The bus service between Siliguri and Nepal capital Kathmandu has resumed with the neighbouring country giving the nod after a gap of one-and-a-half years owing to the pandemic.
In 2019, the bus service was launched in Kathmandu. Every day, two buses would leave from both the locations that are 650km apart. Two buses were run by transporters in Nepal and two others from Siliguri by transporters based in India.
“Introduction of the bus service on this route was a part of a bilateral agreement signed between India and Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal in 2014. The service was operational and people from both countries and international tourists availed it regularly. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the service stopped around one-and-a-half years’ back,” said a source in the state transport department.
A few days back, the Nepal government and other concerned authorities granted permission to run the two buses from their end.
“Yesterday (on Monday), one of the buses reached here and today (Tuesday), it left for Kathmandu,” said Santosh Saha, president, Siliguri Bus Owners and Booking Agents Welfare Association.
Saha added: “We have taken up the issue with authorities here (India) and hope our buses would be allowed by the Indian government to run soon.”
For now, Saha said, the service would be available on alternate days. It would be daily when buses from India start running.
On Tuesday, the Kathmandu-bound bus left Siliguri around 3pm. It is expected to reach Kathmandu by 9am on Wednesday.
“It is a 44–seater bus and on the very first day, we got 16 passengers here while another 24 will board the bus from Kakarvitta. The response is quite good,” Saha added.
Kakarvitta is the bordering town in Jhapa district of Nepal, located on the right bank of Mechi river bridge which marks the international border.
On the Indian side is Panitanki (a locality under Siliguri sub-division), which is around 35 kilometres from here.