Embossed number plates being fixed in vehicles from today

(Krishna Raj Gautam) 

Kathmandu - The Department of Transportation Management has started installing the high security embossed number plate in the vehicles from today. The new kind of registration number plate is meant for effective management of automobiles and up gradation of the transportation system on par with the international practice. 

The embossed number plate is being fixed in the vehicles for the first time in the country which contains details about the vehicle owner as well as the status of the payment of revenue. 

The Department had awarded the contract to print the embossed number plate to Decatur Tiger IT, a joint venture company of Bangladesh and the USA. 

The Department also aims to fix the embossed number plate based on computerized technology in as many as 2,500,000 vehicles in the country within five years. Agreement to this effect was signed in 2016. 
The number plate is made up of 99 per cent aluminum and rest one per cent of electronic chip. Launching the new system here today, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transportation Bir Bahadur Balayar commended the new number plate system, which he said, has added a new dimension to the transportation management system in the country. 

He expressed his confidence that with the new system in place, the transportation could be managed as per the international standard. 

Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transportation (MoPIT), Devendra Karki underscored the usage of technology and tools to mitigate the human errors. He pledged to provide the service seekers the facilities and services in an efficient and effective manner. 

Earlier, there were 23 types of number plates in use. With the introduction of new embossed number plate, it will be reduced to five, according to the Department. 

Department's Director General, Rup Narayan Bhattarai, was of the confidence that with the installation of new number plate, the cases of robbery of vehicles would cut down. 

The chip in the number plate has GPS system which would provide information about the whereabouts of the vehicles and thus is expected to come handy in tracking down the location of the vehicle during the road accidents and robbery. 

The rate for the embossed number plate differs from the size and the function of the vehicles. The heavy duty vehicles owners have to subscribe the service at Rs 3,600 while the four-wheeler owners have to pay Rs 3,200. 

Likewise, tempo and rickshaws could get the number plate installed at Rs 2,900 while the price for the number plate for two-wheelers is fixed at Rs 2,500.