Thousands of passengers on their way to the capital, Kathmandu, from around the country remain stranded at Kalanki Chowk and various places on the Prithvi Highway due to the day-long curfew on Friday.
File photo of traffic jam at the Kalanki section of the road that links Kathmandu to the highway outside the city last year. (Photo courtesy : Gopal Chitrakar, Frontlineonnet.com)
File photo of traffic jam at the Kalanki section of the road that links Kathmandu to the highway outside the city last year. (Photo courtesy : Gopal Chitrakar, Frontlineonnet.com)
Huge crowd of passengers could be seen at Kalanki, across the Ring Road, as heavily-armed security men patrolled the deserted streets. Unaware of the curfew orders during their night journey, many of the passengers said the government authorities did not properly inform the people about the curfew orders.
“We didn’t know about the curfew. We thought the curfew was effective at night only. Hundreds of passengers like us have been stranded for hours,” Ganesh Karki of Baglung who was waiting, at Kalanki, for the curfew to end, told Nepalnews Friday afternoon.
He said hundreds of passenger buses have been stuck at Nagdhunga and many other places along the Prithvi Highway since last night. “I came across a group of youths who were fearing that they may miss their flight abroad this evening,” he added.
“We have not got anything to eat as we had to stay inside the bus throughout last night and this morning,” a weary-looking woman said.
However, no arrangements were made from the authorities to help the stranded passengers reach their destinations.
Meanwhile, in areas where the curfew has been clamped, crowds could be seen at retail shops and vegetable markets in the morning with local residents hurrying to store necessary goods but streets looked completely deserted by the time the curfew orders came into effect at 8 a.m.
Government employees were seen rushing to their offices as the Home Ministry issued circulars asking concerned authorities to ensure that the employees reach their offices before the curfew hours.
In the meantime, many SLC up-sent examinees who were caught unaware about their exams being cancelled due to the curfew, made beelines in front of the Valley Traffic Police Office in Kathmandu, District Police office in Lalitpur and District Administration Office in Bhaktapur for passes. Today’s sent-up exam was cancelled in Kavre district also.
Despite sporadic protests and arrests of dozens of opposition political leaders and cadres in the morning, there were no reports of violence.