By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 27: If the police record is anything to go by, every day over 2,000 people are entering the Kathmandu Valley on daily basis from various entry points, according to the security officials deployed at the two main entry points to valley -- Thankot and Sanga.
On average, daily over 2,000 people have been entering the valley after June 15 after the government decided to relax the modality of the nationwide lockdown and allowed the private vehicles to ply according to odd and even plate number system.
However, locals suspect the data to be not true, as they see many people who had gone outside the valley before or after the enforcement of lockdown on March 24. Interestingly, many of them arrive in Kathmandu in the midnight, probably evading the police.
It is more interesting that movement of people in the night time has gone up even though the Home Ministry recently issued a notice prohibiting the denizens from coming out of their homes after 10 in the night and before 5 in the morning.
“They have not come till 11 Thursday night, but I saw them this morning. I wonder how they managed to come from Hetauda when entry to Kathmandu was supposed to have prohibited,” a lady of Kathmandu-32 said in the condition of anonymity pointing at one of her neighbours’ home on Friday.
Similar is the experience of Balaram Mayalu of Tinkune. According to him, a family of his tenants arrived in Kathmandu from Lalgadh, Sarlahi, three months after they have gone home.
“She (the tenant) said she came by a government vehicle, and I could not believe it and I could not prevent her from entering my home on humanitarian ground,” he said.
Although the local levels have been given responsibility to keep the records of those who enter Kathmandu, they hardly know about those who enter the city in the midnight. Such free movement of people from outside the valley, mostly from the southern plain has increased the risk of COVID-19 spread in Kathmandu.
Many of them are found arriving by buses or micro buses paying high fare.
“My son and sisters arrived in Kathmandu from Morang this morning by bus paying Rs. 3,000 each,” said a driver of a semi-government office, also in the condition of anonymity.
The inflow of the people and vehicles have increased after the government allowed to open offices (both private and the government) restaurants, shops, banks and financial institutions, said Deputy Superintendent of Police and in-charge of Thankot Metropolitan Police Circle, Ghanashyam Shrestha.
He said daily over 400-500 vehicles, both four wheelers and two wheelers, possessing (government vehicle passes issued only from the Kathmandu CDO office) were permitted to enter the valley.
"We have also been sending almost 100 vehicles back from Thankot everyday if they fail to produce the passes," DSP Shrestha said.
However, Mayalu and other suspects nexus between police and bus owners for the arrival of large number of people in the city.
Just around 80-100 vehicles used to enter from Thankot before the government changed the modality of the nationwide lockdown effective June 15, according to the record of the two entry points.
"It is natural to have pressure of vehicles and hear various reasons of the people coming to the valley after the government opened the mobility of people and allowed to open shops and businesses," DSP Shrestha said.
Meanwhile, Sanga-based police post in-charge of Kavre district and Sub-Inspector Hari Sharan Basnet told The Rising Nepal that daily over 50-60 private vehicles and some Tata Sumos possessing passes of the Kathmandu CDO office have been entering the Valley from Kavre. "Every day, the police have been sending 25 to 30 vehicles back to their original place for not possessing the passes," Basnet said.
"Unofficially, we have heard that some people have also been entering the valley from informal routes, " said SI Basnet.
"We have completely banned the entry of any vehicle and human mobility from the highway of Kavre after 10:00 pm to 5:00 am every night as per the government's decision," he said.
Besides these two entry points, people are also coming to the Kathmandu Valley from Pharping, Mudkhu and Sankhu.