After facing widespread criticism from the public for not operating traffic lights in the city, the Department of Roads is all set to operate traffic lights in five places by next week.

Senior divisional engineer at the Department of Roads Dip Barahi said, “We have completed the installation of traffic lamps and are ready to start operations next week.”

Many of the traffic lights in Kathmandu Valley have been defunct for nearly two decades.

The department has already installed traffic lights at two junctions in Kalimati; one junction in Singha Durbar, one in Bagbazaar, two in Padmodaya and at three junctions in Tinkune.

The department has also installed poles for traffic lights at Purano Baneshwor, Mitra Park and Gaushala areas. It has allocated Rs10.9 million for the project.

Talking to the Post, officials at the department said that it has planned to install eight more traffic lights in the remaining areas in the Capital.

Officials said that these traffic lights will be operated in an isolated system. “They are not interconnected even at the junctions,” said Barahi.

Prajl Construction Pvt has been awarded the contract to install the traffic lights.  Last year, the department, in association with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, had installed smart traffic lights at New Baneshwor and Maharajgunj.

The DoA had installed smart traffic lights in New Baneshwor at the cost of Rs1.4 million and the metropolis had spent Rs2.7 million to install the lights in Maharajgunj.  

The department installed traffic lights in Thapathali in October last year, but they have not come into operation. “The traffic lights in Thapathali will also come into operation next week,” said Barahi.

According  to the Metropiltan Traffic Police Division, traffic lights in New Baneshwor, Maharajgunj and Koteshwor to Bhaktapur road section are fully functional.

“This comes as a great relief for the traffic police. If all traffic lights are restored at all major junctions and arteries, that can reduce 50 percent of personnel from active traffic duties,” said chief of the division Senior Superintendent of Police Basanta Kumar Panta.

According to the division, every day 1,400 traffic police personnel are deployed on the Valley roads to monitor traffic movement. Though the department made an announcement to install the traffic lights numerous times last year, it could not do so due to lack of resources. Last year, the department had announced to install traffic lights at 35 points in the Valley.