The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has handed over an ultra-modern Traffic Control Room to the Nepal Police

Kathmandu. The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) formally handed over the ultra-modern Traffic Control Room constructed at the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, Ramshahpath, to the Nepal Police. This move is being considered a significant step towards the construction of a 'Smart City'.

In a program organized on Tuesday, NRNA President Mahesh Kumar Shrestha and Vice President and Convener of the Disaster Management Committee, Manoj Shrestha 'Gorkhali', handed over the key to the Control Room to the Valley Police Chief, Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Dan Bahadur Karki.

Completed at a cost of approximately NPR 7,544,000, the project involved civil construction, modern design, video wall, network system, and the replacement and maintenance of operational equipment. With this, the main roads of Kathmandu Valley will now be under CCTV surveillance.

NRNA President Shrestha stated that the project is not just a structural handover but a symbol of the responsibility and cooperation of the expatriate Nepalis towards their motherland.

He pledged that NRNA would fulfill its role in building smart, safe, and sustainable cities, and, drawing inspiration from smart cities like Singapore and Tokyo, he underscored the need to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based traffic management in Nepal.

During the program, AIG Karki emphasized the need to transition traffic management towards a technology-based 'Smart City' concept and expressed his gratitude to NRNA for this collaboration. He highlighted the importance of the Control Room, which was completed after continuous efforts of about 40 days.

Explaining the 'Four E' principle of traffic management (Engineering, Education, Environment, Enforcement), he informed that the Nepal Police now aims to move towards a 'Faceless' penalty system through technology.

AIG Karki also presented the alarming statistics of human casualties in vehicle accidents. According to him, 86 percent of the total deaths in accidents in Nepal are accounted for by motorcycle users (44%) and pedestrians (42%).

He stated that the situation where public transport drivers endanger the lives of citizens by driving under the influence of alcohol would not be acceptable under any circumstances, and announced that checking for drunk driving (MaPaSe) and drug use would be continued.

NRNA also informed that in the second phase, they would hand over breathalyzers for drunk driving (MaPaSe) checks.

Senior Superintendent of Police Navaraj Adhikari, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, expressed confidence that the reconstruction of the Control Room would bring further effectiveness to traffic management, despite the challenges of excessive traffic congestion and narrow roads in the capital.