KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 20

With the festive season around the corner, traffic police have announced special security arrangements to manage the valley traffic and prevent road accidents during Dashain, Tihar and Chhath in a systematic manner.

Senior Superintendent of Police Janak Bhattarai, in-charge at Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, said the cops, both in uniform and civvies armed with breathalysers, will be deployed inside and outside the Ring Road in more than 65 places, with special focus on the entry points to the valley to catch any one driving under the influence. He also informed that traffic cops would conduct regular and surprise alcohol meter test on drivers, particularly targeting long-route buses as people are expected to leave the valley for their home to cerebrate Dashain.

'We are working in a manner to reduce road accident deaths to zero in the valley during the festivals,' he informed.

The existing law has adopted zero tolerance towards drink-driving.

He warned that drink-driving not only puts the driver's life at risk but also others. Passengers place trust in the person driving the vehicle they are travelling in.

SSP Bhattarai said traffic police would establish passenger help desks in 14 places of the valley. The held desks will enforce traffic rules, besides facilitating travellers and taking action against crooked transport entrepreneurs during the festival. Traffic offences increase during the festive season.

According to him, the help desks will also assist people in booking and acquiring travel tickets, given the tickets are not sold out. Ticket booking counters have been asked to display bus fares to ensure transparency.

Help desks will also warn ticket booking clerks against possible incidents of double-ticketing, blackmailing, overcharging and selling ticket in black. Officials deployed at help desks will arrest and take action against those involved in fraudulent activities.

Officials have made it compulsory for ticketing clerks to wear ID cards to ensure that 'frauds do not get to cheat passengers in the name of making tickets available at a cheaper rate'. Officials have appealed all to take precautions and lodge complaints at help desks if they face any problem.

For the safety of the commuters, the government requires transporter entrepreneurs to have two drivers in each vehicle that ply the routes that are longer than 250-km to prevent road accidents due to exhaustion.

SSP Bhattarai said traffic cops would strictly implement this rule.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 21 2021, of The Himalayan Times.