With a view to easing vehicular movement of VVIPs, VIPs and minimizing security risks, security agencies have recommended a two-day public holiday in Kathmandu Valley during the 18th SAARC Summit to be held in Kathmandu from November 22 to 27.
The government is mulling announcing a two-day holiday in the Valley during the meeting of the head of states and governments of SAARC member states on November 26-27.
According to a highly placed official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the ministry has proposed a two-day holiday in Kathmandu Valley responding to the requests of security agencies.
With the summit to begin in just three weeks, government officials and security agencies are working on a war-footing to make the summit a grand success. A highly placed police official said, “The government is positive toward our proposal.”
“We have made all security arrangements for the visiting dignitaries,” said AIG Ganesh Rai, who chairs the SAARC Security Committee. If the government announces public holiday during the summit, it will not only relieve the motorists but also help minimize security risks, he added.
In comparison to the 11th SAARC Summit that was held in Kathmandu in 2002, the number of vehicles in the Valley has increased fourfold, according to the Metropolitan Police Traffic Division, Kathmandu. In 2002, the number of vehicles registered in the Valley was 181,000 but the number has reached 755,000 now.
DIG Keshav Adhikari, who heads the Traffic Police Division, said, if there is no public holiday managing the traffic during the VVIPs and VIPs movement would be a tough task, he added.
Apart from regular policing, surveillance has been stepped up at major junctions of the Kathmandu Valley. Additional personnel have been deployed for the purpose. About 22 sub-committees formed under the co-ordination of the Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lieutenant General Pawan Bahadur Pande, have been working on making security arrangements.
source: republica, 28 oct 2014
