Rupandehi, Electric vehicles that were waiting for a green signal for operation for at least three years here have come into operation from today.

The Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) took initiation to operate the vehicles for a trial of at least 15 days. LDT vice chair Awadesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief District Officer Bharatmani Pandey and LDT treasurer Siddhicharan Bhattarai jointly inaugurated the service amidst a programme here today. Five electric buses are to provide services along the Lumbini Airport, Belhiya-Ramgram, Airport- Golpark, Lumbini-Tilaurakot site circuit, Airport-Manigram-Devdaha routes and the shuttle service around Lumbini.

The Hotel Association, Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and LDT have each managed a driver for the buses. The trial period of the service will be at least 15 days and then it will be formally launched. The vehicles were brought here with the support of the Asian Development Bank and they remained non-operational in absence of a modality for operation.

Despite the preparations for launching the service bearing in mind the Dashain festival, the LDT is yet to come up with a sustainable working procedure to operate the service. Earlier Home Minister Balkrishna Khand on the occasion of World Tourism Day instructed to launch the service promptly.