Adequate vehicle operation in the Far West targeting the festival

Dhangadhi: With the beginning of Dashain, the transport businessmen of the Far West have claimed that a sufficient number of passenger vehicles have been put into operation. They claim that a sufficient number of long and short distance vehicles have been put into operation targeting the festival.

There are more than a dozen transport business committees with headquarters in Dhangadhi in Kailali and Mahendranagar in Kanchanpur. There are direct bus services from Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar to all the districts of Far West and major cities of the country.

The bus business committee, which has its head office in Dhangadhi, has informed that around 850 passenger vehicles take people to various destinations from here. Dhiraj Shahi, outgoing president of Karnali River Transport Pvt. Shahi said, "One-way passengers have to be carried on Dashain Tihar. As a result, the cost is only equal to the expenditure. Due to the increase in the price of diesel, the businessmen are under pressure."

Businessmen have said that even if the vehicles plying on the hilly route from Dhangadhi get passengers, they have to come back from the hills to Dhangadhi and Mahendranagar. Similarly, the businessman complains that passengers can get passengers from Kathmandu, but they have to return freely from Dhangadhi.

Similarly, Khaptad Transport Pvt. Ltd. President Anantraj Joshi said that the rule to have two drivers has caused an additional financial burden. He said, "There are passengers from Kathmandu, but they have to go freely from there. We are in trouble with the rule of having two drivers over a very long distance."

Even though the bus operators in the Far West can get passengers from the hilly districts to the Terai after Tihar, they have to drive up the hills for free. Padmaraj Sapkota, president of Sundar Sudurpaschim Transport Pvt. Ltd. said that even if there are passengers going from Dhangadhi to Kathmandu after Tihar, there will be a problem of not getting passengers when they return. He said, "Due to the increase in fuel prices, the transport businessmen have been affected. Due to one-way passengers, the vehicle is not even used on Dashain and Tihar." 

The Committee of Transport Professionals has said that arrangements have been made for additional vehicles for short and long destinations. Businessmen claim that the management of traffic is being arranged so that there is no difficulty for the passengers.