Kathmandu, October 22

The government has begun the process to distribute embossed number plates for vehicles on the basis of provincial structure against the current zonal format. This means that vehicles will now be issued embossed number plates based on the province they are registered in.

Tok Raj Pandey, spokesperson for Department of Transport Management (DoTM), said that a proposal has been sent to the Cabinet to start distribution of embossed number plates for vehicles under the provincial format.

DoTM had begun installing embossed number plates on vehicles belonging to the government and diplomatic agencies from August 20. However, the then Development Committee of the Legislature-Parliament had directed the government to introduce provincial format for the distribution of embossed number plates over the zonal format as the country has already adopted provincial and federal system of governance.

“Following the direction from the parliamentary committee, we have made necessary amendments in the existing guideline on embossed number plate implementation and sent it to the Cabinet for approval. Once the proposal is approved by the Cabinet, we will start issuing embossed number plates under the provincial format,” said Pandey.

Meanwhile, the implementation of embossed number plate system for vehicles has been halted for more than a month following such direction from the House panel.

DoTM has affixed the embossed number plates on only 12 vehicles of DoTM so far while hundreds of government and diplomatic agencies-owned vehicles have applied for installing this system in their vehicles.

Pandey said the implementation of embossed number plate system will expedite once the Cabinet endorses the concerned proposal.

DoTM is implementing the embossed system for government and diplomatic agencies-owned vehicles as a trial and plans to install this system for private vehicles thereafter. It plans to implement the embossed number plate system for all vehicles in the country within the next five years.

The embossed number plate system was first envisioned in the government’s three-year interim plan, 2007-10. However, the plan was constantly deferred due to the inability of the government to import required machinery to print such digital licence plates.

Implementation of embossed number plate system in automobiles will facilitate the government in controlling vehicle thefts, crimes or any other type of offence. The chip-fitted embossed number plates are expected to help the government keep records of all vehicles plying the domestic roads.