Biratnagar: Koshi province’s Transport Management Office has started charging Rs 300 per applicant for mandatory health check-ups required for obtaining or renewing driver’s licenses from 17 July.
This sudden move has burdened service seekers who were previously receiving free health examinations.
Earlier, a medical team led by Dr Manish Yadav at the Koshi Province Traffic Management Office in Itahari had been providing free health check-ups for driver’s license applicants and renewals since August last year. The agreement between the traffic office and Dr Yadav remains valid until the end of August this year.
However, with two months still left in the agreement period, the Koshi Province Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law abruptly stopped Dr Yadav’s services and assigned Dr Rajendra Khatiwada instead, imposing a Rs 300 fee per applicant. This decision has further distressed service seekers.
The provincial government has also discontinued free health check-ups at all its traffic offices—Itahari (Sunsari), Biratnagar (Morang), and Chandragadhi (Jhapa)—and imposed the new fee, sparking widespread criticism.
Sources claim that Internal Affairs and Law Minister Revati Raman Bhandari directly intervened to replace the free health check-up system with a paid one, allegedly favouring a close associate. “This interference reeks of financial manipulation,” a ministry source said.
Over 500 applicants visit these three traffic offices daily for driver’s license issuance or renewal.
The Koshi traffic office has previously faced allegations of corruption, including issuing driver’s licenses to visually impaired individuals in exchange for bribes.
“Even when a Rs 100 fee was charged in the past, the health examination team made sufficient profits. Now, who is calculating the benefits of raising the fee from free to Rs 300?” a source questioned.
Despite two months remaining in Dr Yadav’s contract, the ministry ordered his removal and directed the office to appoint a new doctor. Office Chief Satish Satyal told Clickmandu, “We have no choice but to follow the ministry’s orders, regardless of the situation.”
Dr Yadav had been providing free health check-ups within the office premises since last year. Outside the office, applicants previously paid Rs 45–50 for the same service. According to Satyal, private clinics offering these services had their contracts renewed only in June.
“We were forced to suddenly impose a Rs 300 fee as per the ministry’s directive, but this is an uncomfortable decision,” Satyal admitted.
While the ministry claims that the Rs 300 fee is justified under the Financial Act, office sources argue that the amount is excessive. “Rs 100 would have been fair. Charging Rs 300 suggests deep financial collusion between the ministry and the doctor,” a source said.
However, Minister Bhandari defended the decision, stating that irregularities in the free health check-up system necessitated the change. “Due to increasing malpractice under the guise of free health checks, we replaced the doctor before the contract expired and introduced a paid service,” he said.
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