Public transport and air ticket not being easily available for Dashain

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 7: The number of people leaving the Kathmandu Valley for their hometowns to celebrate the ongoing Dashain festival has been steadily increasing, making it difficult to find long-distance public transport and air tickets.

Bharat Bahadur Bohara, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office and Deputy Inspector General of Police reported that a total of 363,164 people left the Kathmandu Valley between September 30 and October 6 for the festive celebrations.

In the latest wave, 16,465 people departed from Kathmandu from 6:00 p.m. on Saturday to Sunday morning alone.

The surge in travellers has caused congestion at checkpoints and highways as vehicles get stuck due to the increased traffic flow out of the Valley. Drivers have expressed concerns over the conditions of the roads, stating that broken and washed-out sections in certain areas are creating severe difficulties for both them and passengers.

Lokesh Singh, a resident of Kailali, mentioned that many people are still stranded in the Valley due to the unavailability of bus and air tickets. He shared, "Tickets for buses and flights have been hard to come by. I was fortunate to get a seat only because I booked and paid for my ticket in advance." He added, "Some of my friends couldn’t leave Kathmandu because they couldn’t get tickets. It’s really unfortunate."

Passengers are now compelled to pay exorbitant prices for bus and air tickets to travel home for the festive season. Deepak Bahadur Khatri observed that some long-distance travelers at Gongabu Bus Park in Kathmandu, heading to Achham, were forced to travel in precarious conditions—even riding on the bonnets of buses due to the lack of available seats.

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