12th September 2025, Kathmandu
In a major blow to public service delivery and government modernization efforts, a fire at the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) in Minbhawan has completely destroyed the building, its vital equipment, and a significant stock of documents.
DoTM Fire Destroyed Machines
The incident, believed to be an arson attack amidst recent protests, has brought the issuance of driving licenses and the production of embossed number plates to a standstill.
The fire has inflicted catastrophic damage, rendering the DoTM building unusable. According to Deputy Director General Keshav Khatriwada, the building is so badly damaged that it cannot be repaired for use.
The destruction of the only license printing machine has had an immediate and severe impact, halting all license-related services, including the urgent printing service previously available for those with immediate travel needs, such as those going abroad for employment or members of security forces.
“The office is completely destroyed,” Khatriwada stated. “If anyone needs a license or applies online for an embossed number plate installation, those services are currently halted.
All systems are down, and the office cannot operate until it is repaired. It could take one to two months for services to resume.” This disruption affects tens of thousands of service seekers who were already grappling with long delays in receiving their smart licenses.
The attack was not just an act of vandalism but a targeted destruction of critical state infrastructure. Videos shared on social media showed protestors taking away printed licenses during the arson, while others were left scattered and later burned in the fire.
This has created an administrative nightmare for the department, which now has to account for an estimated 20,000 printed licenses that were waiting for distribution.
Perhaps the most significant long-term consequence is the destruction of the plant for embossed number plates. The government had just recently announced that, from Ashoj 1 (mid-September), all new registrations, renewals, and ownership transfers would require these plates.
This ambitious plan, which has been plagued by delays, legal disputes, and public criticism for years, has now been thrown into chaos. The fire destroyed the production plant itself, along with approximately 619,000 embossed number plates that were ready for dispatch to provincial offices.
The numbers are staggering. Of the 819,059 embossed number plates produced by the end of Shrawan (mid-August), only about 200,000 had been sent out.
The remaining 619,000 plates, which included plates for two-wheelers, four-wheelers, heavy vehicles, and three-wheelers, were all incinerated. This immense loss represents a significant financial setback and a major hurdle for the government’s plan to digitize vehicle registration and management.
The embossed number plate project has been a source of controversy since its inception, with the contract awarded to a joint venture of Decatur–Tiger IT for Rs. 4.45 billion.
Despite the massive investment and repeated deadline extensions, the project has been slow to progress, with only 88,340 vehicles having received the new plates as of Shrawan.
Service seekers have often complained about the complicated installation process and high fees. The destruction of the production plant now exacerbates these issues, casting serious doubt on the future of the project.
The ripple effect of this fire extends beyond the immediate loss of machinery and documents. It represents a complete shutdown of a key government service portal, with laptops, desktop computers, and all records reportedly burned.
A department source lamented, “Everything stored at the department has been damaged… Nothing remains.” The incident not only cripples the department’s ability to serve the public but also signifies a major setback for the country’s long-standing struggle to modernize its transport sector.
As DoTM spokesperson Ganeshman Singh Rai noted, the full details of the damage are still being assessed, but with the office completely destroyed, operations are impossible.
The incident is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of public infrastructure during times of civil unrest and the immense challenges the country faces in rebuilding and restoring essential services.
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