Kathmandu, July 31

Nepal and India have hired National Informatics Centre (NIC), an IT-solution provider for the Indian government, to design a web-based solution for the issue of online permits to facilitate movement of vehicles across the borders of the two countries.

The web-based solution would be developed for issue, monitoring and verification of permits for non-scheduled and personal passenger vehicles, says a press statement issued today by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

“This would facilitate people based in far-flung and remote areas to procure vehicle permits,” adds the statement.

The decision to appoint NIC to design a web-based solution was taken by the first meeting of Nepal-India Cross Border Transport Facilitation Joint Working Group (JWG) held in the Indian capital of New Delhi from July 16 to 17. At the meeting, Nepali side was represented by an eight-member delegation led by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

Currently, passenger buses ply on Kathmandu-New Delhi and Kathmandu-Varanasi routes on a regular basis. These passenger bus services were launched after signing of Nepal-India Motor Vehicle Agreement.

If both sides agree, the web-based portal for issue of vehicle permits would be tested on a pilot basis at Birgunj-Raxaul and Bhairahawa-Sunauli border points, says the statement. However, ‘the existing manual and traditional system for issue of vehicle permits adopted by both countries would continue simultaneously’.

During the JWG meeting, both sides also agreed to rationalise the permit fee, customs duty and bank guarantee for different categories of vehicles. The Indian side informed that free wi-fi service and tracking system have been installed on buses plying on Delhi-Kathmandu route.

The JWG has also recommended launch of regular Nepal-India bus services on four new routes — Kathmandu-Patna-Bodhgaya, Mahendranagar-New Delhi, Siliguri-Kakarbhitta-Kathmandu and Janakpur-Patna.Operation of bus services on these routes is expected to improve connectivity and ensure seamless movement of vehicles between Nepal and border states of India, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.

“Vehicle movement on new routes would start only if stakeholders of both sides agree,” says the statement.