Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has fined 1,749 motorists and public bus drivers who broke various traffic rules, including charging passengers extra fares, since the office installed help desks in 11 different places in the Valley on October 11.

Police are strictly monitoring traffic rule violators and those extra-charging public vehicles

The division office on Sunday had installed 11 help desks for the surveillance system targeting the upcoming festive season Dashain, Tihar and Chhath—in Kalanki, Satungal, New Bus Park, Satdobato, Gaushala, Pharping, Nagdhunga, Bhaktapur and other places. Each help desk consists of traffic police, consumer rights’ and transportation stakeholders representatives to help the passengers

“Besides that we have also mobilised 30 traffic police to monitor the bus fare in long route vehicles,” said Senior Superintendent of Police and spokesperson at the division Rameshowr Yadav.

On Friday alone traffic police gave tickets for 40 taxis and seven public vehicles for over charging vehicles according to Yadav. Meanwhile, on the same day 150 vehicles were wheel locked.

He said in the past five days, 74 overcharging taxis and 14- overcharging public vehicles have been booked. “We have not got many complaints from passengers over charging vehicles, but we request passengers to dial in 103 in such cases,” said Yadav.

The division has been charging Rs 500 for taxis that do not want to go to the designated places, while up to Rs 3,000 for over charging taxis and public buses based on Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act 1993.

Meanwhile, the division has also intensified in booking motorbikes riding with unclear number plates and those riding with loud speakers.

The division’s data shows every day the division office has been booking over 100 motorbikes with unclear number plates and in the past four days 45 loud sound producing bikes.

In less than a week 554 vehicles (354 two wheelers and 200 four wheelers) with unclear number plates have been booked according to the division office. Since October 11, the division office has wheel locked 807 vehicles for parking haphazardly in the past five days according to Yadav.

Officials say many of those who are riding with unclear number plates are unintentional, due to their negligence, but the police have found that few of them are making such number plates intentionally to indulge in criminal activities.

Sushil Kumar Yadav, senior superintendent of police and spokesperson at the Metropolitan Police Office in Rani Pokhari welcomes the traffic police’s act. “This is a good move, this will discourage criminal activities to some extent,” he said.

The division office has deployed over 1,400 traffic police in 137 different places. However, after the criticism from doctors and the public regarding drunk driving checking, the division office has announced it will check motorcyclists and motorists for drunk driving at the entry points of Kathmandu Valley.

“Due to Covid-19 pandemic we have postponed drunk driving checking inside the Valley, but we will continue it in the border points because of their safety matter,” said spokesman Rameshwor Yadav.