KATHMANDU, Feb 24: The authorities have deployed 890 traffic police officers on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office implemented a special security plan to manage the crowd of devotees at the Pashupatinath area.
The authorities will establish a command center under the leadership of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to ensure smooth and organized movement for devotees throughout the Maha Shivaratri period.
The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has streamlined traffic management to ensure the smooth movement of devotees coming to Pashupatinath for worship.
The authorities have set designated parking areas for devotees' vehicles at Tilganga Eye Hospital, Sifal Chowk, and Guheshwori Corridor Road. They will park fire trucks, ambulances, and water tankers in the Bankali area.
Additionally, they have arranged parking for pass-holder vehicles at the Treasury Office and Sifal Chowk, while security personnel's vehicles will park at the Gaushala Police Circle.
Alternative routes and traffic control
Binod Ghimire, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, said they have designated separate parking areas for vehicles coming from different routes. They have taken measures to ensure smooth flow of traffic for the convenience of the devotees.
If the number of devotees surges significantly, the authorities will restrict vehicle movement in the Gaushala area and implement alternative routes. They have planned to deploy additional traffic police on the corridor road and internal roads.
As usual, authorities will allow normal vehicle operations in the Chabahil, Gaushala, and Tilganga areas. However, they will implement a diversion policy only if traffic management becomes difficult due to excessive crowds of devotees.
They will prohibit cargo vehicles coming from Tinkune to Sinamangal, from the Boudha area to Gaurighat, and from Old Baneshwor, Gaushala, and Mitrapark.
Vehicles coming from the Bagmati Corridor and Jorpati through Chabahil must park across Guheshwori. If heavy traffic occurs at the Gaushala junction, authorities will divert vehicles from Chabahil, Old Baneshwor, Gyaneshwor-Maitidevi, Ratopul, and Sifal Chowk-Jaya Bageshwori routes through alternative routes.
To prevent potential vehicle theft, traffic police will deploy officers in civilian dress. The police have urged devotees to park their vehicles in secure locations.
Traffic police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Sanjay Bahadur Raut, stated that they will deploy additional officers as needed.
Spokesperson Raut committed to ensuring a smooth environment for devotees to visit Pashupatinath without any hindrance during the Maha Shivaratri. He stated that all mechanisms would be set into motion to manage traffic effectively.