Kathmandu, December 14

Private vehicles, which are registered in Bagmati zone, have been mandatorily directed to instal high security embossed number plates within the end of this fiscal year.

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has directed all private vehicle owners (besides two-wheelers) with current number plate starting with ‘BA’ to get embossed plate affixed within the aforementioned deadline.

The DoTM has set a deadline for installing new number plate system according to the registration lot of vehicles. As per the decision made by the transportation management authority, all the government-owned vehicles must instal embossed number plate within mid-April, 2018. Similarly, owners of three- or four-wheeler private vehicles of lot numbers between 1 and 12 have also been directed to change their number plate within the same deadline.

Deadlines

Mid-April: All govt-owned vehicles

Mid-April: Three- and four-wheelers of lot numbers between 1 and 12 and registered in Bagmati zone

Mid-July: Three- and four-wheelers of lot number 13 and above and registered in Bagmati zone

Likewise, three- or four-wheeler private vehicles of lot number 13 and above should instal the new number plate within this fiscal year. Moreover, the owners of private vehicle of this group can also change their number plate to the new system before mid-April, if they wish to do so.

Though the country is transforming to federal system and the provincial system is also being implemented following the elections, the DoTM has initiated installing the embossed number plates as per the zonal codes. “We can change the number plates again as per the name of provinces in the future for free,” assured Tok Raj Pandey, spokesperson for DoTM.

This decision of the DoTM has already been widely criticised.

According to Pandey, the provincial code will be pasted on the embossed plate, which would help identify the province in which the vehicle was registered. For example, if a vehicle is registered in the Bagmati zone, along with the zonal code ‘BA’, then ‘State 3, the provincial code, will also be pasted there.

Pandey also informed that after completing the installation of embossed number plates in Bagmati zone, the DoTM will expand the project across the country. The government office has also planned to start installing new number plate system on two-wheelers and public vehicles in the next phase.

The government had formally launched the embossed number plate in the country from August 21. “It is a technically advanced number plate

and this will facilitate regulation and management of vehicles,” Pandey said.

DoTM believes that incidences of vehicle thefts and misuse will also be controlled after the embossed number plates are installed in all vehicles. The embossed number plate will be affixed using a locking mechanism, which will ensure the number plate cannot be changed easily.

According to DoTM, the charge for the embossed number plate has been fixed at Rs 2,500 for motorbikes, Rs 3,200 for light four-wheelers and tractors, and Rs 3,600 for heavy vehicles.

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