KATHMANDU, Sept 25: The government is to enforce the 'time card' system in public transport operating on long routes in a bid to prevent accidents and to ensure efficient traffic management during the festival period.

The biggest festivals of Nepalis - Dashain, Tihar and Chhath- are only a week away. They last together for about a month. 

A meeting of the committee formed for this purpose on Saturday took a decision in this connection. It is said that the time card system is also being enforced with a view to discouraging the tendency of driving at high speed to reach the destination earlier.  

The committee has made 14 various decisions including implementing the time card by identifying places on the highway in coordination with Nepal Police, the Department of Transport Management and the transport entrepreneurs.

The meeting was chaired by Home Ministry spokesperson and the committee coordinator Phanindra Mani Pokharel. It decided to strictly prohibit traveling on the roofs of buses or vehicles or hanging. The committee will also carry out monitoring as needed for preventing drunk driving.

The committee has taken a decision requiring every public transportation vehicle to keep a first aid kit, stickers with necessary information as police hotline contact number, a signal object if there is an accident and to make arrangements for sanitizing the vehicle.

Likewise, the committee decided to make public the phone number for passengers to complain in case the driver drives the vehicle in an unusual manner and to arrange for directing all the police units for immediate mobilization after getting such a complaint. 

As per the information shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Transport Management will make arrangements for conducting mechanical checks at the main places in the Kathmandu Valley on vehicles operating on the medium and long routes beginning September 25. This would be conducted in coordination of the authorized seller, the Traffic Police and the transport entrepreneurs. 

A decision has been taken requiring the transport entrepreneurs federation to assign a contact person in every province and district for the smooth operation of vehicles and provide his/her phone number to Nepal Police.

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