Kathmandu. The bus service to and from Manthali via Kathmandu-Khurkot has been halted following a bus accident at Manthali Municipality-6 in Ramechhap district.
On February 11, a passenger bus (Ba Pra 001-05 Kha 9975) en route to Okhaldhunga from Kathmandu met with an accident at Lilauti of Manthali municipality-6, killing 15 people and injuring eight others.
The company had halted the bus service on the Kathmandu-Khurkot-Manthali road section from February 14 after the relatives of the deceased obstructed the bus at different places despite an agreement between the victim’s side and the district administration until midnight on February 11.
The people of the rural areas of the district have been facing problems in commuting to and from the district headquarters Manthali and Kathmandu as the service has not been resumed yet.
People travelling to different places in Salu of Ramechhap, Sanghu Tar and Okhaldhunga via Manthali and Khijidemba of Okhaldhunga via Dhobi, Sirise, Dhande of Ramechhap have been affected due to the closure of the vehicular movement.
Though the Manthali route has been halted, the company has been continuing to operate the transport service to the southern part of Ramechhap via Chaurikhola and Sitkha.
The company, which has stopped the service to various areas of Umakunda and Gokulganga rural municipalities via Manthali, is sending buses to this area via Jiri of Dolakha. However, there is no traffic in the central part.
According to the locals, the company, which is supposed to provide relief and compensation to the victim’s family, has stopped the service saying that it obstructed them from running away from the responsibility.
Locals have complained that even the local administration has not taken strict measures to operate the service even when the service was disrupted on the eve of the election to the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), Ramechhap Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of NGOs and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry have urged the company and local administration to resume the bus service. But the company has not started the service.
Complaints have increased that small vehicles are charging more money from consumers due to lack of adequate vehicles. Locals are compelled to pay exorbitant fares due to lack of adequate transport facilities.
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