Amend vehicle registration process as per provincial system: Cabinet tells govt

Kathmandu, October 9

The Cabinet has directed the government to amend the existing guideline on vehicle registration as per the provincial system, since the country has already adopted the federal structure.

The registration of two-wheelers has come to a halt in Bagmati Zone since October 2 after the two-digit lots were maxed out and as the existing transport guidelines do not have any provision related to three-digit lots.

According to Director General of Department of Transport Management (DoTM) Lawanya Kumar Dhakal, the department had submitted a proposal to the Cabinet seeking its nod to resume registration of two-wheelers in three-digit lot under the existing zonal system.

While the country has already adopted the federal system, the DoTM is yet to transform its network and services accordingly.

The Bagmati Zone includes eight districts - Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Dhading, Kavrepalanchowk, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Sindhupalchowk.

However, the Cabinet turned down the proposal stating that the constitution only recognises the federal system and the new guideline should take that into consideration, informed Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth.

“Because amending the guideline will take a long time, since the Transport Act will need to be amended first, we are trying to figure out a stop-gap solution to resume the registration of two-wheelers,” he said.

Separately, automobile dealers met Minister Mahaseth today to discuss the registration of two-wheelers being halted and its adverse impact on festive sales.

“Minister Mahaseth has assured to go the extra mile to resume the registration process,” Shambhu Dahal, former president of Nepal Automobile Dealers Association, told The Himalayan Times, adding that the minister has said he would try to resume the registration through the next Cabinet meeting.

According to Dahal, around 8,500 two-wheelers are waiting to be registered in the Bagmati Zone after the registration process came to a halt.