Kathmandu, October 16: As Dashain approaches, crowds of people returning to their hometowns from the Kathmandu Valley have already begun to swell. Since Ghatasthapana, the number of people leaving the capital to celebrate Dashain and other festivals has been steadily increasing.
As Dashain comes only once a year and provides an opportunity for family reunions and meetings with relatives and loved ones, people continue to return to their hometowns despite traffic jams and unsafe travel conditions. They are navigating poor road infrastructure, traffic congestion and other obstacles to reach their homes.
Amar Mahata, a resident of Godawari Municipality in Kailali, said he was preparing to travel home with his family to celebrate Dashain.
“Airfares have become prohibitively expensive. We are travelling by bus to celebrate Dashain at home,” he said. “Looking at the current condition of the roads, I am worried about traffic jams as well. But Dashain comes only once a year, so we have to go home to celebrate it.”
He is not alone. People whose homes are outside the Kathmandu Valley, representing all 74 districts beyond the Valley, are returning to their hometowns to celebrate Dashain and other festivals.
According to a report on managing public transport services during Dashain 2083 prepared by the Infrastructure Development Committee, between 650,000 and 975,000 passengers are projected to leave the Kathmandu Valley by public transport during the festival.
Committee Chairperson Ashish Gajurel said the report estimated that between 43,000 and 65,000 public transport trips would be required to take passengers to their hometowns during Dashain.
“The report has also identified ways to address both short-term and long-term problems faced by passengers travelling during Dashain,” he said.
Large buses are expected to carry more than 48 per cent of passengers. Microbuses are projected to account for 43 per cent, while minibuses will carry the remaining nine per cent.
A 17-member study team led by Gajurel prepared the report. According to its projections, the heaviest passenger traffic this year is expected during the three-day period from October 17 (Phulpati) to October 19 (Ashtami).
The report estimates that between 75,522 and 113,283 passengers will travel on October 17, the day of Phulpati. Between 4,911 and 7,376 vehicles will be required to transport them.
Similarly, between 67,243 and 100,864 passengers are expected to travel on October 18. For this, between 4,463 and 6,695 vehicles will be needed.
On October 19, between 50,311 and 75,466 passengers are projected to travel, requiring between 2,818 and 4,227 vehicles.
On October 20, between 36,441 and 54,661 passengers are expected to leave the Valley. Between 1,826 and 2,739 public transport vehicles will be needed to serve them.
Poor Road Infrastructure Adds to Travel Challenges
People remain concerned about travelling safely because of repeated road subsidence along sections of the Prithvi Highway caused by the flow of the Trishuli River following the flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26. Repeated landslides along the BP Highway have also created various obstacles for travellers.
Meanwhile, flooding in the Budhi Gandaki River on October 1 damaged the reinforced iron bridge at Soti, which connects wards 2 and 3 of Arughat Rural Municipality, disrupting transportation.
Road access along the affected section has remained obstructed since October 11 because of damage to the iron bridge and other infrastructure in Arughat Rural Municipality of Gorkha.
Punya Prasad Sitaula, president of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs, said the poor condition of national highways posed a serious challenge to ensuring passengers reached their destinations safely.
“We, the transport entrepreneurs, are coordinating and cooperating with the relevant parties to ensure that people travelling to celebrate Dashain and other festivals reach their homes safely,” he said. “However, the extremely poor condition of the highways remains a major challenge in ensuring passengers reach their destinations safely.”
Committee Chairperson Gajurel said the committee had drawn the attention of the relevant authorities to the need for well-organised transport arrangements, taking into account the potential damage to and impact on highways, bridges and other infrastructure across the country from the Bhotekoshi floods and persistent rainfall in other districts.
“At present, the state needs to deploy substantial human resources and other resources to reopen and repair roads,” he said. “Arrangements must be made to enable people to travel home conveniently and celebrate the festivals safely, with passenger security given due priority.”
The Department of Roads has said it has kept 53 heavy machines, including bulldozers, excavators and loaders, on standby to respond to potential disasters and accidents.
The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has also announced that more than 1,300 traffic police personnel will be mobilised to manage traffic within the Valley during Dashain.
During the peak festive period, officers and personnel are scheduled to work extended shifts of 15 to 16 hours.
The report has also recommended giving high priority to inspecting vehicles and drivers operating during Dashain.
During this period, traffic police have been assigned responsibilities that include checking vehicles’ technical condition and roadworthiness, verifying vehicle documents and driving licences, conducting tests for alcohol and drug consumption, checking whether vehicles are carrying more passengers than their permitted capacity, and monitoring compliance with the requirement for two drivers on long-distance journeys.
(RSS)
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