KATHMANDU: The District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu has emphasized that government vehicles must not be used on public holidays without an appropriate pass.

In response to an incident involving Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balen Shah threatening to set fire to Singha Durbar after traffic police halted a KMC vehicle carrying his wife on Saturday, the office released a statement on Monday.

The office highlighted the cost savings resulting from the reduction in the use of government vehicles for personal purposes due to the ban on their usage during public holidays. It further emphasized the provision for acquiring a vehicle pass from the relevant authorities when necessary for government vehicles to operate on public holidays.

Additionally, the office stated that the local administration continually follows the Home Ministry’s directives and urged everyone not to obstruct duty-bound staff or make statements and social media posts about those enforcing the law.

The incident occurred when traffic police stopped the KMC vehicle traveling from Balkumari to Koteshwore at around nine o’clock on Saturday night, inquiring about permission to use a government vehicle on a public holiday, according to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office.

Mayor Shah expressed his frustration on social media later that night, posting, “Nothing happened today. But if any of our KMC vehicles are stopped by the government from tomorrow, I will set Singha Durbar on fire. Remember, thief government,” threatening to set fire to the federal government’s administrative center.

Mayor Shah also called Kathmandu Chief District Officer (CDO) Jitendra Basnet that Saturday night to inquire why the KMC vehicle carrying his wife was stopped and checked.

In response, Mayor Shah’s secretariat issued a statement on Sunday afternoon, claiming that traffic police had acted aggressively towards his wife on Saturday night.

The statement, issued by Mayor Shah’s personal secretary Bhup Dev Shah, revealed that Mayor Shah’s wife, Sabina Kafle, was returning after breastfeeding their baby, who was being cared for in the NICU. Kafle had given birth to a baby girl at Nepal Mediciti Hospital on August 25.

The statement acknowledged that the traffic police on duty stopped the vehicle and asked for permission to use a government vehicle on a public holiday. It added that the driver identified himself and revealed Mayor Shah’s identity, stating that the vehicle had the required permit for public holiday use but it was not in the vehicle at the time.

The Kathmandu District Administration Office has since clarified that Mayor Shah’s vehicle did not possess such a pass for use on Saturday.

While the statement from Mayor Shah’s secretariat criticized the traffic police for their treatment of a postpartum mother returning from breastfeeding her baby at the NICU, it did not reference Mayor Shah’s social media post where he threatened to set fire to Singha Durbar.