Kathmandu, April 8
In its bid to improve the situation of public transport in the capital, the local government of Kathmandu city has introduced a new law.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City council endorsed the Vehicle and Transport Management Bill on Sunday. The municipal government’s information officer Basanta Acharya says the new law will come into effect within next 15 days.
According to the new law, those claiming discounts by showing fake identity cards of students, disabled or senior citizens will have to pay a fine of Rs 500.
The same provision will be applied to those who show genuine but expired cards.
Likewise, those littering the public buses will have to pay Rs 1,000.
The law restricts passengers from throwing litter outside on the streets from the vehicles or inside the vehicles. Similarly, they also cannot scribble on the seat covers.
The law includes provisions on rights and responsibilities of transport entrepreneurs, workers including drivers and conductors, and passengers. It also tries to address cases of sexual abuse, robbery and vandalism inside public vehicles.
The local government says it will establish a monitoring committee to ensure that the law gets implemented effectively. Representatives of stakeholders including traffic police, transport entrepreneurs and consumer rights activists will be members of the committee.
