Embossed number plates necessary to realise Digital Nepal: Transport Minister Dahal

KATHMANDU: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal has pitched installing embossed number plates on vehicles to help realise Digital Nepal.

Speaking during the Zero and Special Hour at today’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR), he emphasised that the contract for the plates has already been signed.

“It appears the contract was signed three times previously for installing embossed number plates on vehicles. It was not the incumbent government that signed those agreements. If the plates are not installed, Rs 3 billion will have to be disbursed to the contractor without any work having been done,” he said.

He added that the present government sees the necessity of embossing number plates when there is already an obligation to disburse funds without a product in hand, and he clarified that there would be no issue over using English on the embossed plates.

Informing MPs that the ministry has advanced the process, Dahal said that so far 635,545 plates have been printed for individual, private and government vehicles, and 87,989 have been installed.

“The Government of Nepal has embraced the concept of Digital Nepal and has made strides in areas such as passport issuance, national identification cards, driving licences and land registration,” he stated. “Accordingly, it is essential to transition the transport sector to digital as well. Once embossed number plates are installed, clear details of every vehicle will be available nationwide.”

He noted that accurate information on vehicle permits will help prevent theft and tax evasion and confirmed that guidelines for installing embossed number plates have been issued. Minister Dahal also justified using English for vehicle identification numbers to facilitate cross-border movement.

By RSS