Nepal unrest: Delhi Transport Corporation suspends Kathmandu bus service

“As the current situation in Nepal is very bad… If we continue to operate our buses, both buses and people will suffer. So, we decided to suspend the service till the situation is under control,” said a senior transport official.

He further said, “No passengers are left on the stuck buses. We are coordinating with the Nepal and Indian embassies on this matter.”

However, officials said some buses run by private operators were also stuck in the neighbouring country.

DTC introduced its ‘Delhi- Kathmandu-Delhi’ international bus service in 2014. The air-conditioned luxury Volvo buses deployed on the route have a 2X2 comfortable seating arrangement.

The now-suspended service used to start from the Dr Ambedkar Stadium Bus Terminal near Delhi Gate and covered a distance of 1,167 kilometres. The fare for each passenger was Rs 2,800.

DTC operated the buses three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The bus service had three halts along the route at Firozabad, Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh), and Mugling (Nepal). In addition, there was a stop at Sunauli (India-Nepal border) for customs checking.

The bus service was stopped during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 as well. It was resumed in 2021.

Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, witnessed its deadliest unrest in years as thousands of young protesters clashed with the police outside Parliament on Monday. At least 19 people were killed after security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets, and baton-charged demonstrators who had broken police barricades and stormed Parliament complex, protesting a social media ban in the mountainous nation.