Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Rangmati Shahi has offered Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli to ride pillion on her scooter to check whether there is dust in Kathmandu or not.
Addressing a program in Kathmandu on Saturday, PM Oli had claimed that nobody wears mask now as there is no dust in the Kathmandu Valley while people had to wear one while he assumed office a year ago.
"He sits inside an air-conditioned vehicle with tinted glass. How can one see through the tinted glass?" Shahi said during the meeting of the Development Committee of the parliament on Thursday. "Dear PM, let's go to Banasthali on my scooter," Shahi, who stays in Banasthali, offered.
She added that PM Oli would be able to decide whether one needs a mask in the Valley or not after riding pillion with her.
She also asked about the state of the two electric buses inaugurated on October 23, 2018 by PM Oli with much fanfare during the meeting about the issues related to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
"I had asked transport minister where the vehicles currently are," Shahi told Setopati. "I was told the ministry does not know."
The ministry informed the committee that it is bringing 300 new electric buses but Shahi pointed that the government has not made adequate preparations. "The buses will apparently have to be charged for 8-12 hours a day. Where will they be charged and when will they run?" she asked.
She pointed that Kathmandu lacks charging stations to charge 20-30 buses at once. "There are no charging stations. Buying buses alone without plans will not work," she added.
She also advised the government to decide whether to dispose or recycle the batteries of the vehicles that have to be replaced in 10 years.
