KATHMANDU, June 17: Newly-appointed Home Minister Janardan Sharma has taken initiatives to end the Kathmandu Valley's chronic traffic problems. Inviting senior police officials including Inspector General of Police, Prakash Aryal, and other authorities concerned at his office, Minister Sharma on Friday instructed them to do the needful to end the traffic woes. 

Holding a discussion with officials from the Department of Roads, Department of Transport Management, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd (KUKL), Nepal Telecom, Nepal Electricity Authority and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Home Minister asked them to come up with ideas on traffic management in the valley. 

In the meeting, Minister Sharma asked the authorities to estimate the budget to install traffic lights at 200 places. "Let's install traffic lights at 200 cross-sections in the valley. Let's do it promptly. If we wait for ADB or other donors, it could take years," reads the statement released by the minister's secretariat. 

"If we cannot install traffic lights and street lamps on our own, there is no meaning of running a government," the secretariat quoted Sharma further.

He urged the Department of Road to initiate construction of overhead bridges at busy places but warned not to repeat the mistakes made by the government agencies while constructing such a bridge at Kalanki.

Minister Sharma instructed the Department of Transport Management to draw at least 800 new zebra crossings on the roads of the Kathmandu Valley within the next 15 days.

During the discussion, Nepal Police chief Prakash Aryal stressed on managing the unmanaged parking lots but he said that there should not be pay-parking as it could mean easy money for goons. 

 
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