BHAKTAPUR:- The District Administration Office, Metropolitan Police Office, Bhaktapur Metropolitan City and Guthi Sansthan of Bhaktapur are all set to make the festival of Biska: Jatra peaceful by controlling any unfortunate incidents. 

The eight-day and nine-night-long Biska: Jatra is starting from Friday in Bhaktapur.  Umesh Kumar Dhakal, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Bhaktapur, said that the administration has imposed a ban on the sale and consumption of homemade alcohol and other bottled beer throughout the festival period.

Stone and bottle pelting is one of the major problems of the Jatra. To control any unwanted incident during the festival, the CDO had hold meeting multiple times with District Police, Bhaktapur Municipality, ward, Bhaktapur Guthi Sansthan local clubs, local representatives, Guthi Sansthan, Mayor and other concerned authorities.

As consumption of alcohol is the main reason for any brawl during the Jatra, the authority has banned the sale and consumption of liquor during the festival time, he said.

The Metropolitan Police Range of Bhaktapur will mobilise 1400 police personnel to control the illegal and untoward activities during the famous Biska: Jatra, said Prakash Jabeju, Information Officer and Superintendent of Police of Bhaktapur Range.

Jabeju, Information Officer, said that another 200 personnel would be mobilised in civil dress.

To identify the persons involved in the untoward activities, the police personnel will monitor from the CC cameras and the drone cameras. “The police will keep any person who throws stones or bottles during the festival in a custody,” he said.

The alcohol shops will remain closed to maintain the sound security system during the eight-day festival, he added.

The security personnel will be closely monitoring the people who are likely to create problems by pelting stones at other Jatra observers. Stone pelting, which often injures several innocent devotees, along with drunken fights, has been one of the major problems of the Jatra.

The security will be stronger this time to allow all people to celebrate the festival in a peaceful way, according to the Metropolitan Police Range.

The festival will begin from April 10 on Friday.  The security needs to be very tight for the observation of the festival in a systematic way, Jabeju said.

The District Administration Office and Metropolitan Police Range have already decided to set up closed-circuit (CC) cameras at the main junctions and sensitive areas to control the illegal activities and to ascertain the persons who create problems by pelting stones.