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Meena Poudel is a sociologist who has a long and committed history of development works, research and feminist activism on issues affecting lives of socially excluded and politically marginalized groups in Nepal and other parts of the south, southeast and central Asia, western Europe, and North Africa. She has worked for various national and international organizations including Oxfam GB, USAID, UN systems and academia. She is also the first Nepali woman to head an international organization in Nepal—Oxfam.

Poudel did her PhD from UK’s Newcastle University and has worked as a senior visiting research fellow with Newcastle University for several years. In recent years she has been engaging more on exploring various aspects of the lives of women, men and children vulnerable to and experienced migration in the global south in her capacity as member of the global advisory board of Migration Development and Equality, a large and multiyear academic research project funded by the British government. She has written widely on these issues that include a single-authored book, “Dealing with Hidden Issues: Social Rejection Experienced by Trafficked Women in Nepal”, which has been published in six different languages.

According to Poudel, Nepal’s foreign policy has scope of political and business diplomacy but lacks labor diplomacy. And one way to respond to challenges faced by migrants is to have an integrated migration policy that includes labor diplomacy and the contextual role of embassies.

Migration in Nepali context 

Migration, labor migration in particular, has been an important factor supporting the growth and development of Nepal and providing much needed employment opportunities for young Nepali unemployed youths in global labor markets of more than 150 countries. Organized labor migration began between Nepal and India since the British colonial regime in India started recruiting Nepali youths in their armies which was expanded for ordinary Nepali after having a friendship treaty in 1950. Nepal adopted liberal economic policy in late 1980 and changed the political system in 1990 to a liberal democracy. Since then migration for foreign employment has gained momentum in a more organized way and remittances became a part of the national economy.  

Data and research

The Government of Nepal has kept data on labor migration since 2008 only. Although currently about 6.5m workers are in foreign employment, this official data published by the Ministry of Labor does not count migrants working in India due to absence of a migration regulatory mechanism in place between two countries. In addition, migrants who leave the country without having a work permit from the government but following informal channels including human smuggler, traffickers and also man power companies taking workers out of the country without following government mechanisms are also not included in this official data. Various researches indicate that millions of Nepali youths, predominantly men, are working in India alone and tens of thousands are in other countries around the world who migrated for employment following informal, trafficking and smuggling routes. Thus, available data from the government is incomplete.

Migration and development nexus

Nepal’s traditional foundation of economy has gradually been shifting from agriculture to a service sector which, arguably, is dependent on remittances generated by Nepali migrants working abroad. So migration is a key pillar of Nepal’s development resources from family to national budget. Migration is an intrinsic part of broader processes of development. More clearly, migration generally and labor migration in particular contributes significantly to human development, shared prosperity, and address poverty. Poverty in the context of migration goes beyond traditional understanding of poverty that is predominantly a financial aspect. But migration and development discourse includes broader social change, cultural transformation and political awareness for both the countries of origin from where migrants come from and destinations of destination where migrants are employed for. 

When we talk about remittances, we should go beyond the financial definition of remittances. Migrants learn new skills, gain cultural knowledge, enhance technical skills, become aware about rights and welfare of migrants and gain confidence to deal with life challenges while dealing with a complex and competitive labor market. These are social capital one brings back home and apply in post migration journey and contribute to broader social change.

Integrated migration policy framework

Nepal is a remittances dependent economy but lacks migration policy. Nepal’s current policy framework to govern migration by foreign employment act and host of institutions, being coordinated by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) as the apex structure in setting policy on and supported by various relevant thematic sub-structures from local to the federal level. Foreign Employment Act is essentially promoting foreign employment and facilitating recruiting agencies rather than managing migration by focusing protection concerns and enhancing justice to migrants and their families. Considering the role of financial, social, cultural and technical remittances migration generates for the home country, volume of migrant communities and nature work available in the destinations, it is crucial that Nepal government formulate an integrated migration policy framework to maximize benefits of migration and ensure welfare of working migrants and their families staying back.    

Better protection

Nepali migrants are relatively low skilled, less aware about vulnerabilities they face in highly competitive labor markets. Even their migration journeys are being facilitated by government regulated recruiting agencies but contractual fraud, wage discrimination, trafficking, sexual and gender based violence against migrant women, cheating in migratory cost, false promises, health and safety concerns are key challenges Nepali migrants face. Some of these challenges are Nepali institutions that are related to recruiting agencies, various departments and immigration services and some are related to discriminatory practices of employer and labor market of destination countries. These challenges can be addressed by making migrants skilled according to the needs of changing labor markets and raising awareness among migrants about their rights and responsibilities at work. 

Ratification of relevant UN conventions

Nepal is signatory of many relevant UN conventions that are important to protect rights of citizens but has not yet ratified two key conventions crucial to manage migration and protect the rights of migrants in general and migrant domestic workers in particular. ILO Convention 189 is important for welfare of migrants’ domestic workers, predominantly women and migrants’ rights convention is fundamental for protection of all migrants’ workers. These conventions are foundational mechanisms to address various injustices and challenges throughout migration processes. It is important that Nepal should ratify these two key conventions without any delays and formulate an integrated migration policy framework.

Cross border migration with India 

Indo-Nepal migration has been significant to create job opportunities for millions Nepali laborers but they are neither counted as migrants nor their remittances are accounted for by the national economy. Lack of acknowledging their status limits any benefits or justices that Nepal migration governance covers. Later or sooner Nepal has to address this issue and integrate cross border migration into migration definition, maximize their benefits into national development and respond to their challenges without any discrimination. It is also important to note that labor migration to India are predominantly low income, unskilled and seasonal, short term to medium term migrants. Some research shows that migrants who generated some financial resources, they plan to go to Arab and other destinations.

Female migrants

My research and program development experiences in various countries of south, south east and central Asia, eastern Europe and north Africa suggest that migrant women are most vulnerable due to social perceptions on their sexuality and migrant status. Regardless of their types of migration, women are immediately seen as migrants working in sex sector, trafficked women, and domestic workers experienced sexual abuses etc. This negative narrative is not true. Any migrants regardless of their gender and sexual orientation may encounter various forms of abuses including sexual. It is true however women migrants face more gender and sexual violence than men because of unsafe labour market but migrants women are also migrants like their male counterparts and work in various sectors including hospitality, marketing, tourism, transportation sector and electronic companies. While migrant women face more abuse than men at work, they also face social and cultural stigma on their return by their own family, neighbors and wider society. This stigma is high for those migrant women who return with less financial remittances. To address this stigma, we need to make the wider public aware about the role of female migrants in their family and wider social development.     

Migration is not to stop

Many Nepali politicians talk about stopping migration, particularly during the elections but this is false promises and lack of understanding on migration phenomenon. Migration is part of liberal democracy and market oriented economic policies which is the foundation of our current political governance, development framework and pillar of economy. So, proper management through relevant, migrant friendly migration policy and harnessing benefits from migration is the ultimate approach a country like Nepal needs to adopt.      

Coordination and cooperation

To conclude, when we talk about integrated migration policy, this also emphasizes proper coordination among government stakeholders such as ministry of labor foreign employment and social protection, ministry of women, children and senior citizens, ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of home affairs, ministry of law, ministry of finance and national planning commission. This coordination also needs to be at provincial and local level. So vertical and horizontal coordination within government institutions and with relevant NGOs, migrants rights organizations and recruiting agencies is crucial for safe and dignified migration management and maximize benefits of migration in development plans of Nepal.

Professor Bidya Nath Koirala is the former head of the Central Department of Education at Tribhuvan University. He has extensive experience in evaluating and auditing educational projects and institutions. These days he offers consultation on improving education at the grassroots level. In this column of Nepal Planner, he presents a 10-point roadmap for the education system in Nepal.

Education for all

GOs and I/NGOs implemented a number of programs to ensure education for all. Because of these efforts we have 76 percent people literate; 94 percent children are in school; gender parity index is almost one up to secondary level education. Even in higher education, the gender parity index has been improved.  And yet, neo-literates are relapsing to be illiterate in the absence of adequate programs. Only 1/3 children enrolled at grade one complete grade 12 meaning that we have huge dropouts. These dropouts require a systematic open education system for learning and hands-on skill. But the problem is that it is yet to be implemented.   

Crisis on education

Education is amalgamation of the ancestral, contemporary and the envisioned knowledge and the skills.  But the problem with us is that we fetched the idea that the West is best. This practice ignored the Vedic, Buddhist, and the Kirat’s home grown knowledge and Islamic adapted knowledge along with their daily practices.  This made us the knower of 1/3 knowledge. The skills that we inherited did not get a chance to be developed. The knowledge that we inherited did not get a chance to be linked up with the dominant skills that we value. The home grown pedagogy of shravan, manana and nididhyasan of the Hindus, Buddhists and Kirats are replaced; the pedagogy that Mahabharat taught i.e. learn 1⁄4 from Guru, 1⁄4 from friends, 1⁄4 from available experts, and 1⁄4 from personal experience is sidelined.

SDG

Sustainable development goal is the much talked about and little done business in Nepal.  The reason is that we ignored the culturally sustained knowledge and skills. Take the examples of passing the Puranic knowledge, culturally learnt farming system, ancestrally transferred health care system etc.  Dalan of Madhesh and Dabali of Kathmandu, Rodhi of Hills and tea serving of the Mountain are some of the sustained examples. Bonpo of Tamang, Thakali of Thak Khola, Badghar of Tharu, and Maijan of Madheshi group are the cultural rulers.  But they don’t get space in Palika leadership. This implies that we talk more about SDG and do less to sustain them through educational processes.    

Government commitment

The rulers always mention their commitment of education for all, free and compulsory education, skills for all, research in higher education, training for teachers, deprivatization of education, departicization in education etc. But they lack institutional memory and the accountability to translate the commitment into action. Among others, the low literacy rate of Madhes and Karnali Province are examples of it.     

Challenges and threats

Words are enough in Nepal. They appear in the form of policy, planning documents, and speeches of the ruling governments.  But the challenge is to translate these words into action by being rational.  For instance, the country invests about 14 percent of the national budget to the army and police force and allots 11 percent of its budget in education. Contrary to it, each of the ruling and the potential ruling parties champions for 20 percent investment in education. Interestingly none of the ruling parties implemented compulsory saving of all the people and mobilized that money for the development of the country and later on, used that money for entrepreneurship development programs.  

Our educational situation

We imported education from the West via India in the hope that it would give employment opportunities. But this truth of 1956 has been changed: the current narrative says that education turned out as a producer of unemployed and underemployed graduates. Here again a question arises about the training and education, are we seeking for training if yes, we can promote short term training and Youtube based training. If we are seeking an academic course, we can help academize the context, content, method and evaluation system. If we are looking for the blend of training and education or vice versa, we can enable teachers and students to make digital and non-digital books in place and use them.  Here I see that we are trapped in confusion.    

Neighbor support

China valued its cognitive culture to educate the people. India inherited and built on the Gurukul system of education. It also continued the British imposed education system as well. But Nepal fetched many things from the donor and the loaner countries eventually making a junkyard of many ideas. This means we failed to link our education system with the homegrown seeds. We also failed to create the culture of the fetched ideas. Semester system, continuous assessment system, letter grading system are some examples as they are yet to be implemented as that of the west.  

Supporting vulnerable communities

Nepal followed a blanket approach to support the children of the vulnerable communities. Sanitary pad for all; mid day meal for all, textbooks for all are some of the examples. But we failed to apply the concept of equity instead we introduced the concept of equality in resource constrained countries like Nepal. This approach did not do justice to the vulnerable community as they get less in comparison to what they need. For example, Dalits and the children of the marginalized community need additional support and/or their parents require a self sustained job. In both the requirements, we are yet to think.  

Success stories

Success stories are scattered here and there. Some cases are reported in the media but there has been no systematic information about the success stories of students at local, provincial and national level governments. Increased educational access to the differently able children, earning skills while learning, scholarship support for the poor children are some of the success stories.  But they are yet to be documented in a systematic way for public consumption.  

Way forward

Firstly, linking the indigenous knowledge with the western knowledge and enabling the students for a hybridized education system is the need of the day to promote glocalization (blend of local with global)  in education. Secondly, we have culturally inherited skills. They have STEAMS (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and science) together. Teachers need to recognize them and link them with the curriculum and the textbooks.  At the same time they need to provide entrepreneurship skills and compulsory personal saving to their students. Thirdly, teachers need self assessment skills and make them professional. Fourthly, teachers belong to the analogue generation and they are supposed to teach to the students of the digital generation. This generation gap between the teachers and the students needs to be bridged by enabling students to be researchers; research in the mobile, research with the parents, research with the classmates, seniors and juniors, and self reflective research. Fifthly, teachers need to be updated digitally and their best activities need to be digitally documented in the local level’s website portals.

Radhika Regmi is the deputy country director for Nepal at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). She is an elections administration specialist with over two decades of experience in democracy, governance, elections, and inclusion programming. She has overseen and managed projects that provide technical support for inclusive, effective, and democratic elections and governance in Nepal. Since joining the IFES team in 2010, she has been offering technical support to the Election Commission (EC) of Nepal to implement free, fair, inclusive and credible elections. Regmi has also worked as faculty in universities and with various UN and international agencies.

In this write-up, she shares insights from her 20 years of experience and offers recommendations for improving election planning in Nepal.

Periodic election

Our constitution mandates that general and local elections be held every five years, but it does not specify the exact date. Consequently, the legal framework grants the government the authority to set the election date. This flexibility allows the government to potentially delay or advance the election timing based on its favorable conditions. Therefore, the exact date of the election should be explicitly mentioned in the legal framework or should be announced by the election management bodies. Additionally, as time progresses and new generation issues emerge, many laws and regulations require amendments and updates, which fall under the legal framework of elections. This legal framework must be simple and robust to ensure high-quality elections.

Electoral calendar

The gap between two elections is five years, and there must be a comprehensive plan for this period. Election management involves several steps to ensure a fair and smooth process. The election calendar is an important tool for keeping elections on track and includes an overview about all relevant milestones of election operations. It ensures tasks are not overlooked, are completed on time and include time buffer in the planning to avoid

In a mature democracy with a well-established electoral system, the preparations for an election are familiar and routine. For newer democracies, especially in developing countries and countries undergoing a transition, preparing for an election can be a major undertaking that requires much more time. Good planning should allow enough time to launch and manage an election, and to perform each task properly. It sets the dates and duration for various activities such as what dates and times voters can register to vote, when political parties can nominate and register candidates, campaign and monitors to observe the process and so on. Integrity may be jeopardized if there is not enough time for some important activities. On the other hand, a lengthy calendar may increase operating, staffing and other costs of the electoral management body. Observation and monitoring groups may also be affected by a lengthy calendar. This cycle should be continuous to ensure consistent improvement and readiness.

Voter registration and education

In Nepal, voter registration is open continuously and allows Nepali to pre-enroll online in the process. To complete the registration, voters are required to visit the province or district election office to provide their fingerprints and photograph, but it closes once the election date is announced. Since many people attempt to register only after the election date is announced, registration should remain open for at least a week or two afterward. Additionally, the voter registration process should be accessible and closer to the people and the voter database needs to be robust. For instance, it should accurately reflect voter status by removing the names of deceased and duplicated individuals to avoid proxy voting and ensure fair election. The election management bodies should collaborate and work together with local governments to ensure accurate and timely updates on deceased voters. This collaboration is crucial for maintaining an up-to-date database and increasing access of people in the voter registration process. Establishing a clear legal framework for this partnership is essential.  An accurate voter database and advanced technology facilitate election management, including determining ballot numbers, polling centers, human resource and budgets as voter registration is basic data for planning. 

Voter education is equally important, as people need to understand the significance of their vote and the democratic process. Not only the EC but also related stakeholders such as media, civil society, political parties, and others should take ownership of voter education efforts. It plays an important role in ensuring free, fair and credible elections. It provides citizens with information about their rights and responsibilities in the electoral process, fostering informed participation. By educating and motivating citizens on topics such as voting procedures, electoral laws, and the importance of democratic participation, voter education programs contribute to building a democratic culture in the country and increase participation in elections. These programs help to prevent integrity issues like vote buying. It is vital for voter education to remain neutral and non-partisan, focusing solely on providing information without any political bias. In many democracies, election management bodies together with civil society implement voter education initiatives, ensuring their fairness and effectiveness.

Budget and resources

Elections are a festival and celebration of democracy, and investing in democracy is essential for better outcomes. While the focus is often on the polling day, the election cycle is divided in three phases: pre-election period, election period, and post-election period. However, the budget for the EC is provided by the Ministry of Finance and is allocated only after the election is announced. This limited funding makes it challenging for the EC to operate effectively throughout the election cycle. In contrast, the independent election management bodies in democratic countries have their parliaments allocate yearly and election budgets. A lack of budget hampers all aspects of the election process, particularly in terms of continuous electoral and voter education, voter registration and other election preparation activities during the non-election period. Logistics management is another big task as elections are considered the biggest logistical event of the country. Hence, human resources and proper management of activities as per election calendar play a crucial role in elections. A well-trained and professional workforce is essential for free, fair and credible elections. 

Polling, counting and results

The most important act of an election is casting a ballot. Ensuring accessibility and security for voters to polling centers, the design of simple ballot and efficient vote counting and result announcement are all crucial aspects of a successful election. It is not ideal for voters to have to walk long distances or wait for hours to cast their votes. Therefore, increasing the number of accessible polling centers or implementing early and advance voting, as practiced in many countries, can help voters to exercise their voting rights.

To uphold the principle of free and secret vote, the ballot paper should be simple. Complex ballot papers can confuse voters, may delay in voting and counting, also may result in a high number of invalid votes and will also be expensive in terms of printing and delivery.  

Our ballot for local level elections and for proportional election systems in provincial and federal level are currently complex, and to improve them, the EC should either increase the duration between the last nomination day and the election day or increase the printing capacity in a short period of time. 

While electronic voting machines (EVMs) are ideal for quick election results, they pose challenges in a country like Nepal, where technology infrastructure is lacking. Issues such as technology management, data security, and the cost of importing and operating EVMs could make Nepal less financially feasible compared to ballot papers for some time. Regarding none of the above (NOTA) options in the ballot, it should serve as a moral obligation for candidates to perform better. However, if NOTA receives the highest votes, it is not economically viable to hold a re-election in Nepal. For out-of-country voting (OCV), the authorities should pilot the initiative in a few countries by determining the local laws and setting up polling centers in embassies and consular offices. 

To ensure the integrity of the electoral process, vote counting is accurate and accepted by all stakeholders. Quick results are possible even with ballot papers if the counting starts at the polling center immediately after the election ends.

Election security 

Credible elections must be free of fear, violence and intimidation. Security during the entire election process is crucial, especially during nominations, election campaigns, voting, vote counting and results announcement. Voters should vote freely; observers should observe without fear and candidates must campaign without risk to them and to their supporters. Election officials must plan and conduct elections independently, and materials must be secure to maintain integrity. Good security needs good planning. It is essential to find potential spots and places that need adequate security. A joint security plan should be developed in good coordination between the election management body and law enforcement agencies, and need to facilitate quick information sharing and decision making at the federal, provincial and local level of all institutions to act to provide adequate security.

Election campaign

In a multiparty democracy, political parties are key components and should be provided with sufficient grounds for their promotional campaigns. There are several ways to create such an environment. The state could provide funds to political parties based on their votes received and seats in parliament, and audit the expenses. It could facilitate access to governmental and private media for these parties and candidates for their campaign message. While these practices of providing media space have been practiced to some extent in Nepal, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Election campaigns often involve misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. To curb these issues, we need a robust mechanism and process. 

Election observation

The EC, after the election, often states that the election was free, fair, and credible. To substantiate this claim both nationally and internationally, election observation is essential. National and international agencies should be granted permission for election observation as they assess all aspects of the election, including pre-election and post-election periods, not just election day. These agencies play a crucial role in enhancing the credibility of the election process. Nepal has a reputation for good election observation practices, and this should be continued.

Dispute resolution

One of the important components of election integrity is the opportunity to make a complaint or appeal and address these on time. This requires the election management bodies and the justice system addressing complaints without undue delay. In Nepal, the ECN has the authority to address any claims or complaints during the pre- and during election  period. However, after the election result, any disputes that arise are transferred to the court. It is observed that appeals are decided after the term for office is over. For example, in many cases where a writ is filed regarding an elected person, the verdict is often not delivered until after the person’s tenure has ended. Therefore, it is essential to handle the cases on a timely basis.

Political parties, research and review

Extensive research is essential in various aspects of elections, voter registration, voter educations, electoral reform, out of country voting, among others. This research aims to discover the most effective and efficient methods for conducting elections. Consultation and coordination with different stakeholders during the election process and post-election reviews with them are also crucial, as they can suggest necessary revisions in policy and administration. Findings and recommendations from research and lessons learned from these reviews should be incorporated in future election planning. Research and reviews include consultations with stakeholders, changes in the legal framework, and strategic planning. This comprehensive approach is vital for ensuring that future elections are free and acceptable.

In Nepal, the constitution envisioned a multi-party system, where political parties must register with the Election Commission with set criteria for party registration, often requiring a minimum number of party supporters or members. It is also necessary to review the current required number of supporters for party registration. If this number is too high, it can exclude smaller or newer parties. Conversely, if set too low, it may burden the electoral system by allowing registration for parties with limited support.

Kanak Mani Dixit is a veteran journalist, writer, activist, author of children’s books and presently chairperson of Sajha Yatayat Cooperative Company.

Kathmandu Valley (Nepal Mandal or Swoniga) holds around a seventh of Nepal’s population, whose economic energy can drive the entire country. However, the Valley is an inefficient urban organism, also because a congested, populated bowl lacks a proper urban transport system. The absence of an easy, efficient and dignified public transport network exacts an enormous toll in terms of public health, mental stress, time management, air pollution and cumulative economic loss.

For decades, we have suffered a laissez-faire urban transport system without rationalization of routes, vehicle sizes, fares and so on. The rapid and haphazard urbanization of the Valley over the past half century, and accelerated by the decade of conflict and its impact on governance, meant that little thought went to addressing the public’s need to get around for the sake of jobs, markets and social activities. No wonder that most of the main urban arteries of the expanding Valley cityscape are tracks used by lorries bringing out bricks from kiln to market, which evolved as the serpentine ‘thoroughfares’ of today. If not that, then we learnt to steal the right-of-way of the Bagmati and her tributaries to use as ‘corridors’.

It is not that there has not been public transport planning, but there has been no success in implementation, and the last donor agency effort was the ill-fated Kathmandu Valley Sustainable Urban Transport Project (KSUTP) of the Asian Development Bank. In fact, all efforts to plan public transport networks for the Valley are redundant by the time they are ready, such is the speed of urban expansion.

It goes without saying that if the Valley developed an efficient public transport network within its 15x20 mile confines, it would boost the national economy—by generating economic efficiencies, boosting productive employment, reducing air pollution, supporting night and evening markets, and reducing dependency on automobiles and two-wheelers. Here are ten factors to be considered as we plan for the public transport future.

Public transportation authority

For decades, amidst the Valley’s wild urbanization, we actually functioned without a government entity dedicated to public transport, urban or otherwise. The Department of Transportation Management was the closest you could come to such an office, but its focus was on distributing driving licenses and bilbuk (vehicle registration document, the ‘blue book’). A Valley Public Transportation Authority was required, and after years of lobbying and legislative effort such an entity has been established, but practically stillborn. The Bagmati Province has gone to court against the Authority’s formation, maintaining that public transport comes under the ‘provincial list’ under the Constitution. As of now, the Authority exists in name, and the lack of public uproar demanding its activation is itself perplexing, pointing to a lack of commitment to urban public transportation among bureaucrats, parliamentarians, the medical fraternity, economists and civil society activists alike.

Urban municipalities

The Valley has 18 municipalities or local governments which are well into their second term of office, and the expectation was that elected mayors committed to their urban citizenry would band together to consider the needs of public transport. However, we see the distressing situation where the key players (of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur municipalities) are barely on speaking terms, much less enthusiastic partners in coordinating a sensible urban public transport system for the Valley, which is by now more or less one urban unit. Any evolution of urban public transport in future will require an understanding among the Valley mayors that public transport, however efficiently run, will require subsidy so that buses run regardless of time of day, holidays, assorted bandhs and closures. Philosophically, it is the bane of urban public transportation to be loss-making while helping make cities themselves profitable.

Private sector

Nepal’s experience differs from societies that suffered colonization but had public transportation systems in the main cities at the time of independence. Here, since the arrival of the internal combustion engine (ICE) in the 1950s and ’60s, it was the private bus operators that rose to the challenge of providing rides to the public. Naturally, these were uncoordinated efforts, and remain so to this day, with the profit motive ensuring that the requirements of a decent urban public transport system were lacking. However, the private operators are a fact of life for the Valley, with a legacy of functioning without governmental support while providing mobility to the mass public. The private operators must be taken along as key partners in any future urban public transport endeavor.

Digital fare collection

The Valley’s public transport system is still in the pre-digital age as far as bus fare collection is concerned. This creates the challenge of revenue leakage for both private and public transport operators such as Sajha Yatayat, which is why many bus owners have taken to leasing out their vehicles on contract to the drivers, which in turn leads to the overcrowding in buses, mini buses and micros. A move towards digital ticketing is also a must (through one of many means including ‘yatra cards’, QR code, phone payment, etc.) because it will allow calibration of routes (primary, secondary and tertiary), allow transfer tickets and help in the establishment of an urban transport network amidst the disarray of thousands of uncoordinated private vehicles. It is important for either the incumbent Authority to make this happen, the municipalities acting in concert, or the bus operators themselves. The work should start with selecting the right e-ticketing technology to take us into the future.

Mass transit

Making the distinction between urban public transport and mass transit is important. True, a Valley of 4m population could do with a mass transit system, and many cities with smaller populations do have metro rail (elevated, underground or with above-ground right-of-way). Given the enormous cost of the rail-based mass transit system, it will require Nepal’s politics to stabilize and the economy to prosper. When such a time arrives, we must go for mass transit, with new tunneling technology that allows concrete lining of tunnels where there is clay, elevated trains running over the Bagmati and its tributaries, and perhaps over the Ring Road and other wider thoroughfares. One handicap that exists for building elevated tracks along the main roads (such as the Maharajganj north-south stretch) is that the Melamchi water lines have been laid along the center by KUKL, which will not allow metro rail pylons to be placed with ease.

Large buses

Because of the state of Nepal’s economy, a full-fledged mass transit system cannot be contemplated at this stage, though a sample stretch may be a good idea. A sober reckoning would suggest that, for the present, the Valley must use long 12-meter buses as the mainstay of the Valley’s urban public transport system. It seems to this writer that an efficient and coordinated bus network, with digital ticketing, online tracking, regular departures and arrivals, etc. will be enough to attract ridership and ease traffic congestion. Indeed, the idea of buses as the mainstay of public transport will not appeal to those who seek exotica, but often the boring solutions tend to be the best. When Sajha Yatayat introduced 12-meter buses in the Valley a decade ago, there were many naysayers who thought that the Valley’s main roads were too narrow to take them, but they have been proved wrong. Back then, it was mainly the officers of Nepal Traffic Police who encouraged Sajha Yatayat’s management not to back down on the plans for the large buses, and what is needed today is a proliferation of such vehicles buses throughout Valley roads that can take them.

Route rationalization

We can expect that the future of mass movement of urban dwellers will be over the wide roads that have been created in the Valley, including the Ring Road encircling Kathmandu and Patan, the Japanese-built stretch from Maitighar Mandal to Suryabinayak, and the widened radiating arteries, including from Maharajganj to Budhanilkantha, Jorpati to Sankhu, Gwarko to Lamatar and Bhainsepati to Tika Bhairab. Because the planned Outer Ring Road has now been overtaken by urban explosion that now stretches to the Valley’s edges, the interconnections between the Kathmandu outskirts (kaanth) are problematic other than through narrow roads. Route rationalization means using the main arteries exclusively for large buses, with smaller buses and vans plying the secondary roads, and Safa Tempos, bicycles and walking reserved for the tertiary or ‘last mile’ section. The moment this is done by a competent Authority, or the municipalities working in concert, we will see a radical and positive departure in terms of quality of public transport (in terms of punctuality, regularity, speed and comfort). This is something that can be done today, without having to wait for pie-in-the-sky solutions. The idea of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with dedicated lanes for exclusive use by large public vehicles is a good idea, but because of the width of our roads, as things stand, it cannot be applied in most stretches.

Electric buses

Nepalis are rightfully proud that in relation to the size of the economy, the take-up of electric vehicles has been rapid. Further, our ‘clean energy’ comes from hydropower plants, unlike in neighboring countries where the electricity is generated by burning coal. However, it is vital for planners, policy makers and environmental activists to look beyond private EV automobiles, and focus on the need to introduce electric public transport. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, private EV automobiles at best travel 2 hours a day in the Valley’s congested roads, and so there is limited utilization of indigenously produced hydroelectricity in relation to the cost of the EVs. On the other hand, battery-operated buses run throughout the day, and hence will be able to utilize available ‘clean energy’ to the maximum, helping reduce carcinogenic air pollution as well as substituting imported petroleum fuel. Further, the electric public vehicles can be charged during the night, when the Nepal Electricity Authority’s rates are drastically reduced and when much of the hydropower is wasted through spillage. Hydropower is nature’s gift to Nepal, and given that we will be energy surplus in the near future without industrial capacity to pick up the slack, a rapid conversion into electric public transport will be good for the environment and the national economy.

Financing EV buses

It is heartening that private bank financing is all the rage for private vehicles as well as micro buses and vans that ply highways from Dadeldhura to Ilam. However, there is a problem when it comes to large public buses, which is what is needed for the Valley urban transit. This has to do with the high cost of buses because of the large complement of batteries required, and this makes them out of reach of private operators. This is so also because of the marginal profits made by these operators, given the low urban bus fares set by the Government. While a diesel-run 12-meter bus may cost no more than Rs 4.5m, the cost for an EV of the same size can go up to Rs 10.3m. Sajha Yatayat has been able to buy 40 buses of 9-meter length (and is working to add a new fleet of 12-meter buses) only because the Government of the day had the vision to look ahead and inject investment. Given that the private operators are the mainstay of the Valley’s urban transport system, it is urgent for the Government to extend financing to the private operators so they can overcome the up-front costs of buying large EV buses. (The actual running costs of the EVs in terms of maintenance and fuel tends to be much lower than ICE vehicles.)

Innovations in public transport

The planners for the Valley’s urban public transport must innovate based on local conditions and realities, without waiting for the donor agency input. They should also be skeptical of suggestions to blindly copy solutions from elsewhere, as the Valley’s possibilities and challenges are unique. Among the several arenas for study, is to check if it is possible to reduce the cost of large EV buses, by having fewer batteries and with fast charge possibilities along the bus route. Every so often there are suggestions of using urban cable cars (or gondolas) such as those used in some Latin American cities, and here it is important to study the volume of passengers that such lines would carry. One place to try and innovate (either cable cars, or even a bicycle way) would be to use the existing right-of-way of the 1960s American-built ropeway line from Teku southwest to Matatirtha, given that this entire quadrant of the Valley has become urbanized over the course of the last decade. Given the narrow roads of the Valley, a dedicated study should also be carried out on the possibility of tramways being experimented with in some cities, which require no overhead wires (using batteries) and GPS system in place of rail tracks. A team at Kathmandu University is presently working on cutting-edge hydrogen fuel technology, which could provide many answers for the future given Nepal’s possession of the two main ingredients required, electricity and water. Sajha Yatayat itself has converted a diesel bus into battery powered, but the challenges for spreading the concept is the high cost of one-off conversion, as well as the inability of the government authorities to provide the required paperwork for converted vehicles to run on the roads.

There is no solution to urban public transport in the Valley for now other than to promote dignified travel in buses large and small. We must make public vehicles attractive to the riders of motorbikes and scooters, which means offering both comfort and efficiency. Later, we must be able to attract the owners of cars as well into the buses. For such behavioral change, we must have a coming together of three elements that have been mentioned above: a) a move towards battery-run buses; b) system-wide introduction of digital payment; and c) establishment of a rationalized urban transport network. Things may look hopeless, but simple tweaking can work wonders. We need citizen activism to wake up the three tiers of Government from their slumber, and an activation of the Valley Transportation Authority, to ensure that there is a sensible urban public transport system that we all deserve.