Sunday, September 29 this year marks Ghatasthapana—the beginning of the Dashain festival. A period providing the longest string of holidays in the entire year, there is no doubt that this festival is the most important one for many Nepalis. Many among the diaspora also use this time to connect with family members and friends; numerous Nepalis living abroad come back for a visit. Domestic transportation pressures increase, as people scramble to get home from the urban centres where they eke out a living. All this is known, as the festival occurs—more or less around the same time—every year. And yet, every year, the government has to be reminded of how it has been failing the people during the holidays.

The worst of it all is that most of the problems are cyclical, with there being barely any improvement in the situation. The transportation sector is a case in point. Every year, millions of travellers become frustrated before Dashain, when they have to fret over the long queues, scalpers and cheats when attempting to buy bus tickets. Standing in line for an entire day, after having braved massive traffic to get to the ticket counters, there is no guarantee of receiving a ticket. Employees—particularly ones in the low-paying informal sector—have to negotiate leave days with their employers at least a month in advance as everyone wants to travel home. With no railway in sight, and flights and private vehicles being too expensive for the common Nepali, using buses and micro-buses to travel home for the holidays is a compulsion.

Yet, much like every year, the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs, Department of Transport Management and other stakeholders could not plan ahead to decide when to begin pre-bookings for Dashain travel—even up to mid-September. Counters finally started to sell tickets for the festival period on September 22. To combat ticket scalpers, the Police Traffic Division has mobilised plainclothes personnel to monitor the situation, and have mandated all ticket salespersons to wear a common uniform and carry an identity card. The Department of Transport Management has also promised an adequate supply of seats for this Dashain. But potential passengers have already started to complain of being unable to secure bus tickets for their travel days. Many are forced to evade police controls to secure tickets now, to their own detriment.

Another sector that creates problems every year is retail—whether it be for commodities, foodstuff or other merchandise. Whether it be sugar, clothes or even goats, the government for years has either not done enough to alleviate the problem, or has implicitly supported the private sector’s exploitation of the people. For example, even though the government vowed to not fall for the sugar producers’ tactics to create an artificial supply this year, it was late in importing sugar—essentially creating a shortage for the holidays. The problem is supposed to get worse this year, as inflation has climbed to its highest level in three years.

All these issues have one thing in common. They could have all been solved or mitigated with proper prior planning and action. To solve the queuing issue, the government could have facilitated the implementation of an online and phone-in booking system. After all, the mobile phone penetration in the market is over 100 percent, while more than 60 percent of Nepalis are connected to the internet. The commodities supply should be regulated so that retailers and unscrupulous businesspersons cannot exploit artificial shortages to mark up prices during the festivals. Moreover, if the transportation sector is bent on creating an artificial shortage of seats for Dashain, the government must step in and intervene in the market. A smooth and stress-free festival period for the people trumps all other concerns.

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