Over 24,000 secure advance tickets for Dashain travel on

Kathmandu / Oct 10: A total of 24,340 passengers have secured advance tickets for their journeys home during the Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals from the New Bus Park at Gongabu in Kathmandu, on Monday.

Following discussions with transport entrepreneurs, the government initiated advance ticket bookings for the festivals starting on October 9. On the opening day, Monday, a significant number of passengers, precisely 24,340, purchased their tickets. This initiative was overseen by Pankaj Malla, the spokesperson for Lotse Multipurpose Pvt Ltd, the operator of the New Bus Park.

Passengers began queuing up at the New Bus Park on Sunday night in anticipation of securing advance tickets on Monday. This transportation hub serves over 65 districts across the country.

While the government has launched advance ticketing for long and medium-distance public vehicles from Monday, preparations are in place to open ticketing for short-distance vehicles as well.

In an effort to ensure safety and security during the festival season, the police have deployed additional personnel to monitor activities around the ticket booking area. Senior Superintendent of Police Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri, the head of Kathmandu District Police Range, revealed that over 50 plain-clothed police officers have been deployed to safeguard passengers.

Furthermore, the police have established civilian assistance centers at 14 locations within the Kathmandu district as part of a special security plan. Enhanced surveillance measures, including additional cameras, GoPro cameras, and drones, will be employed to monitor the busiest areas during the festive period.