KATHMANDU: For drivers at Singha Durbar, Bishwakarma Puja has always been a day of reverence. In past years, they celebrated the occasion with devotion, decorating their vehicles like temples. This year, however, the grounds were marked not by worship but by the charred remains of government vehicles destroyed in the recent Gen-Z protests.
Inside Singha Durbar, the burnt shells of vehicles now stand abandoned. Drivers have labeled the remains with paper notes to identify which vehicles once stood there, while others that were damaged but not destroyed have been covered with plastic.
For Rajaram Koirala, a driver at the Ministry of Home Affairs, the sight is heartbreaking. “A vehicle is like a temple for a driver. If I get hurt, it doesn’t matter much, but when the bus I drove turns to ashes, it feels like my heart is crying,” he said.
Koirala recalls rushing to the ministry parking lot the morning after hearing of the fire. “So many vehicles were in ruins. The bus I used to drive was shattered, its glass broken. Luckily, it hadn’t caught fire. For us, vehicles are not just machines, they are part of us,” he added.
In earlier years, drivers at Singha Durbar pooled money to buy flowers, coconuts, incense, and flags to celebrate Vishwakarma Puja. The courtyard would come alive with decorated vehicles and offerings, spreading joy among all staff.
“On that day, vehicles looked like grooms, beautifully adorned,” said Kedarnath Ghimire, an employee at the Ministry of Home Affairs. “Now, to see them burnt beyond recognition is deeply painful.”
Leela Bahadur Bogati, who has served as a driver at the Ministry of Law for nine years, said vehicles are more than just tools for livelihood. “For me, the vehicle I drove was like a close friend. I always kept it clean and intact, never allowed it to be scratched. Now it’s shattered, and my heart feels just as broken.”
According to officials, around 750 motorcycles and scooters, along with 350 other government vehicles belonging to the Prime Minister’s Office, ministries, and various agencies inside Singha Durbar, were destroyed or damaged in the fire.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has begun collecting detailed reports of vehicle and office damages across the country, said Deputy Secretary and Assistant Spokesperson Rabindra Acharya. He confirmed that most of the ministry’s vehicles were completely destroyed in the fire.
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