Upper House endorses Truth and Reconciliation Bill; Call to pass bill related to road safety

Kathmandu / Feb 3: The bill relating to inquiry into the enforced disappearance of people and the truth and reconciliation was passed by a meeting of the National Assembly (NA) today.

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal tabled the bill in the meeting that was postponed twice until the lawmakers present at the third session voted in favor of the bill.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered the government to amend the act in line with international standards.

The apex court ruled that there should not be amnesty for grave human rights violations such as extra-judicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence; the statute of limitations for grave offences must be removed; cases recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) must be prosecuted; torture and enforced disappearance must be criminalised through the enactment of laws; cases before court cannot be transferred to the TRC or the CIEDP; dignified and respectable reparation for victims; and reconciliation cannot be made without the consent of victims.

The TRC and the CIEDP, which were formed in February 2015 to investigate conflict-era rights violations, have so far failed to completely investigate even a single case. And one of the major reasons for this failure is lack of necessary legislation, besides crunch of human and financial resources.

Of more than 63,000 complaints filed with the TRC, it has carried out preliminary investigation into just under 3,000 complaints.

Of the 3,197 complaints the CIEDP has received, it has recommended 2,512 complaints for detailed investigation.

The two commissions had reasoned that they can function well only if they are ensured act amendment, adequate budget and human resources.

Call to pass bill related to road safety

Stakeholders and authorities have demanded that the road safety bill drafted by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport be passed from the Parliament at the earliest.

At a workshop organised by Nepal Injury Investigation Centre, lawmaker Dila Sangraula, who had registered the proposal of public importance related to ro ad safety in the Parliament, demanded that discussions be held on the bill.

Sangraula argued that it was the government’s duty to ensure road safety. Furthermore, she viewed that the concerned authority should regularly monitor construction of roads to make sure that they meet set standards.

Moreover, the lawmaker opined that the Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act was outdated and the laws needed to be updated to ensure road safety. She viewed that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure as well as the Ministry for Health and Population should work in coordination to finalise the draft of road safety bill.

Similarly, lawmaker Ram Kumari Jhakri stressed the need for the media to conduct in-depth reporting of road accidents. She asserted that the media should enhance advocacy on the issues related to road safety. According to her, both the government and public should work towards reducing road accidents.

Meanwhile, Joint-Secretary Saroj Pradhan said the bill related to road safety was being prepared. Pradhan shared that a study conducted by traffic police showed that around 2,000 people were killed and 4,000 critically injured annually in road accidents across the country.

On the occasion, journalist Yubaraj Ghimire said cases of road accidents were increasing lately as the traffic police had been allowing the vehicles carrying VIPs to cross the speed limit. He said the media should disseminate stories that would raise road safety awareness among the people. Journalist Gajendra Budhathoki, who sustained spinal injury, following a road accident in 2008 said his life had been difficult after the accident.RSS