Kathmandu, May 27
In the month of Baiskhakh, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has taken action against 582 taxi drivers in the Kathmandu Valley.
As per MTPD statistics, 461 of them had refused to operate on meter and had tried to fleece passengers, 63 had tempered with their meters and 58 taxis with red plates had transported passengers.
Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, joint spokesperson for the division, said most of the taxis operating in Kathmandu refuse to operate on meter. They charge really high if they have to rush people to hospitals and airports, he said. “We have such places under close watch.”
In recent days, MTPD has stepped up monitoring public vehicles, amid reports that they were fleecing customers and violating traffic rules.
Recently, it has increased fine for traffic rule violations. This has not gone well with transporters and transport workers. On Thursday, they enforced a transport strike against the move.
The protest organisers say the government should focus more on developing physical infrastructure like bus stops, parking lots and installing traffic lights, instead of increasing fine for traffic rule violations. They say the MTPD move is meant to augment the income of traffic police personnel on duty, who get cuts for booking traffic rule violators.
