In Nepal, government agencies often feel more like tools for intimidating citizens than offering public service. They bring hardship instead of convenience. Instead of helping people, the government keeps adding burdens, expecting full compliance from citizens. The current debate over embossed number plates is a clear example. This policy has been controversial and incomplete for nine years. Court orders, public protests, objections from civil society and businesses and poor infrastructure have repeatedly delayed it. Yet the government now plans to make it mandatory from September 17. Without proper preparation, infrastructure and capacity, this decision will only make life harder for citizens, not easier. Currently, around 6.5 million vehicles are registered, yet the government has procured only 2.5 million plates. Fewer than 100,000 vehicles nationwide have embossed number plates installed, creating a huge gap between supply and demand. Despite this, the government insists that all citizens must compulsorily install the embossed number plates, a directive that appears more an assertion of administrative ego than a pragmatic policy.
The glaring disconnect between intention and implementation is highlighted by the decade-long struggle to roll out embossed number plates. In 2016, the government signed a contract worth roughly Rs 450 million with the US-Bangladeshi company Decatur-Tiger IT to install embossed plates on 2.5 million vehicles within five years. The plates use Roman letters rather than Nepali script (Devanagari). In 2018, the Supreme Court issued an interim order halting the project, demanding the use of Devanagari. The project remained legally stalled for 21 months. Even after the court cleared the way in 2019, progress was impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic, unclear procedures, inconsistent fees and public dissatisfaction. The fees add insult to injury. Motorcycles are charged Rs 2,500, three-wheelers Rs 2,900, small cars Rs 3,200 and larger vehicles Rs 3,600—despite the actual cost being only Rs 500. Charging five times the real cost amounts to blatant exploitation. This is citizen abuse. The so-called “service” mirrors the greed of policy makers and politicians in power to make money through unscrupulous contractors and middlemen. How many more areas will citizens be forced to pay exorbitant fees? This explains the rise of the “No Embossed Number” campaign on social media. Embossed plates are intended to secure vehicle data via electronic gates and aid crime control. However, only two such gates exist nationwide—Thankot in Kathmandu and Mudkhu Bhanjyang in Nuwakot. Plans to add four more locations remain minimal, insufficient for comprehensive traffic management. With incomplete infrastructure, embossed plates provide little practical benefit.
Beyond delays and technical hurdles, the financial burden on citizens and inadequate facilities further undermine the policy’s effectiveness. Both the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs and the Public Transport Central Federation have called for reconsideration of mandatory implementation without adequate infrastructure. Their opposition is justified to a large extent. Issues of privacy, national pride and script have been raised. Attempting to impose unilateral decisions in partnership with foreign contractors undermines democratic processes. Policies imposed without public consultation or stakeholder engagement are unlikely to be sustainable. This is not to say that embossed plates are unnecessary or inherently flawed. They can improve road safety, crime prevention, modern management, theft control and tax collection—a fact proven in many developed countries. In Nepal, however, basic infrastructure is lacking, technical readiness insufficient, citizens’ financial capacity ignored, and privacy and national identity concerns overlooked. Imposing such a decision under these conditions causes hardship rather than convenience. The government’s duty is to serve and facilitate citizens, not to burden them. Over 2.4 million citizens have waited five years or more for driving licenses, yet many still haven’t received them. Frustrated citizens are unlikely to accept new burdens like embossed plates. With 6.5 million vehicles but only 2.5 million plates, the government must urgently consult citizens, businesses and experts. Fees should be fair, Devanagari script ensured, infrastructure built and transparency maintained. Without these steps, embossed plates will remain just another “imposed burden.”