Transporters threaten to halt public transport

Transport entrepreneurs and workers have threatened to halt public transport across the country from Friday. They urged the government to fulfill their demands by Thursday or face nationwide protests in a programme held at Reporters’ Club today.

“We have taken this decision as the government has ignored our demands,” said president of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs National Federation Yogendra Nath Karmacharya

According to him, transport entrepreneurs and workers have decided to take this drastic step because the government has ignored their requests from time to time. “We had submitted our demands to the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, and Department of Transport Management on a number of occasions but our demands were not fulfilled,” he said, “We only got assurance in words.”

Four major associations — Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs National Federation, All Nepal Transport Workers’ Association, Nepal Transport Workers’ Association and Free Nepal Transport Workers’ Organisation — have united for the protests. The struggle has moral support from Nepal Truck Tanker Entrepreneurs Association too.

The transporters have submitted a memorandum to caretaker prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai too. “It’s just a memorandum we submitted to the prime minister. Our demands have already been submitted to the department and ministries,” said coordinator of the struggle committee Vijaya Bahadur Swar.

Transporters and workers have demanded the government to declare roads as a peace zone and ensure the safety of vehicles and workers during strikes and bandhs. “The roads have become insecure. We want the government to provide us security,” said Karmacharya.

According to him, their major demands are the establishment of a separate ministry for transport, and recognition of the transport sector as an industry. They have also asked the government to withdraw the rights that were handed over to traffic police from the transport department. “The traffic police are denying transporters their rights,” he said.

The government delegated the rights to check vehicle tax and other charges to the traffic police in February this year. Similarly, the government has also decided to provide incentives from the fines collected to the traffic police.

Transport workers are not included in social security benefit, so we are also fighting for it, said president of Free Nepal Transport Workers’ Organisation Rajeev Ghimire.

He also demanded a separate insurance scheme for transport workers. The government has an insurance scheme of Rs 50,000 for passengers, drivers, and helpers, but third-party insurance is about Rs 500,000. It is not justifiable, he added.

Government plans smart cards for transport sector

The government is planning to introduce the smart card for driving licences and bill books from the current fiscal year. Initially, the concept was brought two years ago.
“Department of Transport Management is calling for a global tender for the smart card soon,” said director general at the department Chandraman Shrestha. Smart cards can be effective in controlling the use of fake driving licences and bill books.
“We have restarted the process following a directive from the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management,” he said, adding that the ministry has decided to reintroduce smart cards to reform the transport sector. The tender process will start in three months and within the current fiscal year, it will come into practice. 

Earlier, in 2010, minister for Labour and Transport Management Mohamed Aftab Alam had tried to introduce smart cards for licences and bill books. However, the process could not take off after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority suspected irregularities in the process.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing financial support for the smart card project.

Similarly, the department is also planning to introduce embossed number plates for vehicles to control criminal activities. Nearly 1.4 million vehicles are registered in the country including more than 850,000 motorcycles.

Similarly, the department has completed creating digital record of driving licences and bill books in all its 14 zonal offices, though it was started around a decade back

Workers demand equal rise in salary

Splinter trade union of UCPN-Maoist has demanded a minimum salary of Rs 12,400 to make it equal to that of civil servants.
The government has in the budget for the current fiscal year increased the lary of civil servants -- on July 15 -- by 21.95 per cent.
Secretary of the UCPN-Maoist and coordinator of ANTUF Posta Bahadur Bogati demanded to increase monthly salary to Rs 12,400 and daily wage to Rs 650. "Minimum wage must be increased to Rs 12,400 to make the salary equal to the civil servant according to the new rise they got in the current fiscal year's budget," he said.
Though, Jamma Kattel led ANTUF, along with GEFONT and NTUC, is still in favour of March 24 agreement but the splinter trade unions of UCPN-Maoist added further demands in minimum wage after the salary hike of civil servants in budget 2011-12.
All Nepal Security Workers Association has also joined the bandwagon in agitation from Tuesday demanding implementation of minimum wage according to April 16.
Nearly a dozen trade unions are in agitation since July 21 and others are following to pressure the government and employers for their salary hike.
Ten trade unions, signatory of April 16 agreement with Ministry of Labour and Transport Management, have urged the government to implement agreement in words. The ministry had agreed to hike monthly salary to Rs 6,200 and daily wage to Rs 231 following two-week long strike in Sunsari-Morang and Hetauda-Birgunj industrial corridors.
It had also published the hike in the gazette but the empoyers moved to the Court for the stay order and the Court also issued stay order agains the Gazette that was published unilaterally by the government bypassing the committee under the Labour Ministry, that can only decide on the salary hike.
Two fractions of CPN-Maoist affiliated trade union, All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), and small trade unions close to Madhesi political parties were in April 16 agreement while ANTUF led by Shalikram Jamma Kattel along with the CPN-UML and Nepal Congress affiliated trade unions had already signed an agreement with employers on March 24.
Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) and ANTUF had agreed to hike workers salary to Rs 6,100 and daily wage Rs 226 in negotiation with employers– Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Confederation of Nepalese Industries –on March 24. The agreement has introduced social security provision for workers for the first time. However, the government endorsed April l6 agreement in national gazette on May 23 hiking the salary by Rs 100. The employers and three major trade unions, those hold over 80 per cent industrial sector workers are against the government's unilateral decision of April 16.
FNCCI had filed a case against the government decision in minimum wage and got stay order from Supreme Court on June 3. Meanwhile, Independent Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union filed counter petition on July 14 seeking reversal of the stay order and order to implement minimum wage published in national Gazette. “We are stick to April 16 agreement and it should be implemented in words,” said Badri Bajagai, coordinator of a fraction of ANTUF.
According to him, they will go on indefinite strike from July 31, if employers do not obey the national Gazette.

Sajha Yatayat plans flag carrier to neighbouring countries

Sajha Yatayat -- once very popular means of transportation in the country is planning to operate land transport flag carrier service -- to neighbouring countries -- apart from operating urban transport service in Kathmandu Valley and inter-district transport service.
"We have three-point goal," said newly elected chairman of Sajha Yatayat Cooperatives after assuming his charge here today.
"We will work on the goals phase-wise," he said, adding that it will now seek a good management team first.
Sajha Yatayat -- a 50-year old organisation that started mass transport service in Nepal -- failed to retain its past glory post 1990 movement and the private sector started coming aggressively in mass transportation sector.
The extraordinary general meeting of Sajha Yatayat Transport cooperative unanimously elected its new board today. Journalist Kanak Mani Dixit has been elected as chairman in the newly elected board that has former registrars of the Cooperatives Department Shanker Raj Joshi and Binod Kumar Adhikary, banker Bandhana Thapa and environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar.
The annual general meeting two months ago decided to take the organisation away from government control and revive it as a genuine cooperative by directly electing board members.
The other members of the board are DG of Department of Transport Krishna Prasad Dawadi and Registrar of the Cooperatives Department Sudarshan Raj Dhakal.
"The government has taken an extraordinary step in helping Sajha Yatayat evolve as a cooperative," said immediate past chairman and secretary at Labour and Transport Ministry Dinesh Hari Adhikary handing over the charge to the new board. He also hoped that the new board will work effectively to provide the public with efficient, secure and economical public transport service.
Ending almost fifty years of government control Sajha Yatayat has been transformed into a fully cooperative model with directly elected board directors from today.
It has been dysfunctional for the last four years due to political bickering by successive governments and mismanagement.
Registered under the Cooperative Act, Sajha Yatayat was controlled by the government majority, though it has a total of 233 members.
"It needs to procure at least 20 new buses in the first phase, and gradually expand its fleet to lessen the private sector monopoly in the public transport sector," according to Sajha Yatayat.
Earlier, it used to operate a total of 182 buses on different routes in the country but it has only eight buses at present.
Sajha Yatayat had twice tried to operate on Kathmandu-Lhasa route too but it could not continue its service for long.

Travelling a costly affair

Travelling, be it surface or air, is going to be a costly affair.
No sooner the government hiked the public transport fare by nine per cent, the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has also urged the government to hike airfare.
Though the transport entrepreneurs have been lobbying hard for the transport fare hike by 15 per cent, Minister for Labour and Transport Management Mohamed Aftab Alam approved the nine per cent hike today.
However, the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE) that has been lobbying for at least 15 per cent fare hike, has not officially accepted the new rate, though ministry claims of scientific method for fare hike.
"We have applied scientific method to hike transport fare," Alam said, adding that all the factors associated with transportation are given reasonable weight in setting the new fare. The government has set eight parameters including fuel, spare parts and tax in calculating the new fare.
According to the new rate, people traveling in public vehicles have to pay at least Rs 10.90.Earlier on April 5, 2010, the government had fixed minimum of Rs 10 as the public transport fare but the public transport used to collect up to Rs 12 as minimum fare, which is expected to be further increased by the transporters after today's decision.
However, Alam said that the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) will monitor the fare from tomorrow and the public transportation means not abiding by the rule will be punished on spot.
Meanwhile, the consumer groups termed the fare hike -- that is in favour of the transporters -- anti-public. "It will increase burden to people already suffering from price hike of consumer goods due to high transportation cost," said Jajannath Mishra, secretary of Consumer Rights Protection Forum (CRPF).
The hike in transportation fare will also fuel the market prices of the goods and services, despite government's target of containing the inflation at seven per cent.
Similarly, the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has also today urged the government to revise the airfare upward. "The airfare used to be revised in every two years, has not been revised for last five years," Sri Kanta Baral, scretary of AOAN said, adding that the Air Turbine Fuel (ATF), insurance, lease tax, VAT, renewal fee have been increased in the last five year, except the airfare.
On Februay 13, it will be five years that the airlines operators havenot revised their fare. The government has also agreed and formed a committee to revise the airfare on November 3, 2010, according to the AOAN.
The committee has submitted the report to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation one month ago, suggesting the the government to revise the airfare upward soon.

Girl child labourers outnumber boys

According to a report, one million fewer children are working in Nepal than a decade ago.

However, the number of girl child labourers are working in dangerous conditions than boys, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report that has documented the country’s sizeable population of child labourers. The report is going to be released soon.

Nearly 24 per cent of girls nationwide (around 911,000), compared to 17.5 per cent of boys (around 688,000), perform work that qualifies them as labourers, according to the report. "Girls are 50 per cent more likely to be involved in hazardous work -- 373,000 girls, compared to 248,000 boys -- exposing them to 'significant' physical and psychological dangers."

The traditional attitudes favour educating boys as they are seen as a family’s future breadwinners and taken more care than the boys.

The ILO estimates that there are 7.7 million children aged 5-17 in Nepal. The decade-long insurgancy forced rural families to send their children to the safety of urban areas where they subsequently worked to support themselves and in many cases to their families.

Some 1.6 million of them perform work that qualifies them as child labourers by international legal standards - one million fewer than in 1999.

While girls bear the brunt of labour, there has been a marked decline in 'kamlari' that is outlawed in 2006, where parents send their girl child -- especially in the Tharu community -- as indentured workers to pay off a family debt.

Rights groups have tried to discourage the practice by giving poor families grants, and the government has pledged financial assistance.

"Aggravating the problem is the fact that most children do not receive an education beyond primary school, and lax law enforcement allows factories to employ many of them despite a national ban," the ILO said, adding that, however, the Labour Act prohibits the use of children below 16 years in hazardous activities.

According to another report of Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), there are around 2.6 million child workers in Nepal involved in various activities.

Of them, about 56,000 children are believed to working as domestic helpers. The report shows that about 46,000 children are working as porters, 40,000 bonded labourers, 59,000 working in brick kilns, 72,000 in tea shops, 15,000 in mechanical areas, 2,200 in transportation sector, more than 4,000 are rag pickers. Similalry, of the total rag pickers, 88 per cent are boys.

Child workers are vulnerable to internal and cross-border trafficking too.

The conflict coupled with various domestic problems like large family social disintegration force children to flee home and work under exploitative conditions.

NOC slashes diesel, kerosene prices, ATF prices

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Tuesday reduced diesel and kerosene prices by Rs 2.50 to Rs 50 per litre. There has been a revision of Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices as well. The international airlines will now have to pay $750 per kilolitre. While, domestic airlines have to pay Rs 70 per litre.The price of cooking gas has not been reduced because the NOC continues to incur a loss of Rs 28 per cylinder. The company has also managed to reduce its liabilities to Rs 13.5 billion.


Fuel price cut brings no joy for consumers
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has today reduced the price of petroleum products for the fifth time since October 2008.
However, the price reduction in petroleum prices could be benefit for the passengers as the transport entrepreneurs syndicate has not reduced transportation fare. “The transport entrepreneurs are literally ‘looting’ the people,” said Suman Neupane, a student from Nawalparasi, who travels by public transportation means.
Not only the passengers, the common people is also forced to pay higher price for commodities due to high transportation cost. According to Nepal Rastra Bank’s seven months data, the inflation stands at 14.4 per cent, over double than the target of seven per cent.
The transport entrepreneurs are, however, adament on fare reduction. “We want the government to bring a scientific pricing policy,” said one transport entrepreneur, who is convinced that the its cartelling not to reduce transportation fare.
The Ministry of Labour and Transport Management (MoLTM) could not effectively direct the transport entrepreneurs on fare reduction.
Though the ministry is said to have been preparing a scientific transportation fare system, the system could not see light of day till date. “We have planned to make public the scientific transportation fare system from February 12,” an official at the ministry said adding that the pressure from the transport entrepreneurs have stopped the ministry officials to make it public. “Even if the ministry fixed the new rate, the transport entrepreneurs will not comply by the new fare,” he confided. “Earlier also after reduction of petroleum prices, the ministry has fixed the transport fare but it could not be implemented due to syndicate of transport entrepreneurs.”
Though, government and some entrepreneurs wanted to reduce the fare, “most of the transport entrepreneurs are against reduction.”
Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs Federation’s general secretary Dolnath Khanal said that the new fare structure will come anytime soon.

Cooking gas price drops, petro prices drop for the fourth time in a row

The state oil monopoly - Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) - is spreading good cheer.
In a sign of the changing times, it has reduced the price of the cooking gas by Rs 50, making it Rs 1,150 per cylinder, effective from tonight. This is the first time -- in last two months from October 25, when the NOC started downward revision of price -- that the price of ever-scarce cooking gas has been reduced.
Despite being in the red as far as the cost of cooking gas is concerned, the cut is being made to give relief to consumers. However, there has been symbolism galore in price cuts in other petroleum products. If petrol will cost Rs 5 less - to be available Rs 80.50 per litre as per NOC's figure - then diesel and kerosene have gone down to by only one rupee. Both will be available at 59.50 per litre.
The goodies were announced following a board meeting of NOC late this evening.
Incidentally, this is fourth time that the NOC has come up with downward revision to prices, paying heed to global crude prices.
"We will now make a tentative operating profit of Rs 400 million. As of now, the liabilities stand at Rs 15 billion," said Digamber Jha, managing director, NOC.
The latest round of revision factored in both outstanding and consumers' interest. "We don't want to make good of our past losses at the expense of eroding consumers' confidence," said Purushottam Ojha, secretary, commerce and supplies.
NOC has gone ahead with the correction a week ahead of the schedule -- as per the norm, it receives the price list from the sole supplier Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on 1st and 15th of every English month and revises price on the list it receives on 1st -- to lift consumers' spirit.
There is good news for Tarai consumers as well. The latest mechanism will not only ease the demand for fuel in the central region, but also makes the prices of fuel cheaper across Tarai.NOC is opposed to drastic price cuts due to two basic reasons. "Of late, the dollar has appreciated against the Nepali currency. Also, the prices have to be on a par with bordering Indian towns, else there will be a skewed demand-supply ratio," said Ojha.
The rate of Air Turbine Oil (ATF) has also gone down by Rs 5 to Rs 90 per litre for domestic and $200 to $1000 per kilolitre for international flights.
The corrections are making no impact on the all-powerful transport entrepreneurs' cartel. They have steadfastly refused to reduce transport fares, flexing their muscles and subsequently pushing the inflation up to 14.5 per cent.
The Ministry of Labour and Transport Management has been reduced to a casual bystander.
The NOC slashed the petro prices on October 25, November 1, December 3 and today (December 26) for thr fourth time in two months.

Price in the Valley
Cooking gas -- Rs 1,150 per cylinder
Petrol -- Rs 80.50 per litre
Diesel/Kerosene -- Rs 59.50
ATF (domestic) -- Rs 85 per litre
ATF (Int'l) -- $1000/kl