New Bus Park Witnesses Festive Exodus during Dashain

The annual Dashain exodus is gathering momentum in Kathmandu Valley, with thousands of people leaving the federal capital for their hometowns and villages to celebrate country’s biggest festival with family and loved ones. The New Bus Park, the capital’s major transport hub, has witnessed a growing exodus of passengers travelling to destinations across the country as students and people engaged in various professions and businesses head home for the festivities.

Pankaj Malla, General Manager of Lhotse Multipurpose Pvt. Ltd., which operates New Bus Park spanning across 161 ropanis, told the National News Agency (RSS) that altogether 207,251 passengers departed from the Bus Park between October 3 and 11.

Passenger departures fluctuated over the nine-day period, with the highest number recorded on October 9, when 31,235 people left the Valley from Bus Park that accommodates upto 800 buses plying both on long and short distance. Malla added that a total of 29,602 passengers departed on October 6, while 29,380 travelled on October 11.

The Bus Park recorded 18,729 departures on October 3, rising to 19,530 on October 4 and 23,016 on October 5. The number of departing passengers stood at 22,288 on October 7, followed by 25,201 on October 8, before falling to 16,970 on October 10. The seasonal festive rush has posed challenges for transport operators, who are struggling to manage the growing number of passengers amid disruptions along major highways.

Deknath Gautam, General Secretary of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs, mentioned road conditions had complicated transport operations during the festive travel rush. He cited a road subsidence at Galaundi in Dhading along the Prithvi Highway on October 9, the day advance bus ticket bookings opened, as a major disruption.

The incident obstructed vehicular movement, leaving many buses stranded in Kathmandu Valley and making passenger management even more difficult, he observed. Amid the rush, the Federation has urged travellers to purchase tickets before boarding, pay only the prescribed fares and check the condition of vehicles before setting out on their journeys.

Every year, Dashain prompts a large-scale movement of people from Kathmandu Valley and other urban areas to their ancestral homes as for many the journey more than a trip home: it is an opportunity to reunite with family, reconnect with relatives and celebrate the festival together. (RSS)