<SPAN style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: bold 13px Verdana; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0" class=Apple-style-span><SPAN style="TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; TEXT-INDENT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: separate; FONT: 12px/18px Tahoma; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); WORD-SPACING: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0" class=Apple-style-span>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">It was the eve of Dashain, and many people temporarily living in Kathmandu were returning home by bus. Almost all the buses were brimming with passengers, even the roofs of these speeding vehicles had no space. Even the microbuses found it convenient to carry passengers on their roofs.<SPAN style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" id=more-962></SPAN>This scribe, unable to go to his home in Ilam this Dashain due to the damage caused to the East-West Highway by the Koshi River, was heading towards the Manakamana Temple in Gorkha on October 3. Seeing the crowds of passengers on the roofs of each bus plying on the Prithvi Highway that runs parallel to the Trishuli River, I began taking their pictures. My small son kept asking me why I was taking snaps of people whom we did not know.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">People of all ages and both the sexes were travelling on the roofs. There were traffic police all around, but they did not or rather could not prevent the buses from carrying passengers on their roofs. Normally, traffic rules in Nepal start becoming ineffective during the festivals and election time. And it is at these times that most accidents occur.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">My wife was greatly shocked to see the people travelling that way along the risky road full of U turnings. A minor mistake or a sudden jolt could throw the passengers off the roofs into the Trishuli River.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">We had not yet reached Kuringhat, the point from where the pilgrims to Mankamana get on to the cable car, when we saw a teenager boy dropping from a speeding bus. He had broken his head, and blood was spilling. Maybe he was dead, we do not know.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Back in Kathmandu, I saw a group of women climbing on the roof of a Dakshinkali-bound bus at Kalimati. Even women with small babies were seen on the roofs. But the traffic police standing nearby was helpless. A few weeks ago I was shocked to see an old man, probably an octogenarian, carrying his supporting stick climb on the roof of a bus at Koteswore.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Not only buses and microbuses, but also motorcycles were found carrying four to five persons during the festival time. Yes, police personnel were deployed to check the plying vehicles at night, but in the day time everyone was free to violate the traffic rules.</P>
<P style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 15px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px">Now Tihar is approaching, and many can already be seen violating the traffic rules. Indeed, rules should be abided by all and at all times. But in Nepal they are there only to violate. Breaching of the traffic rules by public vehicles is a testimony to this.<BR>Source: <A href="http://tinyurl.com/5g796a">Click Here</A></SPAN></SPAN></P>

A better read of the article above.

It was the eve of Dashain, and many people temporarily living in Kathmandu were returning home by bus. Almost all the buses were brimming with passengers, even the roofs of these speeding vehicles had no space. Even the microbuses found it convenient to carry passengers on their roofs.This scribe, unable to go to his home in Ilam this Dashain due to the damage caused to the East-West Highway by the Koshi River, was heading towards the Manakamana Temple in Gorkha on October 3. Seeing the crowds of passengers on the roofs of each bus plying on the Prithvi Highway that runs parallel to the Trishuli River, I began taking their pictures. My small son kept asking me why I was taking snaps of people whom we did not know.

People of all ages and both the sexes were travelling on the roofs. There were traffic police all around, but they did not or rather could not prevent the buses from carrying passengers on their roofs. Normally, traffic rules in Nepal start becoming ineffective during the festivals and election time. And it is at these times that most accidents occur.

My wife was greatly shocked to see the people travelling that way along the risky road full of U turnings. A minor mistake or a sudden jolt could throw the passengers off the roofs into the Trishuli River.

We had not yet reached Kuringhat, the point from where the pilgrims to Mankamana get on to the cable car, when we saw a teenager boy dropping from a speeding bus. He had broken his head, and blood was spilling. Maybe he was dead, we do not know.

Back in Kathmandu, I saw a group of women climbing on the roof of a Dakshinkali-bound bus at Kalimati. Even women with small babies were seen on the roofs. But the traffic police standing nearby was helpless. A few weeks ago I was shocked to see an old man, probably an octogenarian, carrying his supporting stick climb on the roof of a bus at Koteswore.

Not only buses and microbuses, but also motorcycles were found carrying four to five persons during the festival time. Yes, police personnel were deployed to check the plying vehicles at night, but in the day time everyone was free to violate the traffic rules.

Now Tihar is approaching, and many can already be seen violating the traffic rules. Indeed, rules should be abided by all and at all times. But in Nepal they are there only to violate. Breaching of the traffic rules by public vehicles is a testimony to this.
Source: Click Here