National 12 (Spotlight Weekly)

Easier Commute

Transportation facilities in Gorkha district have improved in recent years

By THAKUR AMGAI

Gorkha has witnessed a conspicuous change in the transportation sector. While development trends have been badly effected by the escalation of Maoist violence, transportation facilities in the hilly district of western Nepal have undergone a major boost in recent years.

People no longer need to walk long hours home carrying heavy luggage. Now that the Prithvi Highway Bus Syndicate has started regular bus services from Gorkha, the headquarters of the district, to different villages, people can reach their doorsteps with remarkable ease. Prithvi Highway Bus Syndicate has started regular services to Mailung, Namjung, Batase, Borlang and Ghyampesal, among other villages.

"There are two buses running regularly for Bunkot, Namjung, and Borlang regularly, each of which makes four trips in normal days and more during special days (Dashain and Tihar) when the passenger flow is comparatively high," says a ticket booking clerk of the syndicate. Before this, only a very few vehicles used to ply on those roads. And most of them were trucks and tractors and that carried goods. People would sit on top of the cargo.

Travel has been made easier especially for Gorkha natives who live in Kathmandu or other cities for various reason. They no longer have to set out at the very first hour from the city to reach home in time. With a little more expense, travel becomes both faster and easier. Says Badri Shrestha of Bunkot, "It is much easier to go on the bus than to walk, although we have to spend a bit more." However, the bus fare does not really conform to the distance traveled.

Although people do not mind paying Rs.150 for the 40km distance, the fare seems quite high relative to the income of the people, most of who earn far less than that after a whole day's work. The officials at the syndicate claim that the fares are high because of the poor condition of the road. "We have fixed these fares because of the heavy expenses required for maintenance of wear and tear of the bus," one official said.

During the festivals, the movement is not as easy. Due to the huge flow of passengers, the number of buses falls woefully short. While the syndicate had arranged for more trips during this Dashain, out-of-queue vehicles were also plying the route. But they still could not meet the passenger demand. All the buses were overloaded and many passengers did not even get a place to stand. This forced many to stay one more day in the headquarters, as they were not prepared to walk the familiar route.

Due to poor road conditions, jerks and shocks in the bus caused body ache for many passengers. The dust was another woe that easily caused cold and tonsil among urban dwellers with poor immunity. Despite these problems, the trend is very positive. In a place where two-wheelers used to be elusive, more than a dozen vehicles run each day. No one has to walk painstakingly if they are willing to spend the money.

The transportation transformation has benefited local folks, patients, businesspersons, farmers and everyone else. Things would have been much better had it not been for the Maoists who stopped the people working to improve the condition of the roads earlier this year.