Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 18:

Employees working at private firms and locals were affected as vehicular movement came to a halt in the valley for seven hours today. From 7 am onwards, buses, mini buses, micro buses and tempos headed for Ratnapark, old Buspark, Shahid gate and Sundhara were asked to move back. Traffic resumed only after 2 pm.

Govinda Niraula, deputy superintendent of police at the Valley Traffic Police Office, Ramshahpath, said that the traffic flow was regulated to manage four events of the Toyota Kathmandu International Marathon and Royal visit at Dashrath Stadium. To celebrate the Democracy Day, the government had asked all the government officers to gather at Tundikhel by 7 am.

While buses running on the Banepa/Dhulikhel-Kathmandu route were not allowed to come to Kathmandu till 10:30 am, vehicles headed for Ratnapark from Balaju/Gangabu were stopped at Sorakhutte. Dileep Khatri, helper of a bus that runs on the Kirtipur-Old Buspark route, said the driver was asked to move back from the Balkhu chowk at 7 am. The driver was allowed to resume services from 2 pm. A driver of a microbus was asked to move back from Thapathali. “We were allowed to cross Thapathali only after 2:30 pm,” said the driver, who ferries passengers on the the Lagankhel-Ratnapark route.

As the roads were blocked, public vehicles and taxis were seen taking passengers to their destinations through gullies. Nonetheless, local people and employees working in private firms were affected. Raju Upreti, an employer at a firm at Solateemode, Kalimati, came to the office on foot. “It was quite displeasing for every commonner.”