KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs has advanced to the final stage of procuring essential vehicles for all three security agencies, under the direction of Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, to ensure a peaceful, fear-free and independent environment for the upcoming House of Representatives elections.
Following the ministry’s initiative, the Ministry of Finance has also expedited the procurement process for critical vehicles that were completely destroyed during the recent Gen-Z protests.
The Home Ministry believes the necessary vehicles will be procured before the elections, enabling effective security preparations.
Meanwhile, 449 out of 465 Nepal Police offices damaged during the protests have already come back into operation after repairs, with work continuing on the remaining 16 offices. The protests had caused damage to 571 police vehicles nationwide.
Similarly, the Armed Police Force had faced damage in 84 offices and the complete destruction of 61 vehicles. The National Investigation Department also reported damage to two buildings, three district offices, and several four-wheelers and motorcycles, with estimated losses reaching nearly 89 million rupees.
For Nepal Police, the Finance Ministry has approved funding for 156 vehicles under the regular budget, amounting to 351.1 million rupees, and an additional 453 million rupees for the purchase of 106 more vehicles. The police plan to buy different types of vehicles, including pickup vans for regular patrol, a prisoner van, office-use vehicles, electric vehicles, and escort pickups.
For the Armed Police Force, 59 vehicles have been approved this year, including rescue vehicles, Bolero pickups, riot-control trucks, and ambulances. This will use more than 210 million rupees from the regular budget, with another 50 vehicles planned later this fiscal year.
The National Investigation Department has also received approval to purchase six new four-wheel vehicles worth 28 million rupees.
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