Kathmandu, June 30 -- The government is preparing to introduce sweeping new traffic legislation that proposes fines ranging from Rs500 to as high as Rs100,000 for a wide range of traffic violations committed by both pedestrians and motorists.

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has prepared the draft bill and forwarded it to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for consultation. While officials say the proposal aims to strengthen road discipline and reduce accidents, it has already triggered strong criticism from transport experts, former officials and lawmakers, who argue that enforcement-heavy policies without parallel improvements in infrastructure and governance are unlikely to succeed.

Under the proposed fr...