Lumbini residents.

Since the fund cannot operate itself and there is a risk of damage if it is stored in Lumbini, it was going to be sent to Kathmandu as per the ministry's decision. Currently, these buses are stored at the charging station in front of the north gate number two of the Lumbini Development Fund. After there was talk of sending the vehicles to Kathmandu, an officer from the Prime Minister's Office called last Monday and expressed interest.
The process of sending the bus was stopped after he instructed to make arrangements to operate the vehicle in Lumbini, said the member secretary of the fund Shrestha. Member secretary Shrestha said that the procedure will be made soon and the bus-van will be operated. He said that the decision to send the vehicle to Kathmandu was made as the vehicles of the Civil Aviation Authority were damaged during the Genji movement.

The bus was taken directly from the Bhairahawa customs office to Kathmandu and operated. The bus service operated under Sajha Yatayat was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The bus was sent back to Lumbini after local stakeholders expressed strong opposition. Locals say that such work will not be realized as the Lumbini Development Fund is a political arena. They say that since the fund has officials appointed by various parties, they have tried to use it according to their own interests.

Lumbini leader Arjun Kurmi said that the development work has not gained momentum when the government appoints vice-chairman, member secretary, treasurer and project manager to the Lumbini Development Fund on a party basis. ‘There is a problem in recruiting workers rather than capable people,’ he said, ‘Lumbini is in chaos due to the tug-of-war between office bearers.’ He said that taxis (vans) and buses were not operating due to the negligence of the fund officials.