KATHMANDU: The government has partially reopened the registration process for public transport vehicles, allowing registration of units for which letters of credit (LCs) had already been opened and import procedures initiated before a recent suspension decision.
The Department of Transport Management said that public vehicles for which LCs were opened by Jestha 8 and whose import process had already advanced will now be eligible for registration after verification of required documents.
Earlier on Jestha 7, the government had decided to temporarily halt the registration of new public transport vehicles until further notice.
According to the department, the suspension will remain in effect for new registrations moving forward, but exceptions have been made for vehicles that had already entered the import pipeline before the decision was enforced.
“In line with the decision of 2083 Jestha 7, registration of new public transport vehicles remains suspended until further notice. However, vehicles for which LCs had already been opened, import procedures initiated, or which have already arrived in Nepal before the decision can proceed with registration after document verification,” the department stated in its notice.
The decision comes after strong objections from transport entrepreneurs, including the Nepal Truck Transport Entrepreneurs Federation, which had urged the government to reconsider its move.
Federation chair Rajendra Bikram Baniya argued that vehicles purchased through bank loans, completed body construction, and imported under legal procedures should not be excluded from registration.
“The burden of policy changes should not be shifted onto entrepreneurs. Vehicles for which LCs were already opened and import processes completed must be registered,” the federation said in its memorandum to the government.
Transport entrepreneurs have welcomed the partial relaxation but continue to call for a comprehensive review of the earlier suspension decision.
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