Kathmandu, September 18

Building and Heritage Division of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has decided to organise a week-long campaign ‘Ktm Walks’ to promote walkability, pedestrianisation, cycling and tourism in city core areas starting from September 20.

During the week-long campaign, motorized vehicles will be barred from plying the inner roads of the city core areas on September 20 to mark the World Clean-Up Day. All sorts of cars will be prohibited entry to the city core areas on World Car Free Day, which falls on September 22. Local communities and clubs will carry out various awareness activities such as heritage walk, cycle rally, food festival and street performance in the inner roads from 7:00 am-7:00 pm.

Shriju Pradhan, chief of Heritage Conservation and Tourism Section at the KMC, said organizations like Thamel Tourism Development Board, Clean Energy Nepal, Saatghumti Sub-committee, Star Club, Resource Center for Primary Health Care, among many others, have joined hands for the campaign.

“The main objective of the campaign is to discourage flow of motorized vehicle in the city core areas.

Haphazard parking of vehicles mars the beauty of heritage sites,” Pradhan said. She said making the city core areas vehicle-free would help enrich their social, cultural and aesthetic value. Basantapur, Saatghumti, Thamel and Teku Dovan are among the locations where the campaigners will take out a march to protest haphazard parking of vehicles at heritage sites.