More than 56,000 passengers left Kathmandu Valley between Monday morning and Tuesday morning as people headed to their homes to celebrate Bada Dashain, according to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rabindra Khanal said 56,809 people exited the valley through various points during the 24-hour period, with the largest numbers recorded at the Nagdhunga and Bhaktapur checkpoints. The movement comes as the festival approaches and people living in the capital region begin returning to their villages and hometowns.
Nagdhunga records the highest number of departures
Nagdhunga was the busiest of the three checkpoints highlighted in the figures, accounting for 27,649 departing passengers. That was nearly half of the total recorded across the valley during the 24-hour period. Bhaktapur was the next busiest, with 20,615 people leaving through its checkpoint, while 5,510 passengers exited via Pharping.
Together, the counts at Nagdhunga, Bhaktapur and Pharping amount to 53,774 passengers. The overall figure provided by the traffic police was 56,809, meaning the balance of the reported departures took place through other valley exit points. The figures show that passenger movement was distributed across several routes, while the three named checkpoints accounted for most of the recorded traffic.
The checkpoint breakdown also gives a picture of how many people were on the move as Dashain draws closer. Nagdhunga alone saw more departures than Bhaktapur and Pharping combined, while Bhaktapur recorded almost four times the number passing through Pharping. These totals cover the period from Monday morning to Tuesday morning and were reported by the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office.
People head home ahead of the festival
The increase in departures is part of the movement of people returning to their villages ahead of Bada Dashain. The travellers include people who live in Kathmandu Valley for study, employment and business, according to the information provided. As the festival approaches, people from these different circumstances are making the journey home to celebrate with their families and communities.
For many travellers, the journey out of the valley is connected to their return to their place of origin for Dashain. The reported numbers reflect the scale of that movement during a single 24-hour window. More than 56,000 passenger departures were recorded in that period, as people left through checkpoints including Nagdhunga, Bhaktapur and Pharping.
The figures do not break down travellers by their reason for leaving or by their final destination. They do, however, indicate that the flow of people returning to their villages for study, work and business reasons has been increasing ahead of the festival. The traffic police count provides a snapshot of that movement as the holiday period nears.
Traffic police report a rising flow
DSP Rabindra Khanal of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office provided the departure total and checkpoint figures. The reported 56,809 passengers represent people who exited the valley through various points between the two mornings. The figures underscore the volume of travel taking place as residents leave the capital region to mark Bada Dashain at home.
With the festival approaching, the movement is expected to remain a notable part of travel out of Kathmandu Valley, although no further figures or forecast were included in the report. For the period covered, Nagdhunga had the highest count, followed by Bhaktapur and Pharping. The overall total offers a measure of the continuing pre-Dashain return of people living in the valley to their villages and homes.
