KATHMANDU:  People who need to go to their homes outside the Kathmandu Valley for the upcoming Dashain festival have been worried as transports are yet to launch the ticket booking, with just three weeks left for the festival to begin.

In general, ticket booking opens almost a month before the festival starts. But, this year, it has not yet started.

Therefore, the people willing to travel early have blamed the concerned authorities for their negligence towards the need of people.

"We are looking forward eagerly to secure a seat on the bus to our village for the festival. It will be difficult for us to get a seat at the time of our departure in case we fail to reserve the one beforehand," complains Saraswati Gyawali from Gulmi district.

Meanwhile, consumer rights activists have accused transportation entrepreneurs of trying to charge higher than actual prices in the name of festivals.

The transporters, however, are not ready to accept it.

They instead blame damaged roads, traffic jams caused by Muglin-Narayangadh road widening and failure to grant permission to operate vehicles along dirt roads temporarily for the failure to open the ticket booking.

Meanwhile, Director General of Department of Transport Management, Chandra Man Shrestha, informed that preparations were underway to open the ticket booking.