A massive fire at the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) office in Minbhawan during Monday’s Gen Z protests has destroyed the licence printing machine and the plant producing embossed number plates, leaving the department’s services paralysed.

According to Deputy Director General Keshav Khatiwada, nearly 20,000 driver’s licences that had already been printed and stored at the office were either burnt, stolen, or scattered during the incident.

The building itself has been rendered unfit for use, with officials stating that it cannot be restored for operation without major renovation.

The DoTM said all services related to licence printing, renewal, and embossed number plate installation are now suspended for at least one to two months.

“The entire system is down, and the office cannot resume operations in its current state,” Khatiwada said.

The fire also destroyed seven vehicles parked on the premises and all embossed number plates that were prepared for distribution across provinces. The machine used for licence printing—reportedly the only one in the country—was completely damaged.

Videos circulating on social media showed protesters carrying away some licences and discarding others in nearby areas. A portion of the licences was later found burnt.

The government had earlier announced that from September 17, vehicles undergoing registration, ownership transfer, or renewal would be required to install embossed number plates. However, after various types of protests from the stakeholders, the department had earlier amended the directives and said that the vehicle owners would not face any immediate fines or penalties for failing to install the plates by September 17.

Officials had said the new system would help maintain accurate national vehicle records, support AI-based traffic management, curb theft and crime, prevent revenue leakage, and aid in disaster response.

However, with the destruction of the plant and the stockpiled plates, the implementation of the plan has now been thrown into uncertainty.

The department estimates that only 100,000 vehicles out of a total 2.5 million nationwide have been fitted with embossed plates so far. Officials said they are still assessing the full extent of the losses.

Information officer Ganeshman Singh Rai confirmed that the department’s office was completely damaged and that immediate resumption of work on site is not possible.