EVs worth Rs. 130 million remain idle in Lumbini for five years

By Laxman Paudel,Bhairahawa, Nov. 9: Electric vehicles worth millions of rupees, received from donor agencies to help keep the environment of Lumbini—the birthplace of Buddha—clean, have been lying idle for five years.

Due to legal and procedural hurdles, the electric buses and vans, which have been exposed to the sun for a long time, are now in a state of being unusable, raising concerns about the risk of wasting a huge investment.

A total of 14 electric vans and five electric buses were brought to Lumbini on November 24, 2020, with a grant of Rs. 130 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). 

However, delays in obtaining operating permits and unclear operational procedures caused these vehicles to remain unused under the open sky.

The main issue involved a dispute over number plates. When the ADB handed over the vehicles to the government of Nepal, and the government subsequently to the Lumbini Development Trust, the vehicles were issued government (white) number plates. 

But according to law, green number plates are mandatory for vehicles carrying tourists. Due to the absence of legal provisions for converting white plates to green ones, the vehicles could not be operated.

In recent years, the Lumbini Provincial government approved the conversion of white number plates to green, but the process stalled at the Transport Management Office.

After the matter reached the court, the Tulsipur-Butwal Bench of the High Court issued an order for the operation of the vehicles on March 24, 2024. 

A joint bench of Justices Rajeshwor Tiwari and Punyashila Dawadi Ghimire mandated that the vehicle number plates be converted to green within a month and put into operation for tourism purposes.

Although the number plates were eventually changed following the court order, the vehicles have still not been operated, even after seven months. 

Key parts of the vehicles such as the AC, seats and battery have been damaged due to being kept in the open sky for a long time.

Rajan Basnet, Information Officer of the Lumbini Development Trust, said, “The Trust tried to operate them on lease, but businessmen were unwilling to take them. Now these vehicles have become practically useless.”

According to Basnet, the total cost of five buses and nine vans was Rs. 130 million. 

He added that no one is willing to take the risk of maintaining and operating such expensive vehicles. Over Rs. 1 million has already been spent converting the number plates from white to green.

Rs. 350 million project turns futile 

Under the Clean Energy Project launched with the ADB grant, an investment of Rs. 350 million has been made in vehicles, solar plants and charging stations.