Kathmandu – In the last five days, 189,218 passengers have left the Kathmandu Valley to celebrate the upcoming Dashain festival, according to the Valley Traffic Police Office.

From Asoj 1 to Asoj 5, a total of 29,360 public vehicles carried passengers out of the valley through major exit points such as Thankot, Sanga, Dakshinkali, and Balaju. Passenger numbers were 34,556 on Asoj 1, 36,100 on Asoj 2, 40,555 on Asoj 3, 34,879 on Asoj 4, and 43,124 on Asoj 5.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Lokendra Singh Gurung said that people who had come to Kathmandu for study, business, and employment are now heading back to their hometowns for the festival.

However, poor road conditions have caused travel difficulties this year. Deknath Gautam, General Secretary of the National Federation of Nepali Transport Entrepreneurs, said monsoon-triggered landslides on highways, especially the Muglin–Narayanghat section, have left buses stuck for hours, delaying passengers from reaching their destinations. He urged the government to ensure highways are cleared and kept open during the festival rush.

The pressure of travelers has also sharply increased at bus parks and daily passenger flow has risen from the usual 4,000–5,000 to more than 15,000 .