Kathmandu, April 18
Authorities in various districts around Kathmandu have begun stopping people walking on the streets on their way home from urban areas including Kathmandu during the lockdown.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had directed the authorities to strictly enforce the lockdown restrictions in the wake of the growing number of coronavirus infection cases.
Before this, scores had been leaving Kathmandu after being deprived of their jobs during the lockdown. Many trucks and other vehicles had also transported some of them.
But, with the prime minister’s instructions, security personnel in Kavre, Dhading and Chitwan districts among others have stopped dozens of walks. “We have barred anyone from walking on the streets except in emergency cases,” Kavre Chief District Officer Shrawan Kumar Timalsina says, “A few people come, but we have been stopping them wherever they arrive in coordination with local authorities.”
He says the district officials are coordinating with their counterparts in the Kathmandu Valley to stop them within the valley.
The prime minister’s directive had come just a few hours after the Supreme Court had ordered the government to help such walkers reach their destinations safely. The government had been told to arrange transportations for them. However, the government did not heed it.
