September 25: The government has decided to enforce the 'time card' system for public transportation in the long route in a bid to prevent accidents and for efficient traffic management during the festive season.    
The biggest festivals of Nepal - Dashain, Tihar and Chhath- are just around the corner. The festival of Dashain begins from Monday. All these festivals last for about a month.    

On Saturday, the government had formed a six-member committee under the coordination of Home Ministry’s Spokesperson Phanindra Mani Pokhrel for smooth management of transportation service and prevention of road accidents during the festivals. The committee meeting took a decision to introduce the time card system. According to government officials, the time card system is also being enforced with a view to discourage the tendency of driving at high speed to reach the destination faster.    
The committee has made 14 decisions including implementing the time card by identifying places on the highway in coordination with Nepal Police, the Department of Transport Management and the transport entrepreneurs.    
The meeting has decided to strictly prohibit travelling on roof tops of buses or vehicles or by hanging. The committee will also carry out monitoring as needed for preventing drink driving.    
As per the decision of the committee, every public transportation vehicle will have to keep a first aid kit, stickers with necessary information as police hotline contact number, and necessary arrangement for sanitizing the vehicle.    
Likewise, the committee has also decided to circulate the phone number among passengers to complain in case the driver drives the vehicle in an unusual manner. The police force has been ordered to mobilize its units immediately after getting such complaint.    
As per the information shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Transport Management will make arrangements for conducting mechanical check at the main places in the Kathmandu Valley on vehicles operating on medium and long routes beginning from September 25. This would be conducted in coordination of the authorized seller, the Traffic Police and the transport entrepreneurs. -- RSS