“Four unidentified persons believed to be mental patients, who were seen roaming purposelessly along various road sections of the highway, have been killed in road accidents over the past three months. This has caused serious problem for the traffic police,” said Police Inspector Nabin Raja Budhathoki, Chief at the District Traffic Police Office, Gajuri, adding that they have sent the bodies to Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital in the Capital for postmortem.

About half a dozen mental patients can be found roaming around aimlessly in front of the Office.

“We have encountered around 52 mental patients between Dhading to Mugling bazaar of the Prithivi Highway. They are seen walking along the highway to make a living by asking for food at the roadside eateries and begging from travellers,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Prakash Malla at the District Police Office.

While everyday 2 to 3 stray dogs get struck and killed by vehicles plying the highway, Inspector Hemanta Bhandari of Gajuri said that mental patients sometimes obstruct the highway by lying flat on the middle of the road, and that police are often compelled to use force to remove them.   

Meanwhile, traffic police are finding it increasingly difficult to clamp down on increasing number of drivers driving under the influence of illegal drugs such as marijuana and hashish.

As there is no means to ascertain whether a driver is driving under the influence of drugs like marijuana and others, traffic police personnel in Gajuri said that in the past two months they have been compelled to make seven drivers bath in cold water before allowing them to continue their journey.

Police said increasing number of drivers are consuming marijuana after traffic police started using breathalysers to detect alcohol consumption.