After over a year and half, finally the bus service between Siliguri in West Bengal and Kathmandu has resumed. A 45-seater bus left the Siliguri Junction bus terminus on Tuesday afternoon for Kathmandu with a few passengers, news agency PTI reported.
The service was halted after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Passengers wishing to avail the service would have to be fully vaccinated.
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the bus will leave Siliguri at 3 in the afternoon. The route is popular not only for many business travellers but also for thousands of tourists. Many travellers from Kolkata going to Nepal take this bus from Siliguri. Each ticket costs Rs 1500.
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The PTI report said that tour operators are hoping that the resumption of the bus service would boost tourism in the region.
The bus will reach Kathmandu via Kakarvita, Lalgarh, Naubis, as per the Siliguri Bus Owners' And Booking Agents' Association, the report added.
After remaining closed owing to Covid 19, in September Nepal decided to allow in Indian vehicles. Kathmandu also eased travel rules for Indians. Travellers are required to submit a Covid-19 report within 72 hours of departure.
Nepal’s economy contracted by 1.8 per cent in 2020. The tourism sector is a key contributor to the country's GDP. It is also a major source of foreign exchange and revenue. But the Covid 19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to this sector.
