The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division office in Baggikhana has been sealed for nearly a week now following the detection of coronavirus infection in four officers.

Nearly 300 traffic officers at the division in Baggikhana are currently in quarantine. Thirty-three officers at the Metropolitan Traffic Police Section in Tripureshwor are also observing quarantine after two traffic policemen there tested positive for coronavirus.

Due to its reduced strength, the traffic police has asked for support from Nepal Police to manage and monitor the traffic in Kathmandu Valley.

Nepal Police has mobilised its constables all across the Valley to regulate the traffic and enforce the odd-even rule for vehicles.

“We have been strictly monitoring the odd-even rule enforced by the government,” said a 25-year-old- police constable mobilised to monitor the traffic in the Bhadrakali area.

Earlier, only few traffic police were present on the Valley roads, resulting in poor implementation of the odd-even rules.
The mobilisation of Nepal Police constables on traffic duty is expected to discourage motorists from flouting the alternate-day driving rule that was imposed as a curb to control the spike of coronavirus cases in the Valley.

There was a noticeable presence of Nepal Police personnel on the Valley roads since Monday.

“Any motorists driving out of turn are being stopped at this checkpoint. We have already booked over two dozen motorcyclists,” said the constable. “This is my first experience doing a traffic policeman’s job.”

Bam Dev Gautam, spokesperson at the traffic police division office, said:“With many traffic officers put under quarantine, Nepal Police has mobilised its staff to monitor the traffic movements and they are helping traffic personnel enforce the odd-even rule,”

Gautam himself is also staying in quarantine along with Superintendent of Police Bhim Prasad Dhakal, chief of the traffic division office.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sushil Kumar Yadav, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Office, Rani Pokhari, said most of the Nepal Police personnel deployed on traffic duty are newly recruited constables.

“Nepal Police civvies have also been deployed to monitor the movement of people and vehicles, including at six entry points of Kathmandu Valley,” said Yadav.

The government had imposed the odd-and even rule for public and private vehicles inside Kathmandu Valley for the second time last week.
Besides, the government has also been regulating the vehicles and people entering the Valley from various entry points: Thankot-Nagdhunga, Pharping, Jagati, Tinpiple-Mudkhu Bhanjyang, Jaharshing Pawa and Kattike.

According to Yadav, the Nepal Police has mobilised 3,196 personnel in Kathmandu, 810 in Bhaktapur and 1,127 personnel in Lalitpur with the instruction to enforce the Covid-19 public health safety and rules, like odd-even vehicle rule and social distancing. “Various police units have deployed their officers on the road to nab the rule violators,” said Yadav.

Gautam, the spokesperson for the traffic division office, said a total of 1,602 odd-even rule vehicle rule violators, including 4oo four-wheelers were seized, on Tuesday alone.
In the past six days, the division’s records show that 8,302 motorists were booked for taking out their vehicles when it was not their turn.

“With the help of Nepal Police, the traffic officers are strictly monitoring the odd-even vehicle rule,” said Gautam.