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| Kathmandu, Wednesday October 09, 2002 Ashwin 23, 2059. |
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Staying in the Valley for
Dashain
By Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, Oct 8:Though this year’s Dashain
began yesterday, many people from outside the Kathmandu Valley living here for various
reasons are not as enthusiastic as last year to go to their villages because of the
present political situation.
People from various parts of the country used to
queue-up to book bus or airline tickets starting a month before Dashain. Compared to last
year, the flow of people has decreased a lot. "This year’s Dashain looks very
different from the previous years because there used to be a huge crowd at the ticket
counter," said Surya Man Singh of Makalu Travels.
According to various ticket counters in the
Valley, the crowd has decreased a lot even though the actual festival began yesterday (the
day of Ghatasthapana). "In the previous years people used to queue for the last 15
days and there used to be additional number of buses," said Singh.
Unlike last year, though the seats are limited,
people are easily booking tickets in advance to go back to their homes during Dashain, the
biggest Hindu festival. Every year tens of thousands of people working in the capital city
used to return to their homes to meet their relatives and families during the festival.
"I used to rush for more than a week to get
tickets for my family," says Deepesh Ghimire, a civil servant from Okhaldhunga.
"But this year I am not going because of the growing Maoist insurrection," adds
Ghimire, who is afraid that he might get caught up in the violence.
"Last year 71 extra flight were added to
the regular flight schedule, but this year only 53 flights have been added," said
Nageshwor Ray, Deputy Director of Marketing Department of the Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC).
Air tickets were in high demand last year for
many eastern and western remote districts because of the inadequate road service and no
alternative routes. Places like Tumlingtar, Bhojpur, Lamidanda and Rumjatar in eastern
Nepal are difficult to reach, as these places have no road link.
"Air service is the only means to go to
these places or one has to walk for days to reach these remote villages," said Ray.
"So, for the customer service as usual the list of those wanting air tickets has been
pasted on the walls of the RNAC ticket counter issued in the first come first serve
basis."
"Compared to last year people coming for
air tickets has decreased by 30 to 35 percent," said Ray. "Though the Maoist war
began seven years ago, the effect is clearly visible this year, which is the main reason
that people are less enthusiastic to go home."
According to the official, more than 150 flights
(from both private and government sector) were being operated five years ago but for this
year’s Dashain only around 105 flights were operated.
Planes and buses leaving toward the eastern part
of the country are not as affected as going to west. "Before 12:00 this morning, 137
buses left for western part and 128 buses left for eastern part," said a traffic
official at Nagdhunga, which keeps the number of outgoing buses from the Kathmandu Valley.
"Only 2 or 3 night buses are operated daily." The three airports in Bajura,
Dolpa and Chaurjhari destroyed by the Maoists have affected a lot of people. By popular
demand, service to Sanfebagar in Accham has been resumed, according to the officials at
the RNAC.
Though the flow is not as satisfactory these
days, many people leaving the capital city want tickets on 13th and 14th of October, the
day of Fulpati, from which the actual celebration begins.
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