NATIONAL 5 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Commuters' Hazard

People are stranded as transporters keep their vehicles off the streets in protest against the government's decision and students' demand

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Hundreds of commuters, especially those who have to come to work from outside the ring-road, were left stranded for days as transporters kept their minibuses and tempos off the streets after left-leaning student organization demanded they give students fifty percent concession even as they were already sweating at the government's decision to ban all vehicles older than twenty years from the valley from November next year.

Although the present strike did not affect electric vehicles, micro buses and taxis, they, too, were seen plying only in limited numbers. "For people like us who do not have private vehicles and who have to come from peripheral regions, this strike has really hurt," said Shiromani KC, who has to come to work from Balkot.

The transporters have categorically stated their inability to abide by both the government's decision as well as the student's demand. "The transport entrepreneurs will be badly hurt if the decision to remove their vehicles is implemented. Besides, we are also not capable of giving discounts to students," said Sarad Upreti, President of Federation of Nepalese Transport Entrepreneurs (FNTE). The entrepreneurs, however, maintain that they are willing to provide discounts to students if the government agrees to bear the cost.

On the other hand, the students seem bent on having their way. "Our demand for concession is perfectly justifiable. It does not matter who bears this discount, but students have to be given this facility," said Basanta Manandhar, general secretary of All Nepal National Free Student's Union (ANNFSU-Marxist). He points to similar facilities provided to students in Delhi, Beijing, Colombo and other places.

The Marxist student union has been actively pursuing this demand since February 5. Other student unions, too, have lent their moral support to this demand. This sudden spurt of campaigns from the student unions could be seen as interesting especially since all government campuses in the country are going to elect new student representatives two weeks later. "Our demand has no relation with the campus election. We should be engaged in our organization-building activities at this juncture but we chose to pursue the overall interest of Nepalese students because it has been long since the authorities and concerned agencies turned deaf ears to our various memorandum about the demand."

In fact, Manandhar accused the transport entrepreneurs of flaring up the issue and giving them violent tones. "Everybody knows that we do not shy away from using force to make our demands fulfilled. But at this particular incident, we have not engaged in any violent activities or throwing stones to vehicles in streets. Rather it is the entrepreneurs themselves who have engaged in violent activities to link up our demand with their earlier protest against the government's decision to ban the vehicles older than twenty years."

Manandhar said the ANNFSU-Marxist was willing to give compensation if it was proved that their cadres were involved in violence. The student organization's demand include student concession in not only the transport but also in hospitals, entertainment places and research/study organizations.

Even as the commuters were hit hard by the transport strike, the government showed little interest to resolve the deadlock. Negotiations between the transport entrepreneurs and the government were going on till Tuesday (February 13).

Although both sides appeared hopeful of an early settlement, the transporters have threatened to expand their strike from February 16 if the talks fail to yield results.