Kathmandu, September 29
Once again, the government’s plan to distribute embossed number plates for vehicle registration and replace the traditional plates has hit a roadblock.
The new system was introduced two years ago. However, it could not be implemented for a long owing to a Supreme Court order. After the court cleared the decks for the distribution, the Department of Transport Management under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport had resumed the distribution of embossed number plates in July.
However, after two months, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has directed officials to issue the new plates in the Devanagari script, in which the Nepali language is written, effectively halting the distribution of the registration numbers.
Although the department had used Devanagari to issue traditional number plates, embossed number plates had Roman alphabets, in which English is written.
After Nepal Academy Chancellor Ganga Prasad Uprety requested him to change Devanagari on the plates, he quickly directed officials to stop using Roman alphabets, it has been learned.
The department’s chief Gogan Bahadur Hamal says the department is studying the possibility of using Devanagari on the plates, adding no decision has been made yet.
