High court clears way for LDT to press its electric buses into service

LUMBINI:  The Butwal High Court has issued a mandamus order directing the Lumbini Province Ministry of Transport Management to change the number plates of electric vehicles brought under the Lumbini Development Trust from white (government-owned) to green (tourist vehicles).

The appeal court has given the ministry one month to convert the number plates of 19 electric vehicles—five buses and 14 vans—provided by the Asian Development Bank through the Green Energy Fund to facilitate their use as tourist vehicles.

A division bench of High Court Judges Rajeshwar Tiwari and Punyashila Dawadi Ghimire issued the order on Monday, stating that the provincial cabinet had already made a decision to change the number plates for tourist service operations.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by Ram Bikash Chaudhary on behalf of the Tarai Madhesh Human Rights Home. Adcoates Resham Adhikari and Baburam Bhusal represented the petitioner, while Province Chief Attorney Yamlal Khanal and Senior Advocate Liladhar Marasini argued on behalf of the opposition.

“The Vehicles and Transport Management Act, 1993, provides a legal basis for converting the number plates to green. Therefore, the court orders the transport ministry to implement the change and bring the vehicles into operation within a month,” the mandamus order states.

A task force led by Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Treasurer Dhundiraj Bhattarai had prepared a report and draft guidelines for operating the electric buses in 2022. However, it could not be implemented as the buses were bearing white (government) number plates.

The high court order has given the LDT the clearance to proceed with the number plate change and put the electric vehicles into operation.