Amargadhi Municipality to lease out its city bus

By Our Correspondent,Dadeldhura (Amargadhi), Dec. 19: Amargadhi Municipality, in Dadeldhura district, is going to lease out its city bus that has remained idle for one year after purchase. It was purchased to operate within Amargadhi city for the convenience of commuters.  

Chief Administrative Officer Lakshmi Upadhyay informed that the bus was being leased at Rs. 24,000 per month. 

He further said that the lease was fixed through a bidding. “The tender call for rent was fixed at Rs. 24,000 a month as it was the highest offer,” he added. 

According to him, a tender has been issued for one year and preparations have been started for an agreement with the party. “The work to request the route permit at the Transport Management Office is underway,” he said.

The municipality purchased the bus in June, 2019, to operate in the city area, but it couldn’t be operated because of lack of procedure during the purchase. 

The municipality purchased the 36-seat bus through a contract agreement at a cost of around Rs. 3.6 million.  

Mayor Dilliraj Joshi said that the bus was leased because the necessary criteria for operating the buses had not been established.

However, the locals here are not happy with the move to lease the bus. Some locals in Ward No. 11 were protesting against the move demanding that the municipality operate the bus itself.   

They demanded that the bus meant for public transport was not to carry passengers for short distances. Besides, there is a dispute over the route it should be operated in.