Kathmandu, November 12
A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the electric vehicle (EV) accident in Chisapani Gadhi, Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-6, Makwanpur, which killed 14 people and injured six others.
According to Makwanpur Chief District Officer Basanta Adhikari, the committee has been formed under the coordination of Assistant Chief District Officer Shesh Kanta Poudel.
The committee has been given one week to investigate the cause of the accident and submit its report.
The committee includes Ramesh Bista, an inspector at the District Traffic Police Office, Makwanpur; Police Inspector Umashankar Prasad; an engineer from the provincial Infrastructure Development Office; and a law officer from the Bagmati Province Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law.
The investigation will examine whether the vehicle was carrying passengers beyond its permitted capacity, its route permit, the driver’s condition and the physical condition of the road.
It will also recommend measures that relevant authorities should adopt to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Adhikari said three major accidents had occurred along the Bhimphedi-Deurali road section in the past 13 months, highlighting the need for immediate improvements in road safety.
He also noted that the implementation of a time card system for vehicles alone was not sufficient to prevent accidents.
The accident occurred at around 5:45 am on Thursday when an EV bearing registration number Madhesh Province 03-001 Ja 0880, travelling from Kathmandu to Sarlahi, plunged approximately 500 metres off the road near Chisapani Gadhi.
Police said 14 people were killed and six others injured in the accident.
Preliminary accounts from injured passengers suggested that the driver had been operating the vehicle after collecting passengers from around 2 am, following a previous journey from Sarlahi to Kathmandu. The driver’s fatigue and lack of sleep have also emerged as concerns.
The accident has raised questions about driver rest, passenger record-keeping, police checkpoint monitoring and the enforcement of existing transport safety regulations.
