Kathmandu, May 16
The Janakpur-Ayodhya direct bus service, which was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday, has stopped operating for an indefinite period.
According to officials at the concerned authorities, the bus was inaugurated without completing the necessary procedures and it will take at least six months to resume the service.
The bus service was halted as the route linking the Ramayan Circuit has not been finalised.
“Few technical procedures including route, fare, and bus stop among others are yet to be decided for the bus to operate on a regular basis,” informs Keshav Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
Officials from both Nepal and India will be holding a joint meeting to make decisions on the issues, adds Sharma.
According to the Ministry, the inauguration of the bus service was symbolic as the premiers of both the countries rarely get time to visit each other and the recent visit of Modi to Janakpur was the right time for the launch.
Prime Minister Oli recently informed that Janakpur, Dhanushadham, and Triveni will be linked with the Circuit.
The distance between Janakpur and Ayodhya is 544 kilometres and will take around 10 hours to travel.
