Wednesday 11th September 2024
In a bid to curb the coronavirus spread in the Kathmandu Valley, the Nepali Government has imposed strict prohibitory orders across the region since August 19. In response, the Nepal Police in the Valley arrested as many as 1,860 pedestrians and seized 1,103 vehicles for defying the prohibitory orders on Thursday.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police Susheel Yadav, around 442 pedestrians in Kathmandu district, 359 in Bhaktapur, and 1,059 in Lalitpur were arrested on the first day of lockdown in the Valley.
As per the Infectious Disease Control Act, 1964, people breaching prohibitory orders could be imprisoned for six months or fined NPR 100.
However, the police have taken a softer approach and released the pedestrians without charging any fines.
“We held the violators on the sidewalks for one-two hours before being counseled about the risk of the virus,” said Yadav. Meanwhile, 821 two-wheelers and 282 four-wheelers were seized by Traffic Police in Kathmandu Valley.
“The drivers were counseled, and their vehicles were held on the roadside for at least an hour,” said SSP Yadav. However, the police released the vehicles without charging fines.
The police officials said they have to take stringent action if people continue violating the orders despite their counseling and polite requests.
“We will continue punishing those who step out without any urgency to control the spread of the novel coronavirus,” said SSP Yadav.
Around 3,300 police personnel were mobilized in the Valley to ensure strict implementation of the prohibitory order. In the last 20 days, the Kathmandu Valley has recorded over 2,123 coronavirus cases, with almost 100 new cases every day.
Lately, on Wednesday, 200 new cases were reported in the Valley, including 174 in Kathmandu, 18 in Lalitpur, and 8 in Bhaktapur. Stay Tuned to Nepali Sansar for Latest COVID-19 News!
