Beni's Kalipul Bus Park gets modern terminal

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi (Beni), July 20: Kalipul Bus Park in Beni, Myagdi, now has a modern terminal building.

The terminal was constructed 16 years after the bus park came into operation. It was built with the joint investment of the federal, provincial and local (Beni Municipality) governments. 

Beni's Mayor Surat KC inaugurated the new terminal building on Wednesday. 

In addition to the terminal, other infrastructures like parking spaces, toilets, canteens and waiting areas have also been constructed. "All these have helped manage the bus park," Mayor KC said. "The area no longer sees dust in the summer and mud in the monsoon. Vehicles are also not parked haphazardly."

KC said that the municipality would further develop the bus park that has the nickname 'Entryway to Mustang'.

Uttam Karmacharya, chairman of Beni Municipality Ward No. 8 and head of the Kalipul Bus Park Management Committee, informed that an embankment had also been constructed to prevent soil erosion by the Kaligandaki River. 

The terminal was constructed at a cost of Rs. 20 million.

In 2017, the Ministry of Urban Development spent Rs. 210 million to draft a detailed project report for the Kalipul Bus Park Master Plan. "We still have more to do to complete everything envisioned by the master plan," Karmacharya said.

The local level has also fixed a parking charge from Rs. 25 to Rs. 200 per vehicle depending on the time they stay at the park. CCTV cameras have also been installed for monitoring and safety. "The bus park has become more managed. This is good for us too," said transport entrepreneur Lal Bahadur Thapa.

Kalipul Bus Park was constructed in 2007 after a motorable bridge over the Kaligandaki River connected Myagdi with Parbat. Buses and taxis travelling from Beni to Kathmandu and Pokhara as well as to Mustang and remote areas in the northern part of Myagdi district stop here.