As Nepal’s major highways turn into battle zones killing dozens of security personnel, rebels and civilians almost every day, a major transport operators’ organisation has called upon all sides to declare and treat the country’s highways as ‘Zones of Peace (ZoP).’
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| President of NNTOF, Yogendra Karmacharya |
Talking to Nepalnews, president of Nepal National Transport Operators’ Federation (NNTOF), Yogendra Karmacharya, said it was a matter of great concern that innocent people were falling victims almost everyday as the highways had turned into battle zones.
“The transport industry—that provides employment to hundreds of thousands of families all over the country—is in dire straits and billions of rupee worth investment in it is in the doldrums,” said Karmacharya. He insisted that the transport operators were not in a position to pay back their loans due to frequent shut down strikes.
As soon as the rebels lifted their week-long blockade of major highways in the country leading to capital, Kathmandu, last week, local units of the Maoists declared ‘bandhs’ in mid-western districts of Banke, Bardiya and Dang this week.
“The public transport in western Nepal has been badly affected for the last several months due to frequent strikes. Drivers, helpers and a number of passengers have fallen victims in the crossfire between the security forces and rebels,” said Karmacharya. He lamented that neither political parties nor Kathmandu-based human rights groups were concerned towards difficulties being faced by common people on a regular basis.
Public and private transport as well as shops, schools and industries in several districts in eastern Nepal remained totally closed for over a week last month though local level Maoist leadership reportedly clarified that they had not called the shutdown strike.
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Analysts say it is because of the environment of fear that looms large all over the country. Only last month (on Dec. 21), a group of armed rebels set ablaze 18 private trucks at Manahari VDC in Makwanpur district along the Mahendra highway causing damage of an estimated Rs 40 million. The trucks were carrying essential supplies to Kathmandu. The next morning, another group of rebels torched four vehicles at Malekhu khola in Dhading district to enforce their ‘bandh.’
Besides setting on fire on public and private properties, the rebels have been setting up obstructions along the major highways and leaving behind improvised explosives and bombs bringing to a halt all types of traffic including ambulances and vehicles belonging to tourists. It has been their preferred modus operandi to ambush and target security personnel s they reach the area to clear the highways.
On the first day of the new year 2005, at least 14 security personnel were killed and ten others were injured when the rebels ambushed, surrounded them and opened fire at Malbanse’ section of the Koshi highway in eastern Nepal. The security personnel had reached the area to clear obstructions along the highway set up by the rebels.
On Dec. 24, three security personnel, including Major Pramod Poudel of the Royal Nepalese Army, lost their lives while trying to defuse landmines at Dandakhola in far-western district of Kanchanpur along the Mahendranagar-Attariya section of the Mahendra highway. Earlier, the team had successfully cleared up several mines laid down by the rebels along the busy highway. Not a single political leader or human rights activist condemned the incident.
Dozens of security personnel have been killed in rebel attacks in western district of Banke and other parts of the country in similar incidences. Thousands of people were stranded for several days when the rebels set up obstructions in Lamahi-Kohalpur section of the Mahendra highway immediately after Tihar holidays (in November last year).
Nepali highways – that have one of the highest rates of road traffic accidents in the whole world-- have also turned into dangerous traps as rebels continue to target security personnel by obstructing roads. Passengers traveling in public buses have been killed while traveling from Dolakha to Kathmandu in central Nepal. There have been several incidences when passengers have been injured badly or even died while trying to remove obstructions to clear the highways. There is no provision of compensation or treatment for these hapless people.
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| Journalist Kanak M. Dixit |
“Nowhere in the world do rebels lay down mines along the highways that are used by common people,” writes senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit, in the latest issue of Himal khabarpatrika. “No way. The Maoists are not in a position to convince people that act like ‘shutdown strikes’ and ‘blockades’ – that add to the woes of hundreds of thousands of people—is, in fact, the `revolution,” he added.
Transport operators say they are also victimized by what they call the government’s apathy towards their plight. “Whenever there is a strike or blockade, the authorities announce that they would provide compensation to the damaged vehicles and personal injuries,” says Karmacharya. “But as soon as the strike is over, they tend to forget their own promises,” he added.
He also said that as security personnel usually don’t venture out in the night for patrol along the highways, incidences of robbery by criminal elements had gone up sharply over the past few months.
“Public transport is the only means of transport for general public. So, the rebels – who are fighting their war in the name of the people—should not do any thing that poses dangers to the public,” said Karmacharya.
Transport operators have also been urging the security personnel not to harass passengers during routine `security checks’ and try to avoid civilian casualties as far as possible. nepalnews.com by Jan 04 05
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