KATHMANDU, SEP 25
The biggest festival of the Nepalis, Dashain , has formally commenced from today, this year. The ten-day festival is celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm amidst all the rituals associated with it.
With the beginning of the festival, the number of people leaving for their homes from the Kathmandu Valley has increased from today by 25,000 than on a normal day.
Director General of the Department of Transport Management Kashi Raj Dahal said with the number of people leaving the Valley at this rate, an average number of 85,000 people are expected to exit in a day. The number of people leaving the Valley few days back was 60,000 a day.
Most of the public and private schools and colleges have closed for the Dashain holidays from today.
Dahal added that some 1.3 million people have exited from the Valley since September 11, the day when the booking for bus tickets was opened. An additional 1.2 million people are expected to leave the Valley in the coming nine days.
Some 3,000 buses are said to leave Kathmandu daily for various destinations. An additional 500 buses have been pressed into service this time on the existing fleet of buses, the Department stated. 