KATHMANDU, AUG 12 -
The agitating transport entrepreneurs and the government reached a 14-point agreement on Saturday night ending a two-day nationwide public transport strike.
The third round of talks held at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management (MoPPW) reached a deal on 14 demands raised by transport entrepreneurs except one calling for the recognition of transport industry in the new constitution. Both sides have agreed to form a taskforce to settle the authority delegated to the traffic police and come up with a report within 15 days.
“We have formed a taskforce to devise a framework on the authority of the traffic police and fines to be set for the motorists who violate traffic rules,” said Tulsi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at the MoPPW.
The transporters had demanded the government revoke the authority given to the traffic police to fine the motorists and claim 15 percent of the amounts charged as incentives. The government had earlier decided that the traffic police could slap fines ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 to drivers violating rules and claim 15 percent of the fines as a reward. Following the Saturday’s agreement, traffic police will not be entitled to such incentives.
“We have withdrawn our strike after the government agreed to address most of our demands,” said Ajay Kumar Rai, chairperson of Nepal Yatayat Workers’ Association. “We hope that this deal will put an end to the hassles faced by the transporters from the traffic police.”
The government has agreed to form a new ministry to look after the transport sector within a month and committed to unveiling a policy for providing social security to transport labourers. The agitators agreed to drop one of their demands that stressed the new constitution safeguard the rights of public transporters. Director General of the Department of Transport Mana-gement, Chandra Man Dangol, said they convinced transport entrepreneurs that bureaucrats cannot commit to addressing their demand relating to the new constitution, which is yet to be drafted.
Earlier, four unions related to transport entrepreneurs had warned to call a nationwide strike indefinitely from Sunday. Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs, All Nepal Transport Workers’ Association, Nepal Yatayat Workers Association and Nepal Yatayat Independent Workers’ Association were on strike from Friday.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/08/12/top-story/public-transportation-resumes/358615/
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