The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has been swamped with 149,000 applications for 1,500 new taxicab operating permits being offered to residents of the 14 districts hardest hit by the earthquakes of 2015 as part of a support programme for victims.The department announced that it would be picking the winning candidates through a lucky draw due to the overwhelming response. “We will be conducting a lucky draw within a month,” said DoTM Director General Chandra Man Shrestha, adding the dep- artment was making the final preparations for the lottery.The government decided to issue new taxi licences in a bid to expand livelihood opportunities for locals of earthquake affected districts besides increasing the number of taxis in Kathmandu for the convenience of travellers.
According to the DoTM, there are currently 8,500 taxis on the streets of the Kathmandu Valley including the 2,850 new taxi cabs registered last year. There were 5,650 taxis in the Capital as of mid-2015. The government opened registrations for new taxi cabs in 2015 for the first time in 15 years. The Ministry of Transportation and Physical Infrastructure has repeatedly planned to issue permits for new taxis in Kathmandu, but it had to back down following strong opposition from taxi entrepreneurs and their associations.
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