Chief District Officers (CDO) of the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley have called for stricter control in arrival of people.
The CDOs during the meeting of a sub-committee under the Education and Health Committee of the parliament on Sunday said arrival of people inside the Valley should be controlled further.
CDO of Kathmandu Janak Raj Dahal called for deployment of army at the five entry points to the Valley pointing that over 2,000 persons have to be allowed in daily for essential supplies and other reasons. He pointed that the police are stretched as they have to handle everything from picking up drunkards from the streets to arresting gold smugglers.
"Nepal Army should be deployed at the entry points. We decided at the DCCMC (District COVID-19 Crisis Management Center) mulling deployment of army at the five entry points but we feel the CCMC has not listened," Dahal stated.
Lalitpur CDO Narayan Prasad Bhatta opined that the current prohibitory orders should be extended until the Dashain as movement of people increase ahead of the festival. He added that the prohibitory orders should be extended by allowing some sectors to open to make ease daily life of the people.
Bhaktapur CDO Hum Kala Pandey complained that the higher authorities put pressure to allow people in from the entry points. "Responsible persons at the decision-making level, who should understand the kind of pressure we face, come to entry points or bring vehicles near the points and allow people in," she claimed.
Secretary of the forum of mayors in the Valley and Mayor of Madhyapur Thimi Madan Sundar Shrestha pointed that the current prohibitory orders exist only in the name. He added that there is no use of imposing prohibitory orders if all shops are allowed to open until 11 in the morning, transportation of goods allowed after two in the afternoon and vehicles allowed in the roads.
