Ease Transport Services For Festivals

With this year’s festive season at hand, the concerned government bodies and transport entrepreneurs are now busy working out plans to manage public vehicles for passengers preparing to leave for their respective destinations. Hundreds of thousands of people go home from different cities across Nepal for celebrating the Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals with their families. Even many persons who are staying abroad to study and work also return home during these important festivals. So, these cultural events offer a big opportunity for the people to reunite and rejoice. 

Possible menaces

But many passengers are bound to go through difficulties during their journeys every year because of a lack of smooth roads and better transport service system. Like in the past, the monsoon rains have caused considerable damage to many roads nationwide. Rain-induced disasters like flash floods and landslips have left scores of roads disrupted. Though the relevant authorities have initiated the task of carrying out the maintenance and repairs of some roads, it may take more time for them to complete the work. As the rainy season is not over, the risk for roads being damaged or disrupted still continues. Considering such possible menaces, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and its line agencies need to play their proactive role in patching up all roads before Ghatasthana, the first day of the Dashain.  

Since there is a rising demand of passengers for bus tickets to travel on long- and medium-distance routes, various stakeholders like the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Department of Transport, the Department of Roads, transport operators and traffic police have started discussing the issue of public transport management for the festivals. They are in the process of launching advance ticket bookings in the Kathmandu Valley in a couple of days to facilitate the passengers heading to different destinations across the country.  An estimated 1.5 million people go out of the Kathmandu Valley during these festivals every year. So, it is a challenging task for the authorities to manage safe and secure transport services for such a huge number of passengers. Apart from enhancing relations among members of families, the festivals also help keep the economy afloat as people spend much during festivals. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to encourage more and more people to move.   

In a recent all-side informal meeting, they have focused their discussions on opening advance ticket bookings, clearing the disrupted roads and repairing the others. However, the representatives of transport operators have voiced their concern over debris and potholes on roads. The federal government has asked even the local governments to clear disrupted roads and repair those in need as soon as possible to ensure a pleasant journey to passengers. There has been a bad precedence of carrying out the maintenance of roads at the eleventh hour, resulting in substandard work. The responsible bodies must review this practice and go for quality works to utilise the taxpayers’ money properly. 

The Narayangadh-Butwal section of the east-west highway is one of the roads in worse condition. Passengers feel inconvenienced while passing through this section. It now takes about 10 hours for vehicles to cover the distance of 115-km road. The work of widening the road has been going on for the past six years. In a normal situation, vehicles can get through this road in just four hours. Similarly, passengers are bound to spend for hours while travelling from Nagdhunga to Muglin as the Nagdhunga-Naubise-Malekhu-Muglin road section has been undergoing upgradation and expansion. However, a six-point deal has lately been signed among the government, contractor and the concerned authorities to intensify the road expansion work. The 94.7-km road is regarded as a vital trade and transit route for connecting the Kathmandu Valley with the Terai. The task of road expansion had remained slowed down because of different reasons. It is noteworthy that an all-side meeting agreed to accelerate the road project. 

There is no denying that passengers may face unnecessary hassles during their trips. They are forced to travel uncomfortably. There may be more passengers than the number of seats in buses in operation. This definitely causes much inconvenience to passengers. Transport operators are found using old and rickety vehicles. They seem to have taken festivals as an opportunity to earn. So, they want drivers to drive vehicles without following necessary safety rules. They are also hardly seen giving priority to regular repairs of their vehicles. In view of a rising demand for vehicles during festivals, all public vehicles are allowed to ply any road.  

Fare 

Overspeed and mechanical failures are considered as the major reasons for an increasing number of road mishaps during festivals. So, the authorities concerned must monitor vehicles on a regular basis. Charging an excessively higher amount of fare from passengers than the one fixed by the government is another major problem. However, the all-side meeting has decided to give continuity to the existing transport fare until the festival of Tihar. 

To deal with such issues, the authorities concerned must put the vehicles under their close surveillance. And necessary legal action must be taken against those violating the rules immediately. The government agencies need to make sure that the transport operators are serious about providing better services. It needs no mention that passengers have got fed up with the rude manners and behaviours of drivers and helpers working with public vehicles. This matter should also be taken earnestly. 

(The author is a former deputy executive editor of this daily.)