Nepal, Aug. 27 -- The government has yet again tried to enforce the use of embossed number plates for vehicles, this time with a deadline of September 17 for newly registered vehicles to carry such plates. Previously, the plan to roll out the plates in 2021 and enforce compulsory adoption was withdrawn following public backlash and confusion. The government first decided to distribute embossed number plates on May 30, 2016, based on the country's new provincial structure. Later, on February 22, 2018, the Supreme Court issued an interim order to stop issuing embossed number plates.

The case for the use of embossed number plates is not new. The plan was initially included in the Three-Year Interim Plan 2007-2010, but shelved after recognis...