Kathmandu, February 29
The Department of Transport Management has so far distributed 7,000 smart licences to drivers in the Bagmati zone. With help from international donor agencies, the department started smart licence distribution from December 18, 2015. “In the first phase, we issued smart cards to drivers in the Bagmati zone on trial basis. With its success, the department plans to issue smart licences through transport management offices throughout the country,” Chandra Man Shrestha, director-general of the department, said.
A smart licence has a chip that stores information about the licence-holder such as personal identity and the date of issuance of the driving licence. It helps prevent the use of fake driving licences.
There’s a lack of skilled human resources to curb anomalies in the (licence distribution) sector and drive away middlemen, he said.
The demand for smart licences is increasing by the day, engineer at the department, Raj Kumar Maharjan said, adding: But the department can issue only 1,000 smart licences in a day.
Maharjan said: We receive around 600 applications daily for renewal of driving licences. In place of old licences, we issue smart licences to them.
