By Tika R Pradhan
Kathmandu, October 23 – The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) is preparing to send a high-level delegation to Lhasa to sort out problems related with repeated obstruction of the Kathmandu-Lhasa direct bus service that was started on last May.
Once obstructed due to passengers’ visa problems, the inter-country transportation has been facing a number problems among which denial of permits to third country citizens tops the list.
“Before Dashain, we had proposed the government to send a delegation to Lhasa within October because it would be difficult to go there after late November,” said Sharad Adhikary, director at the DoTM. He said the delegation will request the Chinese government to provide permits to foreigners to give continuity to the bus service.
The last Sajha bus left Kathmandu for Lhasa with only four Nepali passengers last Tuesday. As much as ten passengers were on board when bus service resumed on September 13 after four months’ gap. The operators need at least 10 passengers to meet the operating cost alone.
“Both the countries had agreed to sit for talks within nine months of the one-year-long trial operation to sort out the problems faced during this period,” said Mukunda Raj Satyal executive director of Sajha Yatayat. The Chinese side never said they cannot provide permits to foreigners, but they have not yet served permits to any of the foreigners who had applied for permits through the Sunshine Travels Pvt Ltd, Satyal told this daily. According to Satyal, the Chinese Embassy has said the embassy would provide visa readily if anybody comes up with the travel permit.
“All the agreements made between the two country since 1995 has identified Chinese, Nepali and foreigners as the passengers of the direct bus service,” he said. Director Adhikary said the delegate will also discuss on improving the road conditions among others. “We are waiting for the government’s approval,” he said, adding, the delegation will have to wait till February if it cannot leave by the first week of November.
Satyal said the government officials only have talk much about making Nepal a transit point between the two neighbouring countries but they are not serious to let the only cross-border transportation service continue smoothly.
