Vehicles parked on roads in Kushma , leaving bus park unused

By Ganesh Poudel,Parbat, May 12: A state-of-the-art bus park in Kushma, the district headquarters of Parbat, remains unused for long after its construction was completed. As a result, the well-equipped facility is steadily falling into abandonment.

Although road transport in the region has been operating for over 33 years, the newly built bus park has not been put to use. Consequently, vehicles are still being parked along the roads, while the purpose-built park remains abandoned. Due to negligence on the part of the responsible authorities, the passenger waiting room has started to deteriorate, bricks are loosening, and the windowpanes and doors of the terminal building has been shattered.

The entire structure, including a multi-storey building, was completed in November last yera and was officially handed over by the Urban and Building Construction Project Office in Baglung to the Kushma Municipality. However, even eight months after the hand over, the municipality has failed to make a decision regarding its operation, leading to difficulties in bringing the facility into use. According to the District Traffic Police Office in Parbat, the lack of proper security arrangements has resulted in widespread vandalism.

Police have reported that railings have been dismantled, windows and doors broken, and the premises were being used for open defecation and urination. District Traffic Police Chief Bal Bahadur Gurung stated that these issues could be resolved once the bus park is brought into operation.

Due to the absence of proper maintenance, the waiting room is now crumbling, and the windowpanes in the toilet facilities have been broken. In the meantime, the bus park has turned into a training ground for learner drivers during the day and a gathering spot for drug users at night.

With the bus park non-operational, vehicles traveling along the Mid-Hill Highway—from Shivalaya Chowk to Khareha in Kushma—are parked randomly along the road, increasing the risk of accidents. Gurung added, “A few months ago, the Kushma Municipality decided in a meeting to initiate the process for operation, but we are unaware why it has not progressed.”

Constructed at a cost of Rs. 66,603,250 (approximately £400,000), the bus park includes two designated parking areas, a two-storey building, ticket counters, a passenger lounge, toilet facilities, and several shuttered rooms for commercial purposes. Despite months of preparation, the municipality has not yet begun operation. According to Netra Prasad Poudel, Chief Administrative Officer of the municipality, the process of inviting tenders is underway. “We are preparing to hand over operations to a private company,” he said. “As the process is ongoing, we expect it to be operational soon.”

Currently, public transport departs daily from Kushma to cities such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, Sunauli, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, and Kakarbhitta. Thousands of vehicles also transit through Kushma to reach Baglung, Rukum, Myagdi, and Mustang. However, incoming vehicles that need to stay overnight are parked unsafely along the roads.

Chief Gurung believes that once the bus park is operational, the need for roadside parking will be reduced, vehicle congestion in the town will be eased, and accident risks will decrease.

Photo Caption: The fully constructed and well-equipped bus park located at Bandrebid in Kushma Bazaar, the district headquarters of Parbat. Due to delays in ensuring security and operation, its infrastructure is steadily falling into ruin.