KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 20
Passenger vehicles will be allowed to exit Kathmandu Valley through the Nagdhunga–Sisneri tunnel road during the upcoming Bada Dashain festival, the government announced Saturday. Public buses carrying passengers will also be permitted to enter the Valley via the tunnel after the holiday.
The decision came after a meeting led by Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kulman Ghising, who instructed agencies to provide round-the-clock traffic updates and promptly address traveller complaints.
To ease festive traffic and improve safety, the Ministry of Home Affairs will direct Nepal Police to boost security at Kathmandu's New Bus Park and along major highways. Heavy trucks with 12 wheels or more will be barred from the Daunne stretch of the Butwal–Narayanghat road during the festival.
The Department of Roads has been ordered to keep key highways open and well-maintained, ensure two-way traffic on the Daunne section, clear the Tuin River blockage on the Narayangadh–Muglin route, and reopen the main road to the Tatopani border before Dashain. A 24-hour focal person will monitor road conditions nationwide.
Senior officials from the transport and roads departments, Nepal Police, and the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs joined the meeting, which focused on traffic management and public safety for the peak travel season.
