Over 200,000 leave Valley in past three days

KATHMANDU: Over 200,000 people have left the Kathmandu Valley in the last three days prior to prohibitory orders imposed by the government.

As many as 45,075 people left the capital via road on Wednesday alone, according to Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD), Kathmandu.

The MTPD said 91,702 people left the Valley until Tuesday via both road and air and 54,000 including those by air transport left the Valley on Wednesday.

On Monday, a total of 56,700 people including both road and air left the Valley.

Passengers could be seen until late Wednesday night scrambling for vehicles to go back home from the Valley after knowing that prohibitory order was being imposed from 6 am today.

Some passengers have been stranded after they could not get vehicles to carry them back to their respective destinations.

Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association (FNNTEA) General Secretary Saroj Sitaula said they are waiting for decisions from a higher authority for arrangements to ferry them back home.

A huge crowd of passengers could be seen at New Bus Park, Jadibuti, Koteshwor and Bhaktapur.

Passengers have not only complained of shortages of means of transport but also an exorbitant fare they are compelled to pay on black market.

This problem arose since the government announced to impose the prohibitory orders after giving only two days’ time, said General Secretary Saroj Sitaula.