By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Nov. 24: Newly transferred Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and in-charge at the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) Janak Bhattarai Monday said managing smooth traffic system and reducing road fatalities in the valley would be major works during his term.
Speaking at a welcome and farewell ceremony hosted by outgoing in-charge SSP Bhim Prasad Dhakal of the Division, SSP Bhattarai said he would try his best to manage smooth traffic system in the valley in coordination with the KMC's City Police and Road Division of Kathmandu. "Manual traffic policing alone could do nothing now in the valley, so we must adopt technology in traffic policing," SSP Bhattarai said.
Reducing road fatalities has been an uphill task in the Kathmandu Valley and proper systems and rules and regulations must be brought into implementation to minimise casualties in road accidents, he said.
Last fiscal year, the valley witnessed 152 road fatalities and 254 in the fiscal year 2018/19, according to DSP Madhav Kharel. In the current fiscal year, 50 people had already lost their lives in road accidents in the valley.
Meanwhile, outgoing SSP Dhakal said that managing smooth traffic system in the valley is a challenging task like maintaining smooth nervous system of human being.
"During my tenure of 14 months 20 days as traffic chief, what I have learnt is that managing smooth traffic system in the valley is like keeping our human nerves fit and in the right system and this is possible only when we all work in a coordinated way," he said.
SSP Dhakal said that with the use of technology and proper traffic light signals, road lanes, and better condition of the roads contributed to reducing human casualties in road accidents.
He said that during his term, the Division was able to introduce new technological systems, and they included launching of the lost and found vehicle management system, lost document application software through online system, road accident information management system, expansion of traffic violation record system and traffic communication application to check provision of keeping two drivers in the long route vehicles at Thankot-Naghdhunga.
During the function, outgoing traffic chief Dhakal handed over the command to SSP Bhattarai in which the Kathmandu Metropolitan City's City Police chief and DSP Dhanapati Sapkota, and DG of Kathmandu Road Division Kuber Nepali were also present.