KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office commenced the ‘Traffic Awareness Special Campaign-2081’ today, aiming to foster a culture of responsible road behavior through heightened awareness.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Rabi Lamichhane, inaugurated the campaign, announcing plans for a special operation to enhance the reliability and safety of public transportation.
Lamichhane emphasized forthcoming amendments to policies, rules, and acts to bolster road safety, with a focus on enhancing the accessibility, reliability, and convenience of public transport.
Concerned by the prevalence of traffic rule violations, Lamichhane advised traffic police to maintain professionalism while enforcing regulations firmly.
He warned of stringent government action against traffic infractions to save lives, advocating for a transitional period involving awareness programs to shift cultural attitudes towards compliance.
Lamichhane also addressed growing politicization across sectors, suggesting the possibility of incentivizing citizens who report traffic violations to the authorities.
Additionally, he stressed the government’s commitment to implementing a technology-friendly traffic management system and improving road safety based on recommendations from a previous road security task force report.
Proposing enhancements to the driver’s license issuance process, Lamichhane advocated for mandatory road trials prior to licensing.
He outlined consequences for areas reporting accidents due to negligence by traffic police, including lower performance evaluations for responsible officials.
Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dangol, underscored the importance of collective responsibility in the traffic awareness campaign, emphasizing the need for improved conduct among traffic police and responsible road usage by citizens.
Chief of Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Additional Inspector General of Police Deepak Thapa, highlighted the initial focus on traffic and public transport management in the valley, discussing potential installation of CC cameras in transport vehicles to deter misuse.
Bijay Bahadur Swanr, President of the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association, called for concerted efforts to reduce accidents, urging prompt implementation of recommendations from the Public Transport Improvement Task Force report.
Road safety expert Bhagwati Sedhai stressed the role of community awareness in reducing accidents, proposing the recruitment of traffic volunteers and advocating for citizen sensitivity towards road regulations.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Poshraj Pokharel, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office (KVTPO), articulated the campaign’s objective of promoting traffic rule adherence among the public and organizations.
He identified humanitarian traffic management as a challenge and highlighted potential improvements through infrastructure upgrades, better vehicle parking management, and corridor optimization.
The campaign’s launch was preceded by a traffic awareness rally in Kathmandu.
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