Kathmandu, June 12 -- A federal government directive suspending the registration of new public transport vehicles across Nepal has triggered criticism from transport operators and exposed growing tensions between federal and provincial authorities.

On May 21, the Department of Transport Management instructed provincial transport ministries and transport offices not to register new public transport vehicles. Following the circular, all provinces except Bagmati halted registrations.

Transport offices under Bagmati Province's Ministry of Labour, Employment and Transport have continued registering new public transport vehicles, disregarding the federal directive. Other provinces have complied with the order and suspended registrations.

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