Image source, SHARAD KC/BBC
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The Nepalgunj Transport Management Office issued a notice on Friday, June 19th, stating that only licenses submitted by service users from April 22 to June 10 have arrived at the office so far.
According to the notice, licenses older than about two and a half years have not yet been received by the office.
The notice states, “Licenses for which traffic permit fees were paid from August 2023 to April 19, 2026, have not been received at this office yet…”
Though service users see their licenses as printed online, many report returning disappointed after visiting the office, complaining on social networks.
Information Officer Vishlal Khadka acknowledged the ongoing status of Nepalgunj’s transport office.
“Though it appears printed, it hasn’t arrived at our office. This might be due to not being printed yet. There are also reports that some licenses in transit were burned,” said Khadka. “This explains why there isn’t a large crowd at the office to collect licenses.”
The Department of Transport Management has announced that carrying temporary permits will no longer be necessary after the end of the current Nepali month Ashadh.
Will All Licenses Be Printed Soon?
Image source, Getty Images
How will the goal of printing licenses pending for nearly three years be fulfilled?
Attempts to contact the department’s Director General, Information Officer, and Assistant Information Officer were unsuccessful.
Computer Engineer Vishal Katuwal of the Security Printing Center explained that currently licenses paid by the Hetauda, Nepalgunj, and Biratnagar offices are being printed at the center.
According to Katuwal, there is a two-phase contract with the department to print 2.9 million licenses, of which about 700,000 remain to be printed.
“A decision is still pending regarding licenses with less than one year validity. We are printing between 40,000 and 60,000 licenses daily and expect to finish most within two weeks. After that, carrying temporary permits will no longer be necessary from Shrawan onward,” he added.
The Department of Transport Management entered its first agreement to print 1.2 million licenses with the printing center on Kartik 12, followed by a second agreement for 1.7 million more on Baisakh 4.
Image source, Facebook / Vehicle Academy and Research Centre
Printing According to Priority
According to Computer Engineer Vishal Katuwal, foreign employment applicants and students going abroad are given top printing priority.
Unprinted licenses are treated as a backlog, while those for daily renewals or newly passed licensing exams with paid fees are prioritized for printing on a daily basis.
“The licenses printed daily are submitted to the department within 24 hours,” he said. “However, distribution timelines from the department to the offices depend on schedules and procedures. Generally, service users receive their licenses within 3-4 days after payment.”
However, many licenses for which fees were paid in 2022 remain unprinted, with decisions still pending.
“Because the validity of licenses issued in that period is less than one year, they were excluded from printing priority,” explained an official. “Discussions are ongoing at the ministry on whether to provide QR-coded licenses instead of printed ones, and a decision is expected soon.”
From Printing Difficulties to Distribution Challenges
Image source, SHARAD KC/BBC
As the number of service users visiting transport offices in the Kathmandu Valley and other regions to collect printed licenses has increased, challenges relating to crowds and staff management have surfaced.
Various offices have announced schedules and advised service users when to come to collect their licenses.
Keshav Kumar GM, head of the transport management office in Lalitpur Ekantakuna, reported that 400,000 licenses have arrived at the office.
He said there was a sudden surge of visitors to collect licenses. “In the first 4-5 days, the crowd was heavy. Managing entry and exit was difficult,” he said. “The situation has now stabilized and about 4,000 to 5,000 licenses are distributed daily.”
About 30 staff members are deployed across 7 rooms with 18-19 windows for license distribution.
To reduce congestion, online forms are used to inform the Service API about which room visitors should go to for their licenses.
According to GM, “It has become easier for service users to collect licenses by following the given information. Licenses for which fees were paid by June 1 had arrived by June 3. Except for those with less than one year validity, all licenses have reached the office. Many licenses renewed in 2022 are still under additional processing due to short validity.”
Since every license is scanned at the offices, distribution can take about two weeks, it was informed.
