PM Narendra Modi, Sushil Koirala flag-off Kathmandu-Delhi bus service

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala today flagged off the first-ever Kathmandu-Delhi bus service called Pashupatinath Express from here.

Before the flagging off, both the Prime Ministers hopped into the bus which was decorated with streamers, balloons and flowers and interacted with the passengers.

From the Nepal end, the bus route would be from Kathmandu, Bhairawa, Sanauli, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and New Delhi.

From Delhi, it will travel via Yamuna Express Highway, Agra, Firozabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Sunauli. Thereafter, it will enter Nepal territory to reach Kathmandu

DTC will run a Volvo and Mercedes buses daily on the Delhi-Kathmandu route, which will cover a distance of 1,250 km in 30 hours from Delhi. The fare of the bus has been kept Rs 2,300 per passenger.

The bus service is touted to be a major boost in terms of trade and tourism and will also strengthen the bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.

In Delhi, the bus was flagged off by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari who said,"India and Nepal share old cultural ties, which will be further strengthened. There are over one lakh retired military persons who get their pensions in Nepal."

Terming the occasion "historic", he said, "Government is working to launch similar services for other SAARC nations. Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung was present on the occasion.

This is the second international bus service being operated by the DTC, which has been running Delhi-Lahore International service since 1999.

The service will be a direct one and will neither pick up nor drop any passenger anywhere in between. A provision of advance booking has been kept. The passengers will have to carry proof of identification while purchasing the ticket.