KATHMANDU, APRIL 2
Police have arrested four persons, including three tipper drivers, for driving under the influence of drugs from Koteshwor.
Senior Superintendent of Police Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, spokesperson for Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, said they were caught driving under the influence of prescription drugs during special checking yesterday. Those taken into police custody have been identified as tipper drivers Kumar Karki of Dolakha, Bijay Tamang of Kavre and Arjun Lama of Nuwakot, and taxi driver Indra Bahaur Basnet of Sindhuli.
A joint team of KVTPO, technicians of Nepal Police Hospital, Narcotics Control Bureau and Koteshwor-based Police Circle had conducted the drug test on 21 vehicles. Of them, four drivers were found to have been involved in impaired drinking. The window of time to detect drug in blood is very small as the drugs get absorbed into the bloodstream with minutes of consumption. Traffic police take the help of technicians of Nepal Police Hospital to detect drug traces in the drivers/riders. According to police, psychoactive substances, cannabis and prescription drugs are used by the riders, mainly youths.
Traffic police had launched the crackdown on impaired driving in July. Traffic police warned that persons driving under the influence of drugs were more vulnerable to road accident. Psychoactive substance and prescription drugs cause drowsiness, dizziness, and impaired thinking and judgment of the persons concerned, leading to fatal road accident. Impaired driving has emerged as a serious road safety issue in urban areas, including Kathmandu valley.
The rise in drug smuggling also corroborates this.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 3, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
