From Ordinary Citizens to Traffic Police, Everyone Targets Traffic Tippers in Janakpurdham

March 18, Janakpurdham – On Thursday morning, extensive gravel was scattered along the six-lane road near Pidari Chowk in Janakpurdham. The gravel spread across about 100 meters, covering three lanes, causing considerable difficulties for pedestrians and vehicles alike.

A pedestrian remarked, “This is the result of arrangements between traffic police and tipper drivers. No matter what tippers do, the law seems ineffective against them.”

Unlike other days, by afternoon, the traffic police themselves had cleaned up the gravel.

In Janakpur, incidents involving tippers hitting pedestrians or overloading and dumping gravel and sand on the roads have become commonplace. Accidents on January 14 and February 23 exemplify this, with victims ranging from general citizens to traffic police personnel.

On February 23, at Vishwakarma Chowk in Janakpur, a fast-moving tipper rear-ended traffic police constable Chandrakala Mahato, who died on the spot. Mahato, aged 26, was posted at the Traffic Police Office in Bardibas, Mahottari, and had come to the Provincial Police Office for work.

According to police, she was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Inspector Vijay Kumar Yadav (license plate Province 2-02,002 P-7352). While heading toward Jiromail, the tipper bearing license number Province 2-03,001 K-0104 hit the motorcycle from behind. Inspector Yadav sustained minor injuries in the accident.

Earlier, on January 14, two separate incidents in the busy Janakpur market area involved high-speed tippers rear-ending other vehicles. In the Mills area, a tipper with license plate NA8K 8257 hit a motorcycle with plate J7P 2837, killing the approximately 45-year-old motorcyclist on the spot.

On the same day, a tipper (Province 2-0031 K-0775) collided with 27-year-old Nitu Sah from Mithila Bihari Municipality-7, who suffered serious injuries.

With tipper negligence increasingly prevalent and traffic police inactive, local residents have expressed complaints. Overloading, flying sand, and water leakage from tippers remain persistent problems, especially on the six-lane road. The sand flying from overloaded tippers jeopardizes motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians, dirtying clothes and raising the risk of accidents due to reduced visibility.

Jayanath Jha, a daily cyclist from Pipara Rural Municipality-1, Mahottari, complained about health problems caused by dust and sand.

“Tippers and tractors carry overloaded sand and gravel, but do not cover it properly. The dust reaches the eyes and covers the body,” he said. “This even affects breathing. Everyone deserves to walk safely here.” This is a common grievance among commuters.

When tippers and tractors are overloaded, certain lanes become completely covered with sand and gravel, periodically causing accidents. Yet, no authority seems to take effective control.

Tippers overloaded from Dhalkevar pass through half a dozen traffic police checkpoints before reaching Janakpurdham’s market area. Police focus on checking motorcycles; overloaded tipper traffic often goes unnoticed. Sources suggest that the police are aware of tipper misconduct but maintain tacit agreements.

“Traffic police have monthly arrangements with tipper and tractor owners,” a traffic police officer disclosed. “Therefore, no matter how much they overload, nothing changes. Sometimes, penalties are just nominal. All drivers’ contact information is with the traffic police.”

One tipper operator also confirmed monthly payments made to traffic police.

Tipper drivers claim they carry overloaded gravel and sand to meet customer demand. “Customers ask for more material. If we bring less, they refuse to accept it. So, overloading is unavoidable,” a tipper driver in front of the traffic police office in Mujelia said.

Another operator from Mahendranagar, Dhanusha, Shyam Yadav, explained problems with sand unloading at crushers leading to water spillage.

“We queue to collect sand. Even if it’s left loaded for 10 hours, water keeps leaking. This causes issues for everyone,” he added.

As the tipper menace grows and enforcement decline continues, suspicion towards traffic police is increasing.

According to official statistics from the Dhanusha District Traffic Police Office, between mid-July and mid-January (seven months) of fiscal year 2082/083, 1,538 tippers, tractors, and trucks were penalized. In contrast, 4,856 vehicles were penalized in the previous fiscal year 2081/082, showing a significant drop in enforcement against tippers.

Dhanusha Police Chief Surya Bahadur Sahi attributes the decline to disruptions caused by the Jan Jagaran (JENJI) movement.

“The JENJI movement affected enforcement for 3-4 months, causing the numbers to drop,” he said. “However, we are committed to reducing tipper misbehavior.”

He added, “We hold dialogues with tipper operators and contractors, conduct awareness programs, and continuously work on clearing obstructions. Our efforts are ongoing.”

According to another police officer, Rugmabahadur Kunwar, in response to recent incidents, tipper entry into Janakpurdham’s market area during daytime has been restricted.