INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
New rule restricting entry into Singha Durbar doesnt apply to those who seek urgent service
Kathmandu, August 5
The Ministry of Home Affairs
has restricted the general public from entering the countrys main administrative hub, Singha Durbar, due to the growing threat of COVID-19
inside the valley.
The new rule, however, as per the ministry, wont be applicable to the people seeking urgent service or those invited for
meetings from ministries or other offices inside Singha Durbar complex.
Normally, entry inside Singha Durbar is not simple as a service
seeker must acquire a special pass from a government officer stationed inside Singha Durbar.
With the new rule introduced from today, entry
of the general public inside Signa Durbar is likely to get tougher in the coming days.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Subash Bohara, head
of police beat inside Singha Durbar said they had stopped people with normal passes from entering the countrys main administrative hub
Police personnel were asked by the MoHA not to allow people with general pass to enter Singha Durbar.
Only the people with special passes,
that are normally issued following invitation from high level officials will be allowed to enter the complex.
Chakra Bahadur Budha, joint
secretary and also the spokesperson for the ministry, said they had introduced the new system in a bid to decrease the number of people who
often entered the complex for no serious business
This rule wont be applicable to those who are invited to attend a meeting or a situation of utmost importance, said Buda.
Today hundreds of
private vehicles including cars and motorbikes were seen queuing outside Singha Durbars southern gate from where general people and
employees enter the complex.
The vehicles parked outside the southern gate had created traffic congestion around Anamnagar.
Around 15,000
people, including staffers of various offices, used to enter Singha Durbar complex, on a daily basis, before the introduction of the
lockdown.
Around 12,000 on average have been entering Singha Durbar complex on a daily basis these days, said police.
A version of this
article appears in e-paper on August 6, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.
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