Traffic light system yet to come into operation in Pokhara

By Santosh Subedi,Kaski, Aug. 12: Vehicular traffic in Pokhara is increasing year by year. To manage the traffic congestion in the tourist city, the Department of Roads completed the installation of traffic lights at its main intersections last year.

Although the Department has installed traffic lights at five main intersections of Pokhara, they have not yet come into operation. 

In the first phase, lights were installed at Prithvi Chowk, Sabha Griha Chowk, Srijana Chowk, Zero Kilometer and Birauta Chowk.  But they are not in use. 

Despite installing traffic lights, the traffic police have to manage the pressure of vehicles with the help of hands and whistles.

For the first time, 22 years ago, Pokhara Commercial Auto Parking (PCAP), which was awarded for parking contract, installed traffic lights. It was a conflict period and the lights were damaged before they were properly brought into operation. 

Traffic police in Pokhara have, thus, been unable to manage traffic with technology.  The number of vehicles here is increasing every year. However, due to the lack of technology, traffic management is becoming more challenging.  

In the first phase, the Department of Roads started a study to install the lights in different places in Pokhara nearly two decades ago. 

The Department of Roads and Pokhara Metropolitan City conducted a joint study four years ago to install traffic lights at 10 different intersections. However, the plan has not been completed even after a long time. 

The Department had signed an agreement with Pokhara Metropolis to install traffic lights at 26 places in Pokhara in October/November 2021, three years after the study was conducted. 

According to the agreement, the Department of Roads had tendered to install traffic lights at five places immediately and the lights were installed at five places, but other traffic lights have not been fixed yet.

After the new airport came into operation, traffic lights at Mahendrapul started functioning, but only for three days. Now, the traffic lights are not functioning.

Bhanu Sharma, Chief of the District Traffic Office, Kaski, said that traffic light management was in a ready position. "The traffic light system has not been handed over to us from the Department. We have coordinated with the Department of Roads and the Road Division Office. We are preparing to use the system," he said.

He indicated that the operation of the traffic light system is likely to start on August 17. “With the installation of traffic lights, traffic management will be much easier,” he added.