Kathmandu, October 12

With Dashain fever in full swing, more people are in travel rush to join their families back home. SP Raj Kumar Lamsal, spokesperson at Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, said tens of thousands of migrant workers, students, civil servants and private employees, have been leaving Kathmandu for their hometowns and villages to celebrate the festival.

“Around 400,000 people have left valley through Thankot, Dakshinkali, Jagati and Balaju entry points over the period of three days since Ghatasthapana and more people are expected to move home in the coming four days. On an average, 130,000 people have left the valley and the number is likely to double or triple till the day of Mahaasthami,” he informed. Fulpati is the busiest travel day before it witnesses a lull for a few days.

Over 13,000 buses, minibuses and microbuses have been ferrying passengers to their destinations on a daily basis. Around 9,000 vehicles leave the valley on normal days. A least 2.5 million are expected to travel for their homes from the valley via road and air, according to MTPD. This figure is basically the same as that of last year.

SP Lamsal said traffic police personnel were mobilised to manage and regulate vehicular traffic to ensure passengers’ safety. Passenger help desks have been set up in Kalanki, Swoyambhu, New Bus Park, Satdobato, Gaushala, Chabahil, Balkhu, Dakshinkali, Koteshwor, Sundhara, Baneshwor, Old Bus Park, Nagdhunga and Jagati to regulate the traffic and settle complaints lodged by passengers.

The help desks comprise representatives from traffic and civil police, Department of Transport Management, civil society, transport entrepreneurs and workers.

These desks will check if the vehicles are carrying passengers beyond capacity and also take action against drunk drivers. Traffic police, however, have allowed the passengers to travel on the roof of vehicles as very few vehicles are plying due to fuel shortage. To prevent road accidents, the government has made it mandatory for transport entrepreneurs to manage two drivers for long-route vehicles.

According to MTPD, a temporary traffic police post has been established in Dhunibesi of Dhading to ease and facilitate smooth movement of the vehicles leaving or entering Kathmandu. The post has been assigned to tackle daily traffic congestion on the Nagdhunga-Khani Khola road stretch.

Traffic congestion has been a regular phenomenon in various places, including Tinpiple, Piplamod, Jyaplekhola and Khatripauwa, among others, and travellers are stuck in jam for hours due to sorry state of roads. The problem is likely to worsen during the festive season, mainly Dashain.