By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 9: The Development and Technology Committee of the Federal Parliament has directed the government to make arrangements for the operation of taxis observing health protocols during the ongoing lockdown.
A meeting of the House panel on Wednesday directed the government and the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to make preparations for the operation of taxis in order to facilitate common people in travelling.
Since the government has allowed some businesses to run by following the standards and measures issued by the World Health Organisation, the Ministry of Health and Population and COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC), taxis should also be allowed to run with the same measures to support travel and businesses, it said.
The committee has decided to hold discussions with the MoPIT and CCMC about operating public transport in well-managed manner.
Public transport entrepreneurs have said that they were unable to repay the instalments of the loan and there were serious repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the businesses while the trade union leaders have said that workers were facing hard times in managing the daily necessities during the lockdown.
Last week, in a meeting with Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Basanta Kumar Nembang, transport entrepreneurs had warned the government of operating vehicles in sign of protest in case it ignored their demands and failed to extend support to them through immediate measures.
They said that they had been making rounds of the concerned agencies, including the ministry and Department of Transport Management (DoTM) in anticipation of support from the government.\Similarly, the same House panel a couple of weeks ago had asked the ministry and DoTM to prepare a plan for the operation of public transport in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.