Steamer service on the Kali Gandaki River resumes

By Our Correspondent,Tamghas, Oct. 21: The steamer service on the Kali Gandaki River, which had been suspended since May this year, has been resumed. 

The service was halted from the Aadimuhan Mirmi area of Syangja to Setibeni due to increased water flow during the monsoon season. 

Dolraj Bhattarai, the chairman of Shila Shaligram Kali Gandaki Water Transport Company, said that the steamer service on the river has been operational since mid-October. 

Following the opening of the Kali Gandaki Corridor in the Gulmi section and the Kali Gandaki Local Highway in the Parbat section, the service is currently limited to festivals, internal tourists and visitors to Shila Shaligram. 

Sometimes, visitors reserve the steamer to go to Setibeni to behold Shila Shaligram, but because of the lack of regular passengers, the service has not been able to operate consistently, Bhattarai said. 

He said that the steamer, which used to be filled with passengers, now has to wait and see when passengers will arrive. In the past, businessmen from the Setibeni market, Baglung, Gulmi and Parbat used steamers for transporting goods as it was cost-effective, and steamer owners have recalled that business was also good. Bhattarai pointed out that the operation of the steamer is currently affected because motor roads have become accessible throughout the Gulmi, Syangja and Parbat areas. 

The steamer service, which was approved by the District Administration Office in Syangja in 2005 and became operational, was registered with the company registrar in 2013. Initially, there were 12 steamers, both small and large, but currently, only three are in operation, Bhattarai mentioned. 

For a one-way ticket per person, the local government has set the fare at Rs. 200, while the rate for reservations is determined based on the steamer's capacity, starting from Rs. 2,000. Discounts are also available for groups. 

The water journey from Mirmi to Setibeni on the Kali Gandaki River will take about 30 to 45 minutes.