KATHMANDU: The Transport Management Department headquarters in New Baneshwor, responsible for overseeing transportation services across Nepal, has been left in ruins after being vandalized and set on fire during the recent Gen-Z movement.
Officials report that nearly 90 percent of the building’s structure has been damaged, leaving both employees and service recipients in confusion and frustration.
Currently, workers are engaged in removing debris and cleaning the charred remains of the office. A few staff members are operating from the service recipient waiting area using whatever equipment remains functional. With critical infrastructure destroyed, they are unsure how to resume full operations.
One of the Department’s most essential services—printing and distributing driving licenses—has been completely halted. Since the department’s license printing machine was destroyed in the fire, alternative arrangements are being considered.
Energy Minister Kulman Ghising has stated that preparations are underway to use printing machines from other government departments, including the Registration Department, to issue licenses temporarily.
Public left in limbo
Service recipients who rely on the department for vital documents are left confused and disappointed. Pawan Neupane, who visited the Department, said, “I’m preparing to go abroad and have been waiting for my license for two months. I saw the fire during the protest. I came today to see if the service has resumed.”
Despite his frustration, Neupane expressed a sense of understanding given the national turmoil. “There’s no certainty whether the license will come or not. If the country is going through a transformation, we have to accept some difficulties. We’ve waited so long for change—what difference will one or two more months make?”
Dinesh Karki from Sindhuli, also at the Department, shared a similar story. “I’m going abroad during Dashain and needed the license urgently. I received my license 8–10 years ago but never got the smart card—I’ve been using the voucher. I thought it would be easier to show the card abroad. But now there’s a notice saying the service is closed.”
Following customs clearance of imported vehicles, registration must be completed through the Department of Transport Management’s systems—either the older Vehicle Registration System (VRS) or the newer Electronic Vehicle Registration System (EVRS).
The Department previously printed up to 500 licenses daily for urgent cases. According to Keshav Khatiwada, Director of Information and Technology at the department, licenses for individuals traveling abroad or within Nepal could be issued within three to 72 hours under normal circumstances. But that system is now in limbo.
Systems crippled by fire
The department’s main digital systems—Electronic Driving License (EDL), Vehicle Registration System (VRS), and the Electronic Vehicle Registration System (EVRS)—have also been impacted.
Khatiwada explained that the EDL system is non-operational due to the damage to the specialized printing machine. “This is the room where the license printer was kept. Everything here was set on fire. The machine, which functions within a temperature range of 17 to 27 degrees Celsius, has likely been destroyed. Experts will need to examine whether it can be salvaged.”
While the VRS system in Bagmati Province remains operational, as it is housed in Singha Durbar, systems in other provinces are offline due to the destruction of the main server. As for the EVRS system, Khatiwada noted it is still under testing and has not yet been officially handed over to the department. The Cabinet is expected to make a final decision on its implementation.
Status of license printing machine and server after fire
The Transport Management Department has long faced criticism over inadequate protection of personal information linked to its license printing machine. Now, following the recent arson attack, the department finds itself needing to start from scratch.
According to Keshav Khatiwada, the Department’s Information and Technology Director, the license printing machine itself was not directly burned in the fire. However, the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and it may take some time before the machine can be put back into operation.
Khatiwada explained, “The condition of the machine will only be clear after a thorough damage assessment. We had around 100,000 licenses already prepared for printing, which were destroyed in the fire. Additionally, about 600,000 microchips stored in another room were burned, although some have been recovered.”
There is also significant uncertainty about the status of the department’s main server, which is crucial for running all operations, including managing driving license exams across the country. The written and practical driving tests have been halted nationwide due to the server being non-functional.
“The server was kept inside a fireproof room designed to withstand temperatures between 17 and 27 degrees Celsius,” said Khatiwada. “At this point, it’s unclear how much damage has occurred. We are trying to restore operations before Dashain, but without the server, we cannot maintain records of exam candidates, and both written and practical exams cannot proceed.”
Khatiwada also described the arson attack on the server as suspicious. “The server was secured behind a fireproof door that required two fingerprints and a special key to open—it was impossible for even ten people to force it open. Yet everything inside was vandalized and set on fire. There was no damage outside the room. We have yet to confirm the full extent of the damage inside.”
He emphasized that the server must be operational before the department can resume its full range of services. “We are making every effort to restore it quickly to minimize costs. We expect to know the extent of the damage within a day or two. If the server, which cost Rs 120 million, is beyond repair, then purchasing a new one will be our only option.”
License missing from Nagarik App
The Transport Management Department had facilitated digital access to driving licenses through the Nagarik app for those who had passed their trial exams but had not yet received their smart cards. After entering exam details into the Department’s server, licenses were made digitally accessible on the app, which was accepted during traffic checks.
However, due to damage to the department’s main server during the Gen-Z movement and subsequent fire, driving licenses are no longer visible on the Nagarik app.
“Previously, the license details were linked to the Nagarik app through data stored on the main server nationwide, but now this connection is broken because of the server damage,” said Keshav Khatiwada, Information and Technology Director of the Department.
Until the smart card is received, a fee voucher issued on the trial exam day serves as proof to avoid traffic fines. But if the voucher is lost or damaged, service recipients have no alternative but to wait for the department’s server to be restored.
“We are urgently working to restore the server. Important services will resume as soon as the system is operational. Experts will assess the damage after cleaning is completed in a day or two,” Khatiwada explained. “If someone cannot present proof of a license, simply stating the issue is insufficient, and fines may be imposed. We ask the public for patience during this time.”
The department had also integrated traffic fines collection—such as for intoxicated driving violations—into an online system in collaboration with the Traffic Police. This service has now been halted due to the server damage.
Furthermore, starting last month, fines owed by license renewal applicants were automatically displayed in the digital system, allowing the department to withhold renewals until dues were cleared. Khatiwada said this sophisticated system was also damaged in the fire.
“We had provided an API that enabled the Traffic Police and Transport Department to track and process fines in real-time. About a month and a half ago, we updated the system to flag unpaid fines during license renewal. Discussions are ongoing to take legal action against drivers who have evaded fines even prior to this update,” he said.
For members of the public planning to take the license test, the current status of the server remains uncertain, leaving their situation unresolved.
Vehicle registration systems disrupted due to server damage
Following customs clearance of imported vehicles, registration must be completed through the Department of Transport Management’s systems—either the older Vehicle Registration System (VRS) or the newer Electronic Vehicle Registration System (EVRS).
Keshav Khatiwada, Information and Technology Director, explained that both systems are currently non-functional due to damage to the department’s main server. “VRS is the traditional system, while EVRS is an upgraded platform developed in partnership with an Indian company. EVRS has been implemented in 18 out of 43 transport offices for testing, offering one-stop services including biometric verification and tax payment. The remaining offices still use VRS. However, our main server must be operational for these systems to work,” he said.
Khatiwada added that Bagmati Province operates its own VRS hosted in the Singha Durbar data center, which remains unaffected by the damage. “Since Bagmati’s VRS system is separate and safely stored in Singha Durbar, vehicle registration services there continue without issue. But in other provinces, the systems depend on the damaged central server, so services are currently suspended,” he noted.
Destruction of embossed number plate production facility
The government had mandated the use of high-security embossed number plates on vehicles starting from mid-September to improve service convenience. However, this rule was relaxed to voluntary use after public protests.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transport Management was actively producing embossed plates to meet demand. Unfortunately, approximately 800,000 ready-to-issue plates and the entire production facility on the department’s premises were destroyed in the arson during the Gen-Z movement.
Khatiwada confirmed, “The production plant, along with all the plates prepared for distribution to provinces, was completely burned down in the fire.”
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