With growing concerns from various sector of the society including few school operators and guardians, the Metropolitan Police Traffic Division has decided to intensify the integrated security plan for Holi, the festival of colors."In a bid to make the festival of colors more disciplined, sober and joyful, we will carry out security vigilance starting from 7 am to 7 pm on the day of Holi," said the DIG Prakash Aryal, the Chief of Metropolitan Police Traffic Division. Holi is being celebrated on Tuesday in the Kathmandu Valley and on Wednesday in the Tarai districts this year.
"We won't allow driving under the influence of alcohol and psychotropic substances, over-speeding, reckless driving, over loading or triple ridding, biking without helmets, hooliganism and forcible hurling of colors, water filled balloons and use of unnatural colors," DIG Aryal stressed while briefing the media.
The police will be deployed on both plainclothes and uniform in 53 different vital stations, about 90 mobile patrol squads in vehicles and motorbikes, will set up additional check-points and use radar detectors to prevent possible disaster during Holi.
"If found guilty, anyone violating rules will be charged under the Public Offence Act and might be slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 and one year of imprisonment," SSP Bikram Singh Thapa said, adding, "So we request Kathmanduties to immediately contact the nearest police station or dial 100 for complaints."
Every year police arrest dozens of people in three districts - Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur - for various kinds of offence during the festival while many are left seriously injured and few dead while celebrating Holi.
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