Kathmandu, November 9:

Laxmi puja, the third day of Tihar, was observed throughout the country today.

Houses were decked with flowers and electric lights of different colours in the belief that Laxmi, goddess of wealth, will drop in and make them wealthy.

Chowks and shops are full of marigold and makhamali. Flower vendors on the streets were busy dealing with customers.

Apart from serving people, the flower vendors were also found causing traffic congestion in major chowks such as Koteshwor, Baneshwor, Ason, New Road and other places in Kathmandu. The flower vendors said they should have the right to sell flowers on the streets during festivals.

Parbati Karki, a flower vendor who arrived in Koteshwor from Banepa this morning, said she chose the Koteshwor Chowk as it is the hub for customers living in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts.

She also said that artificial flowers and flowers brought from India are selling well in the local market. People also prefer Indian flowers over Nepali flowers, she said. Nepali flowers wither faster than the Indian flower, she said, adding: “While Nepali flowers lose freshness in a day, Indian flowers last longer.”

Gajendra Thapa, another flower vendor from Sarlahi, said in New Road they can sell more garlands on the streets than in shops. “Businessman, Madwadis and the commoners all come

to buy flowers on the streets. It is easy to buy flowers on the streets because the streets are open for all,” he said, adding, “Vendors also prefer to sell flowers on the streets.”

However, these vendors cause traffic snarls. They extend their shops up to the streets. “We cannot help it. This is the only time we do brisk business,” he said, adding, “How can we let the opportunity slip by?”

Bhishma Prasai, SSP at the Metropolitan Police Traffic Division, said he was aware of the situation but they are helpless “We can do nothing except performing our duty as usual. All we do is try to make vehicular movement smooth,” he said.

However, it is not an easy task and the traffic police always deal with this problem during the festival. “It would be better if the Kathmandu Metropolitan City could manage places for these vendors,” SSP Prasai said.