Dharan: A lady doctor in white coat comes out from the entrance of emergency department of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) situated at Dharan city in Sunsari. She instantly starts her scooter and moves on. She heads to the quarter of the institute in high speed with hasty appearance. The scene depicted here has demonstrated normal events of human activities.
However absence of helmet on her head seemes to be odd. The lady doctor was not even remotely conscious about her over speed riding without helmet in the crowdy hospital area. Right after an extent, two gentlemen doctors also appeared there heading towards the obstetrics and gynaecology department of the institute with full confidence. Along with it, the security guards of the institute were also traced riding the bikes with no helmet.
Most of the health professionals and students practicing their duty and study in BPKIHS are used to riding on two wheelers without the helmet. Traffic police has enacted the rule of mandatorily wearing helmet for the riders to prevent the accident since the two wheeler vehicles are at the hit of accident. The existent Vehicle and Transport Management Act -1992 (2049 B.S.) has stated that the rider or the pillion of two wheeler should wear the safety cap (helmet) while riding. But the doctors, nurses and students in BPKIHS have been riding two wheeler vehicles without wearing helmet with no more restriction.
A lady doctor hesitated to reply on the question of Pradeshportal about her negligence to the legal provision. She said,'the distance between my office and quarter is hardly of five minutes ride. So I didn't feel necessary to put on helmet,' she added, 'none of the staffs put on helmet here. Could be due to the lack of habituality.' Similarly other health professionals and students caught riding without helmet gave the same logic as the lady doctor verbatim.
Fine upto 1500 rupees for the violators
The existent statute regulating the vehicle and transport in Nepal has the provision of imposing the fine of five hundred to one thousand and five hundred rupees for those who violates the binding provision of mandatory usage of helmet. But the traffic regulations are found infringed in the BPKIHS campus due to absence of traffic police.
One of the security guard deployed in the institute informed that the cases of accident are used to be found recurring in the BPKIHS premises and those cases are usually settled by the police outside the premises. The visitors coming to the institute for the treatment of themselves or of relatives are found riding with helmet on the roads of institute premises.
'Due action will be taken': Traffic Police
Superintendent of Police (SP) Vasudev Khatiwada, the chief of province 1 traffic police office in itahari stated that traffic regulations are equally applied in all public domains. He further told that the traffic regulations would be strongly implemented in the institute premises since there were so many roads. He assured that district traffic police office Dharan would co operate to maintain the traffic management overthere and action would be taken against the violators.
