KATHMANDU, Jan 8: An inquiry into the distribution of smart licenses in Nepal over the past seven years has uncovered irregularities, with 73,584 out of 4 million licenses distributed under suspicion. A total of 30,000 of these licenses were granted to individuals who did not successfully pass the required written exams and trials.
A separate committee established by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) is currently finalizing a report to delve deeper into the matter. MoPIT sources indicate that the preliminary report submitted by the committee formed by the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) exposes severe irregularities in the license distribution process.
The report has already reached the director general of the DoTM, with MoPIT sources suggesting that it highlights widespread irregularities in the overall distribution of licenses.
The committee, headed by MoPIT's Under Secretary Engineer Suresh Shrestha and comprising Computer Engineer Dinesh Adhikari and Section Officer Kamal Panthi, is set to submit its comprehensive report soon.
Computer Engineer Dinesh Adhikari and Section Officer Kamal Panthi are members of the said committee. "We are investigating according to the mandate given to us," said coordinator Shrestha, "We will submit the report soon," he added.
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According to DoTM sources, a large number of licenses have been distributed from the transport offices of Birgunj, Pokhara, Narayani and other places to those who have not taken the written test and trial in collusion with the office staff and intermediaries.
The intermediaries have coordinated with the IT staff of the Transport Office to keep records of license distribution by keeping the old date. According to sources, middlemen charge up to Rs 50,000 to give licenses to people who have not taken written and trial exams.
After the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS, the transport offices that conduct the written test and the trial test for the license are under the provincial governments. But since the provincial governments are not technically ready to distribute the license, the license distribution and smart license printing work is being done by the DoTM under the federal government.
Uddhav Prasad Rijal, director general of the DoTM, said that the inquiry committee formed by the DoTM has submitted its report and the report is being reviewed. The DoTM has constituted an inquiry committee under the coordination of Mukesh Regmi, IT head of the DoTM.
Tapan Dahal, Arjun Adhikari and Bodhraj Baral are members of the said committee. In the report, questions have been raised on the employees of the DoTM regarding the irregularity of license distribution.
Keshav Sharma, the secretary of the MoPIT, said that the ministry has taken the issue of illegal distribution of licenses seriously. “We will also coordinate with the transport offices of the provincial governments through the Prime Minister's Office to investigate this matter further,” he added.
He also said that those found guilty by the report will be punished, adding that preparations are also being made to scrutinize the officials of the provincial offices who distribute licenses.
On the other hand, due to the lack of cards, the work of printing and distributing licenses has been halted for six months. Due to this, drivers who have passed the license test and renewed their driver's license have been affected. They have not been able to get a license.
Consumers complain that if they pay Rs 20,000 to RS 50,000 to middlemen, they get a license immediately, with a daily issuance ranging from 350 to 400.
The DoTM currently lacks cards to print licenses with electronic chips. Due to the lack of cards, the printing of licenses has been stopped since mid-June, 2023. According to the DoTM, 4,000 to 5,000 people pass and renew their license exams every day. It is not yet decided when they will get their license.
Since the government is unable to issue licenses on time, the number of copies of licenses to be printed has been increasing month by month. Till now, the number of licenses left to be printed has reached almost 1.4 million.
Currently, the DoTM is giving a very limited number of licenses to those who go for foreign employment and study abroad. It has also been found that there is financial manipulation. Consumers complain that if they pay Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 to middlemen, they get a license immediately.
