Samir Jung Khadka, a passenger who boarded a bus from Gongbu Bus Park at 3 PM on Friday to celebrate Dashain, managed to reach his destination after about 50 hours of travel. The distance from Kathmandu to Shanti Bazar is 594 kilometres. Khadka said in a telephone conversation that although it would typically take about 18 hours to cross this distance under normal conditions, the highway was blocked in various places and, due to traffic jams; it was not possible to reach the destination on time.
"While we were on the way to Muglin from Kathmandu, we received news that the road had been washed away. Vehicles got stuck in Muglin. At around 2 o'clock in the night, it was reported that the highway had been open for one-way traffic. As the vehicle we were in was about reach Daunne, the road was washed away again at 5 in the morning at another place in Daunne," he said in a conversation with New Business Age, adding, "Due to traffic jams in various places, we had to travel for 50 hours to reach our destination. It has never taken so long before."
Most passengers travelling home from Kathmandu to celebrate Dashain are now facing similar issues. Highways blocked by last week's flash floods have not yet fully reopened. In some areas, there are still problems such as landslides, causing significant delays for passengers.
According to the Department of Roads, four roads—BP Highway, Kanti HIghway, Kathmandu-Pharping-Sisneri-Hetauda road, and Kathmandu-Pharping-Fakhel-Hetauda road—are still blocked. Even though the Nagadhunga-Muglin and Muglin-Narayangadh roads are partially open, heavy traffic is reported in these sections.
Umesh Bindu Shrestha, spokesperson for the department, stated that the traffic of passengers leaving the valley to celebrate Dashain is high, especially until Fulpati. He noted that other roads are blocked because passengers are using Nagadhunga-Muglin and Muglin-Narayangadh as alternative routes, increasing pressure on those roads. The department indicated that blockages still exist at around 30 locations, including BP Highway, Kanti HIghway, Arniko Highway, Pushpalal Highway, and Tribhuvan Highway.
Difficulty Acquiring Tickets in Advance
Advance ticket booking opened on September 28, in coordination with the government and transport operators. However, complaints from passengers trying to return home for Dashain about not securing tickets in advance have increased. It has also been reported that transport entrepreneurs are charging inflated fares.
Shyam Kumar Ojha, who came to Gongbu Bus Park on Sunday morning to buy an advance ticket to Dhangadhi in Kailali, said he was unable to get a ticket. He complained that although he managed to get tickets for Sunday, he could not secure tickets for October 8, 9, and 10.
When asked about this at the Sudurpaschim ticket counter inside the bus park, the officials stated that they were not selling tickets because they were uncertain when the buses returning from Dhangadhi would arrive in Kathmandu. Bijay Bahadur Swar, president of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE), also mentioned that they were selling tickets considering the current situation.
He said, "It is not certain when the buses that left will arrive in Kathmandu due to road blockages in various places. Therefore, tickets are sold to passengers only after the buses arrive in Kathmandu," adding, "We sold tickets to passengers, but if the bus fails to arrive, they will get stranded."
Earlier, the transport entrepreneurs had demanded that the government stop advance ticket booking, stating that vehicles could not reach their destinations on time due to the blocked highway. After a meeting involving the department, transport operators, and traffic police, it was decided that tickets could be sold based on the situation. The transport entrepreneurs then retreated from their demand to stop bookings and continued selling tickets.
Even passengers who secured tickets must pay up to Rs 400 more than the normal fare. Rupesh Shah, a passenger, reported that he had to pay up to Rs 2,400 for a Kathmandu-Nepalgunj ticket, which normally costs Rs 2,000. According to him, under normal conditions, he used to pay Rs 2,000 for that route. Teansport entrepreneurs have stated that since it takes significantly longer time to reach destinations from Kathmandu now, the cost of the tickets has also increased compared to normal conditions.
