Government Partially Addresses Transport Entrepreneurs' Demands on Vehicle Registration

Kathmandu. Addressing the demands of transport entrepreneurs who were in trouble due to the government's decision to stop the new registration of public transport vehicles, the Department of Transport Management has made arrangements to register public transport vehicles for which LC was opened by May 8 and import process has already begun.

The department's letter issued on June 8 stated that as per the decision of May 7, 2083, the new registration of public transport vehicles would be halted until further notice. However, it has clarified that vehicles for which a letter of credit (LC) was opened before the decision was implemented, import process was initiated, and which have already entered Nepal can be registered after examining the necessary documents.

Following the government's decision to stop registration, the Nepal Truck Transport Entrepreneurs Federation immediately objected and demanded reconsideration of the decision. Federation Chairman Rajendra Bikram Baniya stated that it would be an injustice to the entrepreneurs not to allow the registration of vehicles that were imported through legal procedures, purchased with bank loans, and whose bodies have also been completed.

He stated that hundreds of entrepreneurs were under financial pressure due to the registration halt, bank interest was continuously increasing, and vehicles ready for operation were forced to remain parked. The burden of the state's policy change cannot be imposed on the entrepreneurs. The federation's stance was that vehicles for which LC was opened and import process was completed before the decision should be registered.

In the attention letter given to the government, the federation had also demanded permission to register public transport vehicles for which LC was opened on or before May 8, had entered Nepal, and whose bodies had been constructed. The federation stated that the entrepreneurs' investments were at risk due to the registration halt, liabilities to banks and financial institutions had increased, and public transport services were also affected.

Following this demand of the federation, the department has made arrangements to proceed with the registration process for vehicles for which LC was opened by May 8. Welcoming the department's decision, Chairman Baniya expressed that the entrepreneurs facing immediate problems have received some relief. He also urged the government to bring import policies only after consulting with stakeholders and conducting necessary studies and research when formulating policies related to the import, registration, and management of public transport vehicles in the future.