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Monday 26 August 2013

Bid on to ensure women‚ disabled‚ elders smooth ride : Kathmandu

The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has resumed its initiative to ensure reserved seats meant for women and differently-abled people in public vehicles after many bus drivers were not found to be complying with the legal provision.
 

According to the Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act, every public bus and mini bus plying local roads must allocate six seats each for women and disabled, whereas micro buses are required to reserve two seats each for the rightful passengers.



Traffic police and rights activists had launched a four-month-long awareness campaign to ensure reserved seats for women and differently-abled people so they could enjoy a hassles-free travel in the Kathmandu Valley, SP Basant Kumar Pant, MTPD spokesman, informed.



The authorities had caused bus owners to paste stickers reading ‘Reserved seats available for disabled and women’ in public vehicles during the period. “We have decided to continue with the awareness campaign for two months to encourage women and disabled people to muster up courage to enjoy their rights, besides urging drivers and their helpers to respect the law,” Pant explained.

The traffic police have extended the awareness drive in the the wake of growing complaints of abuse against women in crowded public vehicles.



According to MTPD, it has been monitoring around 350 public vehicles through its 34 units in the valley every day. All the units monitor vehicles from 12-1 pm daily.



Despite the previous initiative, youngsters and able-bodied passengers were still found to be occupying reserved seats in crowded buses at the expense of women and elderly passengers, a traffic policeman deployed for monitoring said. “During monitoring, we urge passengers not to occupy seats reserved for women and disabled,” he added.



The rules, if strictly enforced, are expected to give the disabled, women and senior citizens respite from hassles of travelling in public vehicles.



Officials said the ongoing initiative is aimed at raising awareness and warning transporters not to violate laws.



On-duty traffic cops will impound vehicles found on the wrong side of the law and send them to the Department of Transport Management for legal action in the next phase.

Rough journey


• Many drivers are not found complying with laws that provision seats for women, elders and disabled people


• The renewed campaign to ensure the targeted groups allocated seats will last two months


• Police to impound buses caught flouting laws


Source : The Himalayan , 25th August 2013

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