KATHMANDU, Aug 12 – The Kathmandu-Lhasa bus service that has remained stalled for the past two-and–half-month is resuming from August 23.
The direct bus service came to a halt after it failed to attract passengers due to complicated visa process.
Officials at the Sajha Yatayat Friday said that the bus service is coming into operation under new system. It has decided to hand over the task of processing travel documents to Sunshine Lhasa Kathmandu Travels, a private travel agency based in Kathmandu.
“Sajha will sign the agreement for three months as a test period and will later extend it based on the travel agency’s performance,” the official said, adding, “If everything goes according to plan Sajha will resume the direct passenger bus service from August 23”.
Once the agreement is signed, the travel agent will be fully responsible for processing travel permits required by passengers traveling from Nepal to the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.
Although Sajha had earlier been doing this task for its passengers, it had recently decided to appoint a private company after Himalayan Transport Company – the Chinese bus service operator which was helping Sajha to process visas – started making delays. “The new travel agency has agreed to complete the whole process within ten days. Moreover, It will collect all the necessary documents of Nepali as well as other foreign passengers required to obtain the travel permit and send it to the Tibetan authorities for necessary actions,” said the source.
“Although the agreement signed between the governments of Nepal and China states that passengers traveling by Sajha will be issued individual visas, Sajha had agreed to accept group visas just to continue operation of the services,” the source said. “However, efforts are being made at the government level to restore rights of our passengers to get individual visas.”
The landmark direct passenger bus service connecting Kathmandu and Lhasa had started on May 1.
As per the understanding reached between governments of two countries, one bus of Sajha and another bus operated by the Chinese bus operator were supposed to make one round trip between Kathmandu and Lhasa every week.
But even after three months, the buses have not been able to make a total of more than seven trips due mainly to the Chinese government’s arbitrary decision to not issue individual visas to passengers traveling by Sajha.
