Phidim, January 21

The district traffic police office in Panchthar has launched a campaign to minimise road accidents in the wake of increasing road accidents along the Mechi Highway.

The 24-km road section from Pauwabhanjyang to Phidim has been witnessing sharp rise in road accidents of late. On a daily basis, at least eight to 10 medium-sized vehicles and five to seven larger vehicles were reported to have met with an accident due to fog.

Drivers of vehicles plying the road section said driving had become hard due to poor visibility caused by thick fog along the road from Pauwabhanjyang to Phidim. District Traffic Police Office Panchthar Chief Inspector Prem Kumar Sah said traffic police have installed 10 hoarding boards printed ‘accident prone zone’ along sharp bends and other places along the road stretch. He added that accidents took place mainly due to ignorance, on the part of drivers, about the foggy conditions.

The traffic police office also has managed zebra crossings in as many as 14 places of Phidim bazaar for the convenience of pedestrians. As per data available with Panchthar traffic police office, a total of 70 accidents took place along the road in the past two months.