Police Launch Drug Test for Boat Drivers in Pokhara's Phewa Lake

Pokhara. In view of the safety of tourists boating in Phewa Lake, the tourist city of Pokhara, the police have started a special campaign to check drivers for alcohol and drug use (MAPSE/LAPSE).

The campaign, jointly organized by the District Police Office Kaski, Ward Police Office Baidam, and Community Police Service Center District Coordination Committee Kaski, involved health checks of drivers at various ghats of Phewa Lake. During the campaign conducted in the Barahi Ghat area of Ward No. 6 of Pokhara Metropolitan City, 32 boat drivers were tested. During the test, three drivers were confirmed to have consumed marijuana, and they have been taken into custody. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Namraj Bhattarai of Ward Police Office Baidam, the arrested drivers are undergoing necessary investigation and legal proceedings. DSP Bhattarai stated that the safety of tourists and the general public is a priority for the police and informed that such monitoring and checks will continue in the coming days.

He said, 'We have taken this step to minimize potential accidents and damage from boats and to ensure that businesses are operated according to standards.'

More than seven hundred boats affiliated with the Phewa Boat Entrepreneurs Committee operate at eight different ghats of Phewa Lake. Police have increased their vigilance due to accidents in the lake caused by occasional human negligence and unforeseen events. Meanwhile, Balram Giri, Chairman of the Phewa Boat Entrepreneurs Organization, welcomed the police's campaign as positive. He stated that driving a boat under the influence of drugs is risky from a safety perspective and sends a negative message to the tourism sector.

However, the entrepreneurs have expressed dissatisfaction with the administration's decision to ban boat operations after 6 PM. Chairman Giri claimed that their boats are safe and pledged not to send any tourists onto the lake without drivers and life jackets. He emphasized the need to create an environment for safe business operations through coordination between entrepreneurs and the administration.