Cleaners gathering dust

Kathmandu,Nepal 

Cleaning vehicles donated by the Chinese government worth millions of rupees remain unused because of government inefficacy and tardiness. Two months after their arrival, they are still parked in the Kathmandu Metropolitan premises. The arrival of the vehicles was delayed by 10 months because of legal hassles. The Metropolitan complains that the Transport Management Department did not register the buses. The transport office, on the other hand, claims the vehicles weren't brought in for registration.

Chief of the Environment Management Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan, Rabin Man Shrestha, says that all due process had been followed, but the transport office demanded COP (Conformity of Production) documents. "The Chinese companies then sent the documents through email," Shrestha adds, "but the department is now refusing to register without paper documents."

The Transport Department, however, denies it has received any applications for vehicle registration at all. "It has been two months since the vehicles have arrived but they have still not applied for registration. And they are blaming us?", wonders Director of the Transport Department Prem Kumar Singh.

The Chinese Government donated 108 cleaning vehicles, ambulances and road sweepers worth Rs 300 million to Kathmandu Metropolitan City following the visit of the foreign minister to Beijing last year.