Bus service connecting Kathmandu-Bodhgaya flagged off

Kathmandu: In a bid to boost tourism, the Nepal government headed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, flagged off the first bus service connecting Kathmandu and the Indian state of Bihar.

The inaugural function, which was organised in the capital, was attended by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, along with Nepal's Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Raghubir Mahaseth.

Lauding the Nepal government, Puri in his speech at the event said, "I am happy that we (India and Nepal) are able to start an important bus service which can directly link Bodhgaya and Kathmandu."

A deluxe bus service which is equipped with modern facilities like air-conditioned cushioned seats will link two Buddhist sites, namely Swayambhunath Stupa and Bodhgaya.

Swayambhunath Stupa is a well-known Buddhist shrine located in Kathmandu, whereas Bodhgaya in India is a place of pilgrimage where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.

The commencement of this new bus service is expected to give a boost to the tourism industry and generate more revenue for the two neighbours.

The service was initiated in Kathmandu nearly three days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flagged off the first bus service from Bihar to Nepal.

Kumar, while addressing the inaugural event, had said that four buses will ply from Bodhgaya to Kathmandu via Patna, Raxaul, and Beerganj, while four more buses will ply from Patna to Janakpur via Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi.

The inauguration of bus services from Bihar to Nepal comes nearly four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Nepal in May, had flagged off a bus service connecting Janakpur (Nepal), which is the birthplace of Sita, to Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), the birthplace of Lord Rama.

The first ever railway line linking Nepal and India, the Janakpur-Jaynagar Railway, is also on the verge of completion and is expected to be functional by December.