ITAHARI: Devendra Parajuli frequently travels to Itahari from his home in Bhojpur. Light vehicles like Tata Sumos complete the distance between Bhopur and Itahari in just six hours. But it was not the case until a few years ago. People like him had to walk for hours before taking a bus. The journey would take up to two days.
“The operation of light vehicles has made travel easier for us. We can now comfortably travel between the district headquarters and our villages. When using buses earlier, we would often have to spend a night in Leguwa,” he added.
Regular transport services are now available from the district headquarters of Bhojpur Bazaar to various villages, such as Dalgaun, Bhulke, Katunje, Taksar, Kot, Lekharka, Manebhanjyang, and Hatuwagadhi. These services are connecting towns with villages, making transportation much easier for locals.
“Previously, people had to travel on foot along difficult trails. But now Bhojpur Bazaar is connected by a blacktopped road. As a result, locals can reach Itahari, Dharan, and Biratnagar in just five to six hours,” Parajuli added.
Locals say light vehicles are providing regular transportation services to villages and hilly areas of Bhojpur, Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Ilam, and Taplejung from the main cities of Koshi Province, such as Biratnagar, Itahari, Dharan, and Birtamod.
Peshal Dhakal from Khotang vividly recalls the difficult journey that they had to undertake to reach Biratnagar in the past. “Elderly patients in need of treatment would face immense difficulty in reaching the hospitals in Biratnagar. However, the situation has significantly improved now. Means of transport are now available right at the doorsteps,” Dhakal added.
Regular transport services are now available from the district headquarters of Bhojpur Bazaar to various villages, such as Dalgaun, Bhulke, Katunje, Taksar, Kot, Lekharka, Manebhanjyang, and Hatuwagadhi. These services are connecting towns with villages, making transportation much easier for locals.
Previously, the journey would involve walking all the way to the banks of Dudhkoshi via Chisapani, taking a boat to cross the river, and then walking to the nearest motorable road. “This is now a thing of the past,” he shared.
According to Dhakal, regular transport services are now available to Kathmandu from Khotang. “I have been traveling to Kathmandu via Halesi, Ghurmi and Kharkot,” he said, adding: “It is also easier to travel to Biratnagar, Itahari, and Dharan.”
Light vehicles have been operating in rural areas for about a decade now. The operation of the BP Highway has made the journey from eastern Nepal to Kathmandu much more comfortable and faster. Prior to the highway’s operation, people had no option but to undertake a long journey via Hetauta to reach Kathmandu. But now, the operation of microbuses and jeeps on the BP Highway has significantly reduced the travel distance, according to Bhanubhakta Niraula from Birtamod.
Light vehicles are now operating regularly to Kathmandu from different cities and villages of the Koshi Province, making travel much easier for rural folks. Shivahari Pokharel, who has been in the transport business for more than two decades, says that the operation of light vehicles has not only made transport service available at people’s doorsteps but also created job opportunities. “Light vehicles like Tata Sumos, have been able to reach places like Baksila in Bhojpur and Aiselukharka of Khotang, where big buses cannot go. Microbuses are also available, providing transport all the way to Kathmandu,” he added.
According to Pokharel, light vehicles depart from Itahari, Dharan, Damak and Biratnagar for villages in Okhaldhunga, Solukhumbu, Khotang, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Taplejung, Ilam and Panchthar, among others, on a regular basis.
