- Type
- Act
- Year
- २०७९ BS
- Status
- In force
- Category
- खण्ड ९: पर्यटन, श्रम तथा यातायात · Volume 9: Tourism, Labor and Transport
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.
What does it do?
- The Nepal Railway Act 2079, which replaced the Railway Ordinance 2078, sets up the Nepal Railway Board as an autonomous body to develop and expand railways and to run safe, standard, regular and reliable rail services. The Board is chaired by the minister or minister of state responsible for railways and includes ministry secretaries and nominated experts in management, transport and engineering (including at least one woman in each group), with the Railway Administrator as member-secretary. It advises the government on railway policy, coordinates with provinces and local governments, and approves its own plans and budget.रेल्वे अध्यादेश, २०७८ लाई प्रतिस्थापन गर्दै आएको नेपाल रेल्वे ऐन, २०७९ ले रेल्वेको विकास र विस्तार गर्न तथा सुरक्षित, स्तरीय, नियमित र भरपर्दो रेल्वे सेवा सञ्चालन गर्न स्वशासित संस्थाका रूपमा नेपाल रेल्वे बोर्ड स्थापना गरेको छ। बोर्डको अध्यक्ष रेल्वे हेर्ने मन्त्री वा राज्यमन्त्री हुन्छन्, र सदस्यमा मन्त्रालयका सचिव तथा व्यवस्थापन, यातायात र इन्जिनियरिङका मनोनीत विज्ञ (प्रत्येक समूहमा कम्तीमा एक महिलासहित) रहन्छन्; रेल्वे प्रशासक सदस्य-सचिव हुन्छन्। बोर्डले रेल्वे नीतिबारे सरकारलाई सुझाव दिन्छ, प्रदेश र स्थानीय तहसँग समन्वय गर्छ र आफ्नो योजना तथा बजेट स्वीकृत गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Preamble, p. 1; Sections 3–6, pp. 4–6; Section 91, p. 37
- Before a railway line is opened, the Board must have it checked for safety. The Board sets passenger fares, luggage and freight charges and demurrage, and must publish timetables and fares at least seven days before they take effect. No one may drive a train without a driver's licence. Cross-border rail services may run under agreements with foreign states. Where the Board asks, the government may set up a separate railway security unit; until then, the government provides security.रेल्वे लाइन सञ्चालनमा ल्याउनुअघि बोर्डले सुरक्षाको दृष्टिले जाँचबुझ गराउनुपर्छ। बोर्डले यात्रु भाडा, यात्रुगुन्टा तथा मालसामान ढुवानी शुल्क र विलम्ब शुल्क तोक्छ, र समय तालिका तथा भाडादर लागू हुनुभन्दा कम्तीमा सात दिनअघि सार्वजनिक गर्नुपर्छ। अनुमतिपत्र नलिई कसैले रेल चलाउन पाउँदैन। विदेशी राष्ट्रसँग सम्झौता गरी सीमापार रेल्वे सेवा सञ्चालन गर्न सकिन्छ। बोर्डले अनुरोध गरेमा नेपाल सरकारले रेल्वे सुरक्षाका लागि छुट्टै सुरक्षा इकाइ गठन गर्न सक्छ; त्यस्तो इकाइ नबनेसम्म सरकारले सुरक्षा व्यवस्था गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 10–17, pp. 8–11
- The Act sets out the Board's liability for passengers' luggage and goods, and rules on investigating accidents and paying treatment costs and compensation; the Board's compensation decisions can be appealed to the High Court within 35 days. Serious offences such as setting fire to or planting explosives on a train or railway, or seizing or damaging railway property, carry up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine where no one dies (and homicide penalties where someone does); lesser offences such as forging tickets, littering or travelling in prohibited places carry smaller penalties. District courts hear these cases.यात्रुगुन्टा र मालसामानप्रति बोर्डको दायित्व, रेल दुर्घटनाको जाँचबुझ, उपचार खर्च र क्षतिपूर्ति सम्बन्धी व्यवस्था ऐनमा छ; क्षतिपूर्तिसम्बन्धी बोर्डको निर्णयउपर ३५ दिनभित्र उच्च अदालतमा पुनरावेदन लाग्छ। रेल वा रेल्वेमा आगो लगाउने, विस्फोटक पदार्थ राख्ने, रेल कब्जा गर्ने वा रेल्वे सम्पत्तिमा क्षति पुर्याउने जस्ता गम्भीर कसुरमा कसैको ज्यान नगएको भए दश वर्षसम्म कैद र जरिबाना (ज्यान गएमा ज्यानसम्बन्धी कसुरसरह सजाय) हुन्छ; टिकट सच्याउने, फोहर फाल्ने वा निषेधित स्थानमा बसेर यात्रा गर्ने जस्ता कसुरमा कम सजाय हुन्छ। यी मुद्दा जिल्ला अदालतले हेर्छ। Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal Sections 29–55, pp. 15–25; Sections 62–63, pp. 29–31; Section 69, p. 32
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Not enforced Rules needed to apply the Act have not been made. Section 88 lets the government make rules, but the Auditor General reported that by FY 2081/82 no railway regulations had been drafted, leaving the Board's procedures, staff management, fund management, scope of work and coordination with other bodies unclear.ऐन लागू गर्न आवश्यक नियमावली बनेको छैन। दफा ८८ ले नेपाल सरकारलाई नियम बनाउने अधिकार दिए पनि आ.व. २०८१/८२ सम्म नियमावली तर्जुमा नभएकाले बोर्डको कार्यसम्पादन प्रक्रिया, कर्मचारी व्यवस्थापन, कोष व्यवस्थापन, कार्यक्षेत्र र अन्तरनिकाय समन्वयजस्ता विषय स्पष्ट हुन नसकेको महालेखापरीक्षकले उल्लेख गरेको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoPIT chapter, Nepal Railway Board, para 78, printed p. 343 (PDF p. 375); Act s. 88, p. 36
- Capacity The planned railway security force has not been created. The Home Administration Reform Action Plan 2078 said a railway security force would be set up within two years, but the Auditor General found four years later that it had not been formed. Section 11 of the Act allows a separate railway security unit.योजनाअनुसार रेल्वे सुरक्षा गण गठन भएको छैन। गृह प्रशासन सुधार कार्ययोजना, २०७८ ले दुई वर्षभित्र रेल्वे सुरक्षा गण स्थापना गर्ने भनेकोमा चार वर्षपछि पनि गठन नभएको महालेखापरीक्षकले औँल्याएको छ। ऐनको दफा ११ ले छुट्टै रेल्वे सुरक्षा इकाइ गठन गर्न सकिने व्यवस्था गरेको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal OAG 63rd Annual Report, Ministry of Home Affairs chapter, para 8, printed pp. 264–265 (PDF pp. 296–297); Act s. 11, pp. 8–9
- Not enforced Assets have not been properly transferred. Two DEMU train sets bought from an Indian company for Rs 1.02 billion under a 2075/9/29 Cabinet decision are being run by Nepal Railway Company Ltd, but their value had not been booked as a loan or share investment as the Finance Minister decided on 2078/12/4, and two related bogies remained with the Department of Railways.सम्पत्ति हस्तान्तरण व्यवस्थित भएको छैन। मन्त्रिपरिषद्को २०७५/९/२९ को निर्णयअनुसार एक भारतीय कम्पनीबाट रु. १ अर्ब १ करोड ८३ लाखमा खरिद गरिएका दुई सेट डेमु रेल नेपाल रेल्वे कम्पनी लिमिटेडले चलाइरहेको भए पनि अर्थमन्त्रीस्तरको २०७८/१२/४ को निर्णयअनुसार तिनको मूल्य ऋण वा सेयर लगानीका रूपमा लेखाङ्कन गरिएको छैन, र दुई बोगी अझै रेल विभागअन्तर्गत छन्। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoPIT chapter, Nepal Railway Board, para 79, printed p. 343 (PDF p. 375)
Ideas to fix it
- Prepare and enforce railway regulations, and record the value of the transferred trains as a loan or share investment.रेल्वे नियमावली तयार गरी लागू गर्ने, र हस्तान्तरित रेलको मूल्य ऋण वा सेयर रकममा लेखाङ्कन गर्ने। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General (63rd Annual Report) Office of the Auditor General, Nepal
Where does it conflict with other laws?
No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.