Kathmandu, Sept 18: People dwelling in the capital city planning to go home for Dashain festival this year have been worried as ticket bookings are yet to open even, with just three weeks left for the festival to begin.
In general, ticket booking is open almost one month before Dashain festival starts.
Saraswati Gyawali from Gulmi, who is running a business in Kathmandu, blamed the sheer negligence of concerned authorities for the failure to open ticket booking for the festival. "We are looking forward eagerly to secure a seat to our village home 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 one beforehand," she complained.
Gyawali echoes the plights of thousands of people from outside Kathmandu valley planning to go home for the festival due to mismanaged transport system.
While customer's rights activists accused transportation entrepreneurs of trying to charge higher that actual prices in the name of festivals, the latter is not ready to accept the accusation.
Pre-booking of bus tickets for Dashain still uncertain
They instead blamed 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 ticket booking.
"Ticket booking could not open as vehicles plying on the Kavrepalanchok-Deurali is yet to resume since the District Administration Office is refusing to provide route-permit citing that Home Minister is yet to direct it in this regard," President of Federation of Nepali National Transport Entrepreneurs Association Dolnath Khanal.
Vehicles are banned from plying along the road after a road accident at Birta Deurali recently.
He, however, said talks between the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Traffic police and the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) held a week ago to end the problems of transport entrepreneurs and discuses the opening of ticket booking.
Director General at the DoTM Chandra Man Shrestha said preparations were underway to open ticket booking for the festival. RSS
