The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has booked 59 public vehicles older than 20 years across the country.

The nationwide ban on such vehicles came into force on Thursday. 

In 2017 February, the Cabinet had announced the ban on the public vehicles older than 20 years from plying inside Kathmandu Valley, but the authorities failed to enforce the decision strictly.

Fewer than a dozen such vehicles were booked in the Valley over the past one year. “The government has already made this decision, and this will be strictly implemented,” said DoTM Director General Rupnarayan Bhattarai.

Such commitment made by the government is not the first one though. The department had taken a similar decision in January 2015 as well.

Bhattarai says the decision will be strictly enforced this time. “We have mobilised traffic police and government officials for the check up, we won’t let single vehicle ply on the road now onwards,” he said. Asked how the DoTM is going to curb the old vehicles running in rural parts of the country, Bhattarai said traffic officers have been mobilised to prohibit all old vehicles, anywhere.

“To ensure there are no such vehicles still in operation, the department will thoroughly go through the vehicle registration documents when their owners or drivers come to pay vehicle tax. Such vehicles will be seized and their route permits will be scrapped as well,” said Bhattarai.