Durga Dutt Dahal elected as President of NTVA Gandaki

POKHARA, Dec 11:Durga Dutt Dahal was elected President of Nepal Tourist Vehicle Association - NTVA, Gandaki Province.

Dahal was unanimously elected president of the association at the fifth annual general meeting and third session.

The association's former president is Baburam Pandey, the first vice president is Ravi Prasad Acharya, the second vice president is Surya Bahadur Ghale, the general secretary is Bikas Prasad Kandel, the secretary is Shyam Prasad Lamichhane, the treasurer is Shobhakhar Tiwari, and the co-treasurer is Bhuwani Prasad Adhikari.

Similarly, Sangeeta Adhikari, Suman Kunwar, and Anandraj Adhikari are members of the association's committee. Two members of the working committee are expected to be nominated later.

Earlier, while inaugurating the  general meeting, Gandaki Province Minister of Economic Affairs Jit Prakash Ale Magar stated that the tourist sector is a high priority for the Gandaki Province government.

He stated that in the past, the tourist sector was harmed by COVID-19 and other issues, but that this is no longer the case, and that tourism promotion operations should continue. He stated that the government is willing to help the development of the tourism sector and that tourism can lead to wealth.

Pomnarayan Shrestha, Chairman of the Pokhara Tourism Council, stated that tourism can help Gandaki province become financially strong and capable, and that tourist promotion and development should be prioritized in the government's budget.

He brought the attention of the government to the fact that the delay in the construction of the Pokhara-Muglin road has harmed Pokhara's tourism and urged it to be completed as soon as possible.

The uniqueness of tourist transport will be lost in the name of having embossed numbers on cars, according to Baburam Pandey, President of Nepal Tourist Transport Business Association, Gandaki Province, and he highlighted that the identity should be preserved.

According to Bedraj Bastola, central president of the Nepal Tourism and Transport Professionals Association, the tourist transport sector is dangerous, and the industry is facing challenges owing to unorganized roadways, rising bank interest rates, and other factors. He emphasized that embossed numbers should be ensured for the identification of tourist vehicles.