Nepal Government declares two days public holiday in Kathmandu Valley for SAARC Summit

The Government of Nepal has declared November 26 and 27 as public holidays in the Kathmandu Valley as the 18th SAARC Summit will be on at the time.

The Nepal Cabinet announced this decision on the recommendation of the nation's home ministry.

Schools and colleges, however, will remain closed for four days from November 25 to 28, reports Kantipur Online.

The decision is said to have been taken for security reasons and traffic management.

Apart from the eight heads of state or government and senior officials from SAARC member states, over 350 guests from member states and nine observer countries are expected to attend the summit in Kathmandu.

The dignitaries will also take part in a retreat in Dhulikhel located on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

As part of the security drill, only half of Kathmandu's total number of vehicles will be allowed to ply on a given day for five days.

From November 24 to 28, vehicles will be restricted on the basis of odd or even registration numbers, corresponding with the odd or even date.

Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey has been entrusted with the task of signing three regional agreements for Nepal during the

summit. They are the SAARCc Motor Vehicle Agreement, the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation and the SAARC Railway Agreement.