Transport Services Disrupted Nationwide

Sabika Shrestha

Disruption of server system of Department of Transport Management has disrupted services across the country for the past few days.

The Department of Transport Management is introducing a new electronic driving license and vehicle registration system.

As part of the data migration and system upgrade process, all non-essential services have been temporarily suspended across the country.

The department says the upgrade is aimed at making its information technology system more modern, secure and efficient.

It has issued a public notice informing citizens about the transition and says the new system will be fully operational in three days.

Rajib Pokharel, Director General of the Department of Transport Management, said that the department is upgrading its long-running EDL EVRS system, which has become outdated. He explained that services are currently being delivered through the existing system while data migration to the new platform is underway. He added that the department is also updating the system to incorporate the new vehicle tax rates introduced by provincial governments from the 1^st of Shrawan. According to Pokharel, services remain operational on the old system, with the transition to the upgraded platform expected to be completed within this week.

The suspension of services during the upgrade has caused inconvenience to service seekers visiting transport offices for their daily work.

A service seeker expressed disappointment over the delay in upgrading the system, arguing that the old platform should not have been phased out before the new one was fully ready. The service seeker said it was unfortunate that the issue had remained unresolved even after 8 to 10 days, adding that they had expected the new system to make services faster and more efficient, but those expectations had not been met.

However, the Department and district Transport Management Offices say they are continuing to provide essential services through the old system.

Sirjana Subedi, Acting Chief of the Transport Management Office, Pokhara, said that the transition to the new system, under which applications, medical checks, and revenue payments were to be processed through an online portal, could not be fully implemented as it was still in its initial phase. She said the Department of Transport Management subsequently issued a notice suspending services until the 8^th of Shrawan, adding that routine services, including revenue payments and other related transactions, have been disrupted during the transition.

Though the upgrading works might cause inconvenience to service seekers temporarily, the migration is expected to make the data more secure and systematic.