Kathmandu, Sept 12: Drivers repeatedly penalised for the same traffic offence will now face suspension of their driving licences, with the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office moving to suspend licences of those penalised more than five times.
SSP Navaraj Adhikari, chief of the Valley Traffic Police Office, said Sunday that the process had already begun. Based on an investigation of traffic offence records, police have recommended that the Department of Transport Management suspend the licences of 31 drivers, initially for six months.
Traffic police data show that 373,562 vehicles were penalised during the current fiscal year through Chaitra.
Managing traffic has become increasingly difficult as the number of vehicles in the Kathmandu Valley continues to rise. By the end of fiscal year 2024/25, 2,018,434 vehicles had been registered at the Transport Management Office in Lalitpur. These included 1,656,048 two-wheelers, 296,867 four-wheelers, 46,844 passenger vehicles and 18,675 electric vehicles.
The actual number of vehicles operating in the Valley is higher because millions of vehicles registered outside Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur also enter the Valley.
The Valley Traffic Police Office has 1,113 sanctioned positions and has deployed around 400 additional personnel on deputation. Its 77 units across the three districts are responsible for managing more than 26,000 vehicles each.
According to Adhikari, traffic police work shifts of up to 10 hours a day. Police maintain round the clock deployment at 28 locations, conduct checks at 326 locations daily, and add personnel at 97 locations during peak hours. Sixty-two officers are assigned to quick response teams. Night checks are conducted at 56 locations, while surprise checkpoints operate at 36 locations.
Road accidents remain a major concern. Through Chaitra, 4,631 vehicle accidents were recorded across Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, killing 174 people and seriously injuring 186. People aged 16 to 35 accounted for 86 deaths.
Vehicle theft is another growing problem. Police recovered 534 two wheelers during the current fiscal year through Chaitra. In April alone, 65 stolen two wheelers were recovered and returned to their owners. Police received 2,026 complaints of missing vehicles during the fiscal year.
Login to add a comment