For a moment, the driver seemed apprehensive assuming that the official standing with his assistant could have stopped the micro-in-the-motion to take action against him for any mistake.But his apprehension was gone right after the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jaya Bahadur Chand and his aide sat in the second row seat and asked the driver to continue with his driving.
DIG Chand was commuting to his office on public transport as a part of the latest decision taken by a meeting of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) officials in Kathmandu, presided by him as its Chief, that the MTPD traffic police officials of all levels shall travel on public transport every Friday effective from March 13 i.e. today.
The DIG had inquired both the driver and the passengers about the issues and problems they had been facing when it comes to riding and having travelled in the public transport to which the driver of the micro cited the war of word between the conductor and the passengers over the fare was the most recurring incident.
Women passengers were asked if they were easily provided with the seats that are reserved for them in the public transport, to which they had replied that they were seldom provided with.
DIG Chand opined that the traffic officials commuting once in a week in public transport would allow for financial aptness with the savings in government fuel expenses while enhancing the quality of the use of public vehicles.
"A big bus can carry 60 passengers whereas only 15 people could be accommodated in three cars, the roads in Kathmandu do not have capacity to bear the increasing number of private vehicles," shared Chand, adding that it was hence imperative to encourage the people to commute by public transport. \
Chand further believed that if the traffic officials would travel in public vehicles like this, they would get a bigger picture of the inconvenience, difficulties and problems prevailing in this sector and thereafter would enable police to take action accordingly.
Passengers were found to have often grieved about facing misbehavior from fellow passengers, conductor charging unreasonable fare and cramming of the passengers among others.
With Chand-like traffic officials travelling to and from office every Friday in public transport, many of the drives, ignorant of the latest decision of the MTPD, could have had the same experience the driver in the Chand's case today! RSS
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