KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City has started a free transport service to help travellers stranded in flood-affected areas, bringing 19 people to Kathmandu on the first day of operation.
The service began on Friday with one vehicle. On the first day, two children, nine women and eight men were transported safely to Kathmandu.
From Saturday, the metropolis has deployed two vehicles for the service. One is a 19-seat vehicle that previously operated between Rasuwa and Kathmandu. The second, with a capacity of 10 passengers, has been provided by Chhetrapati Free Clinic at the request of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
The vehicles have banners at the front and rear so that travellers can easily identify the free service. Municipal police personnel have also been deployed in both vehicles to assist passengers and support safe operations.
The free transport service operates between Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot and Kathmandu Metropolitan City. It is mainly intended for people who had travelled to Rasuwa, Nuwakot and other flood-affected areas for work and became stranded following the disaster.
The service is also available to people who need to travel from Kathmandu towards the affected areas to search for or reach family members and relatives.
Both vehicles are scheduled to make two trips each day. Kathmandu Metropolitan City said the number of vehicles could be increased depending on demand and the situation in affected areas.
Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol, Chief Administrative Officer Muktiram Aryal, spokesperson Nabin Manandhar, and Disaster Management Committee coordinator Prem Thapa met personnel involved in the service on Saturday and encouraged them to provide assistance in line with the needs of affected travellers.
The initiative is part of the metropolis’s response to transportation difficulties caused by the recent floods, helping stranded people travel between affected areas and Kathmandu without paying transportation costs.
