President's motorcade causes heavy traffic jams

The capital witnessed one of the worst traffic snarls in recent memory due to the motorcade of President Ram Baran Yadav who went to teh Legislature-Parliament at New Baneshwar to present the government´s annual policy and programs.

The diversions and blocking resulted in traffic snarls at Koteshwar, Sinamangal, Tilganga, Gaushala, Chabahil, Sorhakhutte, Lainchaur, Ratnapark, Maitighar and New Baneshwar. The president´s motorcade also threw the traffic out of gear at Balkhu, Teku, Putalisadak and Kamaladi as well.

The president left for New Baneshwar at 3.15 p.m. to read the government´s policy and programs at 4 p.m. Security personnel had emptied the road for the president´s motorcade an hour before his departure from his office. After the president reached Baneshwar, security personnel briefly allowed traffic movement. It took him an hour to present the government´s program and policies. Security personnel had started emptying the roads before he finished the speech.

The already chaotic traffic was hit again when the president returned to his office. Traffic limped back to normalcy at some places only after 6.30 p.m.

What compounded to the problem was a ceremonial ride of the president. He traveled on a horse carriage from Singha Durbar to New Baneshwar and back to Singha Durbar.

An ambulance carrying a patient to a hospital at Thapathali remained stuck at Tripureshwar for over an hour due to the blocking of traffic for the president´s motorcade.

So far, neither the president´s office nor the Prime Minister´s Office and the Home Ministry have responded to the public outcry over heavy traffic jams whenever the dignitaries travel to attend official engagements.