Kathmandu, Sept. 11: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has drawn the attention of the Kathmandu district administration to ban shops on footpath and cart.

KMC Deputy Mayor Hariprabha Khadki met Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Janakraj Dahal, and urged for it. The Kathmandu district administration had however issued a circular that the shops on footpath and cart, stationery, electrical and electronic shops, department stores,  could be opened till 11:00 am in the morning and from 4:00pm to 7:00pm in the evening.

Among these businesses, the KMC urged the Kathmandu administration to ban again the shops on cart and footpath. Khadgi further reminded CDO Dahal that the KMC had already removed the running of shops on footpath and cart from its annual policy and programmes. So it was against the KMC policy.

"On the other hand, the coronavirus was spreading alarmingly in the Kathmandu Valley and contract tracing was too difficult. If the footpath shops are not banned, it would fuel the virus spread," he stressed.

Receiving the letter of memorandum, CDO Dahal however said the administration had just eased the plight of people engaged in this business.