People leaving Kathmandu for Dashain face transport issues

KATHMANDU: The number of people leaving Kathmandu for their hometowns to celebrate Dashain has been rising. Many have complained about the difficulty in securing long-distance public transport and air tickets.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Bharat Bahadur Bohara, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, reported that 363,164 people left the Kathmandu Valley between September 30 and October 6 to celebrate Bada Dashain. On the night of last Saturday to Sunday alone, 16,465 people departed from Kathmandu.

The increase in travellers has led to vehicles being stuck at checkpoints and on highways. Drivers have reported that broken and washed-away roads are causing significant trouble for travel.

Lokesh Singh, a resident of Kailali district, mentioned that many people were forced to stay in the Kathmandu Valley during Dashain due to the difficulty in obtaining bus and air tickets. "Tickets for buses and flights are not easily available. I got a seat because I had already booked and paid for a ticket in advance," he said. "My friends are forced to stay in Kathmandu since they couldn't get tickets. How bad it is."

Meanwhile, passengers are compelled to pay high prices for bus and air travel during the festive season.

Another passenger, Deepak Bahadur Khatri, said some long-distance passengers at Gongbu Bus Park in Kathmandu, heading to Achham, were forced to travel sitting on the bonnets of buses.

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