Kathmandu, December 17

The Department of Transport Management is planning to install digitally-enhanced radio frequency identification gates at major entry points to Kathmandu Valley.

The new system will help the concerned government bodies track the movement of vehicles as they pass through these gates after reading information from radio frequency chips embossed in their number plates, according to Information Officer of DoTM, Tok Raj Pandey.

The department is excited about introducing the technology after the government in August this year made it mandatory for four-wheelers to have embossed number plates by July 15, 2018.

An embossed number plate will have the RFID device embedded in it. As per the DoTM official, the embossed number plate system will help track location of vehicles, curb vehicle theft and also reveal tax details of vehicles.

This system will, however, be effective only when vehicles bearing such number plates pass through RFID gates.

As per a preliminary report, the gates will be set up at five different entry points to Kathmandu Valley, namely Nagdhunga, Sanga, Tinpiple, Pharping and Jorpati. According to the DoTM official, the department has already identified the exact locations where those digital gates would be installed and it is now in the process of acquiring land for the purpose.

The department is also currently working to establish RFID gates at five different locations across the country, as per the DoTM official.

The gates will be built by Bangladesh-based vendor – Decatur Tiger IT, which is also responsible for supplying embossed number plates for vehicles.

The department has come up with the idea of RFID gates, hoping that the new system will help nab runaway criminals and prevent other kinds of illegal activities.

Pandey said, “No wonder  these gates will be help police track the vehicles of fugitives and know about their locations. These gates will come in handy for proper traffic management.”

He further said these high-tech gates would be more effective when there would be plenty of such gates in the Valley and other major cities across the country. “We are installing RFID gates in the preliminary phase. Once we succeed in the first phase, we will set up such gates all over the city.”