KATHMANDU, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Nepalis have been traveling en masse to their hometowns these days for the largest Dashain festival, amid concerns about road conditions following recent floods and landslides.
Fagune Budha, 68, waited for a bus at a bus park in Kathmandu on Wednesday for travel to his hometown in Surkhet district in western Nepal.
"I'm concerned about the road conditions after recent floods and landslides," he said. "But I have to reach my hometown as my wife and grandson are awaiting my arrival."
Dashain is an occasion for family reunions when the young seek blessings from the elders.
Incessant monsoon rainfalls in late September triggered floods and landslides across the country, wreaking havoc on the transport system and leaving at least 246 people dead.
According to the roads department, sections of 33 different highways were damaged badly, and most of them have been reopened for transport following makeshift repair and maintenance.
One major highway, known as the BP Highway connecting the capital city of Kathmandu and the eastern region, was also badly damaged and the government was still struggling to repair it.
The situation has forced many to rethink their travel plans, while some did not hesitate to leave the Kathmandu Valley for their hometowns.
Ambir Rai, a resident in Bhojpur district in eastern Nepal, visited a major bus park in Kathmandu on Wednesday after failing to get a bus ticket for his nephew elsewhere.
"As I could not get a ticket from other locations, I came here for the ticket," Rai said. He failed again.
As bus and air tickets have become scarce in Nepal these days, Rai was wondering how he could send his nephew home for the festival.
For those already on the road, it could take them more time to reach destinations.
"Normally it takes 12 hours to reach Surkhet from Kathmandu, but currently it is taking up to 28 hours because of poor road conditions," said Prakash Kumar Thapa, whose company is operating Kathmandu-Surkhet bus service.
Despite passengers leaving en masse, Thapa has seen a falling trend this year due to the disasters.
The number of people leaving Kathmandu for their hometowns has gone down 50 percent this year over previous years, according to Saroj Sitaula, senior vice president of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs.
"We're expecting around 1 million people to travel from Kathmandu ahead of the Dashain festival," he said. "In the past, around 2 million people traveled out of Kathmandu."■