October 1: While transport entrepreneurs have claimed that all tickets for long-distance routes have been booked till October 5, Traffic Police have said that only 8591 tickets were booked as of Sunday. This has raised suspicion of transport entrepreneurs deliberately avoiding bookings to sell the tickets in the black market.

Keeping in mind the rush during Dashain, pre-booking for bus tickets was opened since September 22 to ease the outflow of people from the valley to celebrate Dashain in their hometown. Around 2.5 million people leave the valley for celebrating Dashain every year.

According to the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, Ramshah Path, as many as 700,000 people left the valley between September 22 to 29. The outflow of people continues to increase from Ghatasthapana. According to government authorities, 1.8 million people are yet to leave the valley.

And there are still a large number of people who have not yet been able to book the tickets to return home. Devsara Upadhyaya, a local of Tikapur in Kailali,  complained that she has not been able to book her ticket for the far-western province.

“I have been visiting ticket counter at Sundhara bus park for three days but could not get the ticket,” she said.

Likewise, Khagendra Biswokarma of Surkhet also complained for not getting ticket.

According to the staffers at ticket counters, the tickets for short-distant routes are only available. Sundhara-based Karnali Riverside Yatayat Pvt Ltd’s staff Bikash Sharma said that tickets for buses traveling on long distance have already been booked.

When he was asked how all the tickets were booked when half of the people are yet to return home, he replied, “It is may be because some people moght have booked multiple tickets.”

Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE) has been careful enough to ensure that sufficient number of buses are running during the festive season to facilitate commuters.  

President of FNNTE Yogendra Nath Karmacharya said that around 1,000 public buses are leaving the valley during Dashain among which half of the buses are being operated under regular bookings.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transport Management has also opened route permit for public vehicles to operate in any places of the country from September 22 to October 6 on the occasion of Dashain. This special one-off provision was made taking into consideration the large number of passengers leaving the valley.