Nepal starts bus service to New Delhi
BD Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, January 29
Nepal has started a bus service from Mahendranagar town of Kanchanpur district in western Nepal to New Delhi via the Banbasa border post. The first bus carrying 37 Nepalese passengers en route to Delhi reached Banbasa today. The Nepal decided to start the bus service in response to the Indian initiative of running a bus service to Nepal via the Banbasa border.
“We have responded to the initiative of the Indian government to start a bus service to this far western part of Nepal from New Delhi and hope the goodwill gesture shown by both countries will endure,” said Navin Bhatt, president of the Mahakali Yatayat Samiti at Mahendranagar in western Nepal, which owns a bus service.
Bhatt said the samiti owned the bus service as Nepal had not yet organized its national roadways. Hence private operators run and own the transport facilities in Nepal.
According to passengers of the first ever bus service from Mahendranagar to Delhi, the operation of a bus directly to Delhi would give relief to Nepalese who were exploited by private transporters and tonga owners to travel to Banbasa town to catch a bus to Delhi.
