In collaboration with the Chitwan administration and PABSON, 10 free buses have been put into operation for devotees going to Devghat on Maghe Sankranti.
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There was a huge crowd of devotees going to Devghat to take bath since early morning on Thursday. From the young to the old, some were seen walking to Devghat while others were riding public transport. In the same crowd, the sight of a yellow bus taking devotees to and from Devghat for free caught everyone's attention.
Devotees were seen jostling to board the same bus. For the first time, the Chitwan administration provided free bus service to devotees going to Devghat to bathe on the day of Maghe Sankranti, and the joy among the devotees knew no bounds.
Shailata Baral of Bharatpur, who has been going to Devghat to bathe on Maghe Sankranti every year, was thrilled to board the bus for the first time for free. ‘I have been to Devghat many times during Maghe Sankranti, but this is the first time I have had the experience of riding a free bus,’ Baral said while thanking the Chitwan administration. ‘This has been an important service for everyone, from the elderly to the elderly, I hope they get the same facility next year too.’
70-year-old Sita Wagle, who boarded the bus with Baral, was also thrilled to get the free bus service. ‘I came to Devghat to bathe in the morning, and now I am very happy to be able to ride the bus for free when I return,’ Wagle said. Like them, everyone who boarded the bus was happy and surprised.
Those who reached Devghat by taking the free bus in the morning were seen waiting for the same bus even when they returned. In previous years, there were complaints that devotees suffered a lot due to the lack of transportation facilities. Keeping that situation in mind, the administration has arranged a free bus service this time.
‘Based on the experience of friends who participated in the fair last year, we have improved 2/3 things this year. After hearing the experience of the passengers who suffered a lot, we decided to operate free buses in collaboration with PABSON Chitwan,’ said Chief District Officer Aryal, ‘This has also brought ease in traffic management, and it has been felt that the elderly, disabled and devotees who need support have been provided with ease.’
According to Pradya Aryal, the free bus service will continue to operate until the evening based on the need. ‘We have not fixed a time, as long as there is movement of devotees, we are ready to provide service,’ said Pradya Aryal.
According to him, this year a one-way route has also been determined to go to and from Devghat, due to which devotees do not have to get stuck in long traffic jams. Since 6 am on Thursday, 10 free buses have been operating from Aanpatari in Bharatpur to Devghat. Eight buses provided by PABSON and two buses of Nepal Police are in operation.
Saying that PABSON has always been proactive in social work, Madan Puri, Chairman of Private and Residential School Organization Nepal (PABSON) Chitwan, which PABSON has provided buses for the convenience of devotees, informed. ‘We always take the lead in social service. After receiving an offer for cooperation from the Chitwan administration, we gladly accepted and provided buses,’ said Chairman Puri.
According to him, except for two, all the buses from Ratnanagar were selected and sent to the places where the devotees are located. Chairman Puri reminded that PABSON had provided various materials worth more than 1 million even after the Gen-G movement and said that PABSON would always take the lead in social work.
To reduce traffic jams, a one-way return route has been determined from Aanpatari to Devghat. When going to Devghat by vehicle, one has to go through Ramnagar. Similarly, the Chitwan administration has tightened security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the fair. A team including divers from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have been deployed for rescue in the river. The Chitwan administration has mobilized a team including divers, taking special care of the safety of the devotees.
A 55-member team including divers has been mobilized from the Armed Police Force Nepal 17 Battalion Aanpatari. Armed Police Assistant Inspector Yam Bahadur Magar informed that the team was mobilized with special attention to the same place as people have drowned and disappeared at the confluence site Beni in the past years.
