Officials at the Home Ministry said Armed Police Force (APF) personnel deployed to thwart highway obstructions, one of the five components of the newly-launched security plan, have helped curb incidents of passenger buses being looted. [break]
A large number of passenger buses used to be robbed on highway stretches adjoining dense forests on the eve the Dashain festival every year. The Pathlaiya-Chandranigahapur, Chandrauta-Bhaluwang and Kohalpur-Kusum sections of the East-West Highway have been identified as highly prone to such lootings.
A senior official at the ministry said APF personnel have erected temporary outposts along these sections of the highway in view of possible lootings. “The APF personnel are also directed to conduct regular patrolling along the highway during the night,” the official said.
There has not been any looting incident so far along these ´pocket areas´ unlike in past years, according to police.
Passengers traveling the road have found additional reason to heave a sigh of relief this Dashain. Instances of road obstruction have also gone down sharply with the launch of the SSP.
Officials claimed that highway obstructions have almost come to a halt with police acting immediately to clear any such obstructions. Police personnel deputed along the highways have been directed to immediately clear away the highway obstruction, if any, to save bus passengers unnecessary hassles.
There were a total 466 highway obstructions from mid-June to mid-July and 436 and 345 instances respectively in the following two months. “With a few exceptions there have not been such obstructions on the highway since,” the official added.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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