By Arjun Kafle, Syangja, Apr 5: A bus in Syangja has been found carrying passengers by using a pass obtained to carry mourners.

The bus was issued a pass to carry the mourners going for the final rites of Surya Prasad Regmi, who died on March 29.

The pass was issued by the District Administration Office (DAO), Kaski to be valid from April 3 to April 7.

But the vehicle used this pass to carry passengers from Pokhara to Syangja charging more than twice the regular fare.

As the pass issued by Kaski’s Assistant Chief District Officer Shreenath Poudel was to carry mourners, it should have only been valid for one day.

But the fact that it was issued with a validity period of five days has raised questions about the DAO’s role in the matter.

The bus, with registration number Ga 1 Kha 9247, was carrying 53 passengers from Pokhara to various destinations in Syangja and had used Facebook to contact the passengers discreetly and inform them about the bus’s route and the fare rate.

However, people got suspicious after they saw a number of people getting off the bus at Majuwa, Arjun Chaupari and when the police and the local representatives looked into the matter, it was discovered that the bus had misused the pass.

The police have impounded the bus and have placed the 33 people who got off at Arjun Chaupari in quarantine.

The others, however, had already got off at their respective stops and reached their homes.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the application for the pass was filed by Lila Pangeni, president of the Syangja-Pokhara Contact Society, and the one contacting the passengers on Facebook was Pratap Poudel.

Meanwhile, Assistant CDO Poudel said that he only issued a pass for a small vehicle, even though the pass included the number and details of the bus.

Chief District Officer (CDO) Gyan Nath Dhakal said that he only came to know of the incident after it had already occurred and assured everyone that an investigation was going on and the person responsible would be punished.

Back in Syangja, the District Police Office (DPO) has informed that it would thoroughly investigate the incident and hold all those responsible for issuing the pass and driving the vehicle to account.

“We have already arrested the driver and conductor of the vehicle and are working with the Kaski Police to arrest others,” Superintendent of Police Bimal Raj Kanel, who is also the head of the DPO, said.

Lila Aryal, a passenger on the bus, clarified that they had been duped too.

“The passengers were told that the Gaunpalika had arranged the bus to bring us back home,” she said, “Now, we are forced to stay in isolation.”

She called on the authorities to punish all those involved in this scam.