The first bus from Delhi to Kathmandu will be flagged off on Tuesday in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to foster better ties with the neighbouring country. Similar services are in the making to be opened to connect other SAARC nations
Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari will launch the Delhi to Kathmandu bus service from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) terminal at Ambedkar Stadium.
This bus service will be first of the three routes agreed by India and Nepal. The three bus roads connecting the two countries are: Kathmandu-Bhairahawa-Sunauli-Gorakhpur-lucknow-New Delhi; Kathmandu-Bhairahawa-Sunauli-Azamgarh-Varanasi-New Delhi; and Pokhara-Bharahawa-Sunauli-Gorakhpur-lucknow-New Delhi.
The Cabinet had earlier approved the signing of bilateral agreement for the regulation of passenger traffic between India and Nepal on the sidelines of the forthcoming SAARC summit in Kathmandu.
The Cabinet had agreed to MoRTH’ signing similar Bilateral Agreements and Protocols with other SAARC Member States. The Cabinet had also approved the signing and ratifying the SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement at the Summit.
The SAARC Transport Ministers — in their second meeting in Colombo on July 25, 2009 — had approved the recommendations of Inter Governmental Group on Transport to set up a panel to finalise a draft of the Regional Agreement on Motor Vehicles for SAARC Member States.