After a long wait of two years, passengers can now board a bus from India’s Siliguri to Nepal’s Kathmandu. A private bus operator along with the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has started the Siliguri-Kakkarvitta-Kathmandu bus service. Firhad Hakim, the state transport minister inaugurated the bus event.
The 40-seater bus will begin its journey from the Tenzing Norgay bus terminal at 2 PM and reach Kathmandu at 6 AM the next day. Another report suggests that the journey will begin at 3 PM from Siliguri and will reach Kathmandu at 7 AM. A total distance of 615 km will be covered by the bus on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
According to reports, the price of a ticket is Rs 1,500 per person. These tickets will be available at the Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus The bus will provide transportation to the people of West Bengal and Nepal. The passengers have claimed the price of tickets affordable and reduction in travel time.
“I am happy today that the service after a long gap is being started by NBSTC. The tourism between North Bengal and Nepal will have a boost and definitely, there will be more and more passengers in future. So that NBSTC will run more and more buses to entertain the passengers,” said Firhad, as per reports.
This bus will help numerous people who travel to Siliguri, Darjeeling and other neighbouring regions of Sikkim for work purposes. This bus service will help in boosting Indo-Nepal tourism. Along with tourism, the bus will also help during a medical emergency. This new bus service will also help in exploring religious places.
According to the state transport minister, the West Bengal government is planning to start a bus service from Siliguri to Bangladesh soon. The government is waiting for the NOC from Bangladesh’s side to put the plan into action. Once they receive the permission, the plan to take it forth will begin.
