Kathmandu, June 30

The Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City has initiated the process of digitising all paper documents, including building permits and records relating to personal incidents.

Once the documents are digitised, there would be no risk of mouse or termite attack and duplicate copies of the documents can be made as and when needed.

Gyanendra Karki, KMC spokesperson, said the digitisation of documents in the metropolis was expected to be completed by one-and-a-half years. “Digitisation would result in array of benefits to KMC and service-seekers,” he said.

For the metropolis, it would reduce the physical storage needs and enhance the productivity of the office. Digitisation would help one search documents and records of personal incidents without rummaging through the piles of dust-covered folders,” he informed.

The KMC will digitise the copies of building permits of all houses and buildings in Kathmandu, and other documents in PDF format to ensure their safety and permanency in the original form. This would help employees locate documents without any hassle.

KMC officials said the digitisation process was also aimed at enhancing security of records and streamlining work flow of the office. The secure IT system will ensure that all digitised documents are handled by prescribed employees. The digital records are created and maintained by the IT system to make it easier to store, share and access the data.

According to the KMC, it has already converted nearly 700 documents and 10,000 building permits into the digital format. The metropolis is set to digitise more than 3.1 million pages of documents.