By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Mar. 21: The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has decided to put off its ‘drink and drive’ operation in the Kathmandu Valley effective from Friday, citing possible spread of the coronavirus.
The Division has also stopped taking one hour awareness class for those nabbed on the charge of drunk driving and violating traffic lane discipline and involving in road accidents for an indefinite time, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and in-charge of the Division, Bhim Prasad Dhakal said.
Those seized motor vehicles, documents like driving licenses and blue books can, however, be received from the Division and the concerned traffic police offices by depositing the fine in the bank account.
“The traffic police can conduct the drink and drive operation only if it is urgent and the situation demands so,” SSP Dhakal said.
The Division has also requested all the vehicle riders to drive carefully and without taking alcohol.
Similarly, the Division said that they intensified monitoring of public vehicles to watch whether the vehicle owners had sanitised their vehicles and whether they were carrying passengers exceeding the seats.
The office had also arranged for washing hands and using sanitizers in front of the main gate of the traffic office at Ramshahpath before every individual and staff members enter the office. Fever detecting machines were also brought into operation at the office, traffic police said.
Superintendent of Police and spokesperson at the Division Jeevan Kumar Shrestha also said that the Division has deployed over 200 traffic police personnel in 86 places, including the bus parks, ticket counters, and major public places and bus stations to generate awareness among the passengers about the possible contamination of the virus. The special traffic police task teams will also monitor public vehicles in the Valley, said Shrestha.