KATHMANDU: It is a rush hour at the capital’s New Bus Park. Outside the ticket counters, travellers in thousands queue up spreading their hands like tentacles of octopuses, trying to grab the tickets. The walls and roofs reverberate Dashain! Dashain!!

A visit to one of the

terminals’ ticketing counters, however, gives one a different impression, as though it was not a Dashain at all, but a time for loot and corruption for the ticketing officials.

Take the case of Govinda Shrestha, a migrant worker in Kathmandu. The travel fair for Dumre Bazaar, Tanahun is barely Rs 175 by Pokhara-bound bus, but the ticketing official charged him Rs 250 - much to his surprise.

“I have no options but to pay what is charged me,” Shrestha said, adding, “The government ought to keep its eyes at such unfair trade practices, but there seems to be an anarchy here,” he complained.

Shrestha is not the isolated traveller cheated by the ticketing officers, Somnath Sunuwar, another traveler, was rolling up his sleeves to pounce a ticketing official.

Asked, why he took

an extreme measure, Sunuwar said, “I was charged Rs 750 for Nepalgunj, instead of Rs 700 fixed by the government.”

Mohan Dulal, yet another joined Sunuwar’s camp, but were no match to the cunning mafia-style ticketing officials flexing their muscles, who ruled the day.

“I paid Rs 350 for Damauli, which is

Rs 80 more than a normal fare,” said Dulal, who was visibly angry.

Responding to queries, Sitaram Bastola, a ticketing official, attributed the hike in fare to money-making opportunity, owing to a huge rush of travellers.

Appearing cool and

unbend, even as he brazenly cheated his customers , he blatantly remarked,

“It is up to the people whether to travel or not.”

He added, “If we don’t earn now, when shall we?”.

Meantime, Dinesh Bhandari, president, National Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association, assured of stringent action against the guilty, but said they had to be caught red-handed.”