Students spend hours in traffic jams daily

Kathmandu, September 2

A student from Bhaktapur travelling to Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur spends nearly six hours each day passing through Koteswor to Kalanki a 9.6 km distance.

This stretch of road has over the years become notorious for its frustratingly long traffic jams.The commuters who come out from their homes early in the hope of reaching the college on time are disappointed.

“The bus takes exactly three hours to reach Kalanki from Bhaktapur,” said Sushma Thapa (22), a student of Tribhuvan University. Sushma is currently doing her Masters in English literature. “For a five-hour class I have to travel eight hours a day.

I came from Changunarayan, Bhaktapur. From Bhaktapur to Kritipur I have to change 2 buses which takes four hours to reach and four hours again to return home,” she shared.

A public bus travelling from Bhaktapur to Kalanki might take 45 minutes to 1 hour if the roads are in a good condition. But due to poor condition of the roads students especially are affected.

Rina Mijar’s story is similar to that of Thapa’s. She wakes up at 3:00 am to get ready for college. “I am usually late because of the traffic jam,” she said. Due to the semester course requirements, she has to attain regular classes and needs to have a record of 80 per cent attendance.

Often when she is not on time, her attendance is not recorded by her teachers. “I have missed my attendance more than 10 times. Try as I might, I end up being tardy due to the traffic jam,” she lamented. Those working at the universit also face the same problem.

“Our friends who live nearby are able to focus better on their academic work as they get some down time and will thus be recharged. By the time I get home, I am so exhausted that books are the last thing I think about,” said Sabina Baniya.

“At times I fear that because of this issue, I may fail even though I work really hard.

To secure a bright future I came to study in the central university but the commute has been impossible to manage.”