Nepalnews.com Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Students to get 45 pc discount on fares, withdraw strike

The government and agitating students protesting the recent hike in transportation fares and petroleum prices have finally reached an agreement to provide students with 45 percent concession on all public transportation.

A meeting between the officials of Ministry of Labor and Transport Management and representatives of UML affiliated All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) Monday reached an agreement towards this end.

"We have reached an agreement with the government to provide 45 percent discount to all students with valid IDs. We are happy with this and are calling off all our protest programmes from today," said Balgopal Upadhyaya, a student leader with ANNFSU. He said that the students are also ready to help in creating a system to deter the misuse of student ID cards by non-students.

The capital had seen almost daily protests by students demanding 50 percent discount on transportation fares in the past few days, bringing the transportation system of the city into a complete halt. They had rampaged through the streets of Kathmandu, burning tyres, throwing rocks at policemen and vandalizing public property to protest hike in transportation fares and fuel prices. On many occasions, police had to resort to baton-charging to disperse the unruly students from causing serious damage to public property.

However, the transport entrepreneurs are organising an indefinite transport strike across the country from today to exert pressure on the government to fulfill their demand to raise fares by 35 percent.

Meanwhile, president of Nepal Student Union Pradeep Paudel told Nepalnews that students would not accept if the government decides to hike the transport fare further from 25 percent.

The transport entrepreneurs have called a nationwide vehicular strike demanding further rise in the fare saying that the recent increase in fare by 25 percent is insufficient.

"The recent increase in the fare is not scientific itself," he said. "So, we cannot accept further rise."

Meanwhile, the eight student unions have agreed to move ahead together although they had led the student movement for discount in transport fare separately in the earlier days.

At a meeting held, Monday, at Nepal Student Union's office at Putalisadak, they agreed to work together for the students' rights.

They also decided to submit a memorandum to Minister for Health and Population and Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies jointly on Tuesday demanding concession for students in health treatment and daily consumer goods. nepalnews.com ag/ps June 23 08