INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, December 25A small number of vehicles having embossed registration plates
indicates failure to meet the deadline to instal embossed number plates on all vehicles in the country.
last hour meetings with govt-formation deadline looming
to slash interest rates and extend loan repayment deadline
So far, only less than two per cent of vehicles have got embossed registration plates when 11 months are remaining for the deadline
(16 December, 2023) to expire, said the Department of Transport Management.
Installing the number plates is expected to
reduce incidents of vehicle theft, revenue evasion, and criminal activities."Despite a brief halt due to protests from various quarters and
legal difficulties, installing the number plates is going on, but at a slow pace," said the Department's Spokesperson Ishwori Datta
Paneru.The legal provision has it that vehicles can voluntarily get embossed registration plates
The government aims to install number plates on 2.5 million vehicles in a period of five years.However, legal issues and language barriers
have exacerbated the situation
A lawsuit has been filed in the court demanding that the language on the number plates should be Nepali.About two years ago, the court had
delivered a verdict that allowed the use of English language
The deadline was extended for two more years after its expiry over seven months ago
On 30 May 2016, the Department signed an agreement with the Tiger IT (The Corporation) to supply and install number plates.A version of this
article appears in the print on December 26, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com