KATHMANDU, Oct 4: The number of people leaving Kathmandu for their hometown to celebrate Dashain is increasing day by day. Currently, New Bus Park, Gongabu, is getting crowded due to the sheer number of people departing Kathmandu valley for Dashain and others buying bus tickets in advance.
With the start of the biggest festival of the Nepali people, the general currently living in Kathmandu Valley due to various purposes have started returning home to celebrate Dashain with family members and relatives.
Chief of Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Bharat Bahadur Bohara said a total of 126,435 people left Kathmandu Valley from September 30 to the morning of October 3 in vehicles—buses, trucks, and motorcycles.
Around 50,000 passengers leaving Kathmandu Valley for hometown...
Similarly, spokesperson of District Police Range (DPR), Kathmandu, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nabaraj Adhikari said that the crowd of people returning home has increased at the bus park after schools started closing for the holidays with the beginning of Dashain festival on Thursday. He added the DPR has increased the number of security personnel at the bus park to manage the growing crowd of people. SP Adhikari also stated that a help desk has been established in order to make passengers travel more smoothly.
According to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office (KVTPO), Baggikhana, crowds of people returning home and vehicular traffic has increased at New Bus Park, Kalanki and Koteshwor areas. In addition, the capital is experiencing significant traffic congestion at its entry and exit points due to an influx of passengers and vehicles during the Dashain festival.
Driver Ramit Oli, who operates on the Kathmandu-Dhangadhi route for Sudurpaschim Travel, said there is a significant rise in the number of people leaving the city for their hometowns as the festival began.
Road conditions have deteriorated due to rain-related disasters, yet vehicles remain packed as demand rises. By Thursday afternoon, a total of 820 motor vehicles, including buses, microbuses, trucks, private cars, and motorcycles, had departed from Kathmandu. According to SP Adhikari, 13,503 passengers left the city in these vehicles.
As of noon on Friday, 544 vehicles entered Kathmandu, carrying 6,554 passengers. The number of people traveling in reserved and private vehicles, which are not accounted for in police records, is also said to be high.
Bus counters have already accepted advance ticket bookings until October 9, making it extremely challenging for travelers to secure a ticket. Lalit Magar from Rolpa said he arrived at the New Buspark in Gongabu in the early morning on Friday but struggled to find a bus ticket to go home.
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