Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Floods: 41 Passenger Vehicles Missing from Two Transport Companies
Photo Credit, RSS
On Wednesday morning, the devastating floods that hit the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli area resulted in the disappearance of 41 passenger vehicles from just two transport companies, according to formal information provided to the BBC by the General Secretary of the Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs Federation.
Deknath Gautam, General Secretary of the Araniko Transport Service Committee, reported that 26 buses from Araniko Transport and 15 microbuses from Namaste Pasanglhamu Transport Pvt Ltd have gone missing.
“Among the 26 missing Araniko buses, only three drivers have been contacted, and among the 15 microbuses from Pasanglhamu Transport, only two drivers have been reached,” Gautam told BBC News Nepali.
“Typically, each bus has one driver and one assistant driver, so the Araniko buses accounted for 54 drivers and assistants, while the Pasanglhamu microbuses had 30 drivers and assistants,” Gautam added.
He further indicated they have received reports that around 200 vehicles in total have gone missing so far.
Freight Trucks Bound for China
Transport business representatives have stated there is no information yet about the condition of Nepalese vehicles that were headed towards China.
“There are no records available to us regarding the 300 vehicles stranded on the way to China,” Gautam said.
He also noted that many vehicles waiting for customs inspection have disappeared.
According to the General Secretary, an initial estimate suggests up to 1,000 vehicles affiliated with the Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs Federation may be missing in the severe flooding.
“This is a preliminary estimate. The exact number will be known only after data collection,” he said.
The government has not yet released any official statistics on public vehicles damaged or missing.
Photo Credit, Social Media/Reuters
Federation Forms Committee
In the aftermath of the sudden floods causing extensive loss to people and property, transport entrepreneurs have decided to conduct their own assessments of the damage in the private transport sector.
For this purpose, the federation has established a five-member committee, General Secretary Gautam informed.
“Starting tomorrow, our committee will begin field visits to collect detailed damage reports. We have also requested entrepreneurs to submit their details,” he added.
After these details are submitted to Parliament, a clear report on the physical and human losses in the transport sector can be provided, Gautam said.
Photo Credit, Reuters
Concerns Over Widespread Impact
Transport entrepreneurs have expressed concerns that the damage caused by the floods will have broad and lasting effects in the coming days.
Given that thousands of families depend on the income generated in the affected areas, they say the impact will be immediately felt.
“Most of our public transport vehicles are financed through loans from banks and financial institutions. This will affect operators as well as these financial entities,” Gautam stated.
“It remains unclear how much compensation will be provided by insurance for those vehicles.”
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