सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Ilam. Cheki Sherpa is 19 years old. She drives on the dirt roads of Ilam. Cheki, who is courageous and brave, has been continuously carrying passengers in a Bolero jeep for the past one and a half years.
There are women who drive. But the number of women who drive public transport on dirt roads in the hilly districts is negligible. She is the only teenager not only in Ilam district but also in the eastern hills to drive a vehicle with passengers.
No one dares to drive on the dirt roads of the mountains, on the rivers and steep roads. She said that she started driving after her family bought her a car. She goes to Ilam headquarters from Sisne in Jamuna, Sandakpur, Ilam in the morning with passengers and luggage in a Bolero double-cap jeep. In the afternoon, she returns to Jamuna from the headquarters and Biblyante.
She said that her father has always been a driver. She said that she became a driver with the help of her father because she has three daughters at home. She said that initially her father taught her to drive at short distances, but she gradually started driving well.
Phurba Sherpa said that after her daughter learned to drive well, she let her daughter drive. ‘My father has helped me drive. With the support of my family, I can drive well and do this profession,’ she said.
Some passengers initially did not trust Cheki when she drove. They would not even get into the vehicle she was driving. However, nowadays, passengers have started trusting Cheki so much that they have started looking for the vehicle she is driving.
She said that she earns more than 30,000 per month by cutting expenses even during the rainy season. She has little money left over as the vehicle has to be repaired a lot due to the muddy roads during the rainy season. She says that she earns more during the winter season. Drivers in the area say that they earn around 100,000 rupees per month during the season.
Locals say that she studied up to class 12 and used to drive in the village even while she was studying. She dreams of making her sister a doctor by driving. “Since we don’t have brothers, we have been working for both our sons and daughters since we were young,” she said. Many Nepali women go abroad in search of employment. But Chhin Cheki has set an example that women can also do the job of driving in the village.
Passengers say that she drives very simply even on risky roads, so passengers choose her car. “We have found some male drivers driving under the influence of alcohol,” said local passenger Dawa Sherpa. “But since he doesn’t even drink alcohol, we can travel with confidence.”
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