Metro Traffic FM likely to go on air within three months

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANNDU: If everything goes well, the Valley denizens will get an opportunity to tune to Metro Traffic FM 95.6 MHz for traffic updates within three months.

DIG Ganesh Raj Rai, in-charge of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, said Kantipath-based Muktinath Trade Concern was awarded the contract last week to procure equipment for operating the FM station.

MTPD had invited proposals from eligible firms for the purpose. Officials are doing groundwork to operate the FM station in a new building being constructed on MTPD premises, Ramshahpath. “We have set a target of next three months to go on air,” he informed. For this, 40 traffic cops, including inspectors, are doing anchoring, audio writing, editing, programme production and technical courses.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has already given its nod to MTPD to launch the FM station.

According to officials, the FM will be operated for 12 hours a day — from 8 am to 8 pm — in the initial phase. As per the request of traffic authorities, the government had decided to allocate a budge of Rs 5 million to cover infrastructure and preliminary operations of the proposed FM station in the current fiscal.

MTPD has put disabled cops, conflict victims and women traffic cops on top priority to operate the FM station. The FM station will cover all three district in the Valley — Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

“It will be operated as a non-profit-making FM station dedicated to motorists, commuters and pedestrians. However, we may sell time to various agencies interested in broadcasting radio programmes with respect to road safety,” DIG Rai informed.

According to MTPD, the FM station will update audiences with traffic conditions, road closure, political activities in the streets, road safety tips, accidents, safety warnings and traffic police activities besides broadcasting traffic awareness programmes.