KATHMANDU, Nov 8: Even though the express bus service, which was started with an investment of more than Rs 30 million, has stalled, the Department of Road (DoR) is preparing to spend an additional Rs 2 million to make it effective.

Four companies have already submitted bills worth Rs 31 million incurred while painting the lane of the express bus service to the DoR.

Although DoR is yet to pay the bills, it is preparing to spend additional Rs 2 million to put dividers on the express bus service route.

The DoR is going to purchase about 600 heavy dividers to make the fast bus service more effective. The market price of a divider is said to be Rs 3000. Similarly, the DoR is also going to purchase rope for other purposes. It is estimated that the purchase of ropes and dividers will cost around Rs 2 million.

Uddhav Prasad Rijal, director general of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), said that the matter of placing dividers is being discussed to make express bus service efficient. However, Narayan Lamichhane, senior division engineer (SDE) of Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project said that the DoR has given verbal instructions to purchase more than 100 dividers to make a dedicated line from Jadibuti to Suryabinayak. The same project painted red color on the route from Jadibuti to Suryabinayak.

DoR officials said they have requested the Road Division Office, Kathmandu to purchase another 100 dividers. The rest of the dividers will be purchased by the DoR itself. The DoTM has been entrusted with the task of operating express bus services. The DoR has been given the responsibility to paint the red color, sign boards and make a dedicated line.

The express bus service, which was launched with great fanfare on September 20 on the occasion of Constitution Day, is now inactive. SDE Lamichhane said that they are ready to make the service effective after Tihar and create a separate route by keeping a divider. According to him, if there is no separate route for the express bus service, the express bus service cannot be effective. “Other vehicles also operate on the express bus route. There are complaints that the express service could not be carried out quickly and effectively. That is why preparations have been made to make a separate route by keeping a divider,” he said.

About Rs 31 million will be spent from the state coffers only to paint red color on the road and to install sign boards for the express bus service. The engineers of the DoR admit that the paint applied after spending Rs 31 million has faded in a few days. The question has been raised about the quality of the color. 

A red color is used to indicate a separate lane for express bus services. The work of installing  red color and sign boards was done by Kathmandu Road Division Office from Ratnapark to Jadibuti and from Jadibuti to Suryabinayak, Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project.

The decision to operate an express bus service in Kathmandu was made by the Office of the Prime Minister in the last week of August. Then, its responsibility was handed over to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure. In the first week of September, it was decided to operate an express bus service from Ratnapark to Suryabinayak through a ministerial-level decision. Before that, two or three possible routes to Kathmandu were studied. The most suitable route from the study was found to be Ratnapark to Suryabinayak route. The road from Ratnapark to Suryabinayak is about 18 km long.

 
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