Kathmandu, Sept 28: Nepal Police will set up passenger assistance desks at major transport points ahead of the upcoming festivals to prevent passengers from being overcharged or cheated and to reduce road accidents.
The Infrastructure Development Committee of the House of Representatives was informed on Monday that the desks would be established as part of special arrangements for the festival travel rush.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sunil Jung Shah said police would step up monitoring to prevent black marketing of tickets and the practice of carrying passengers beyond a vehicle’s seating capacity.
The assistance desks will have Nepal Police and traffic police personnel. It has also been proposed that representatives of the Department of Transport Management be stationed there so that disputes over fares can be resolved immediately.
Official fares for all destinations will be displayed clearly at the desks, which police expect will reduce disputes between passengers and transport operators.
Shah also stressed that employees working at ticket counters should be required to carry official identification cards. This would make it clear which transport committee or operator they represent and make it easier for authorities to take action if problems arise.
To reduce road accidents, Shah also called for changes to the “queue-free” system, suggesting that drivers familiar with particular routes should be assigned to those routes. Sending drivers along unfamiliar roads increases the risk of accidents because they may not know dangerous bends, potholes and other road conditions, he said.
The assistance desks will monitor complaints including excessive fares, carrying passengers without tickets and selling the same seat to two or three passengers.
Shah said having police, traffic police and transport department representatives at the same desk would allow passenger complaints to be addressed quickly.
Police have also prepared a special traffic management strategy for the Kalanki–Nagdhunga section, which experiences some of the heaviest traffic during Dashain.
Shah said available personnel would be mobilised to their maximum capacity to manage the sharp increase in traffic expected from four days before the festival.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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