Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Balen Shah has threatened to set the Singha Durbar on fire after the traffic police stopped a KMC vehicle carrying his wife on Saturday.
A vehicle with government registration came speeding toward Koteshwore from Balkumari at around nine Saturday night.
Traffic police on duty stopped the vehicle and asked the driver about permission to use government vehicle on a public holiday, according to Spokesperson with the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office SSP Rajendra Prasad Bhatta.
Mayor Shah vented his ire on the social media over that later in the night. “Nothing happened for today. But if any of our KMC vehicles are stopped by the government from tomorrow, I will set the Singha Durbar on fire. Remember, thief government,” Shah posted on the social media Saturday night itself threatening to torch the administrative center of the federal government.
“Those on duty asked whether permission was taken after government vehicle was seen on a public holiday. That is not a big deal. They have informed that the government vehicle was not stopped even for two-three minutes. Who was inside the vehicle was not a matter to notice. The traffic police on duty had let the vehicle go even without recording the registration number,” Bhatta told Setopati.
Another officer revealed that a woman was sitting behind on the passenger seat, and the driver asked for the reason to stop KMC vehicle.
Mayor Shah phoned Kathmandu Chief District Officer (CDO) Jitendra Basnet Saturday night itself after the vehicle carrying his wife was stopped, according to a source close to CDO Basnet, and also inquired why the KMC vehicle was stopped and checked.
“Government vehicles are checked on a public holiday. It is the responsibility of the police on duty to inquire about the objective for use of the government vehicles. They carried out their duty. Mayor Shah was not pleased with that,” the source stated. “He seemed to believe that no vehicle of KMC should be stopped. The status also came later in the same manner.”
Mayor Shah's secretariat did not answer phone calls when Setopati tried to reach for comments.
