Nagarik App Vendor Quits After Contract Lapses, Halting Call Center and Other Services

​​​​​​Kathmandu: Ved Kumar Rai from Raniwan, Kathmandu, walked into TechPana’s office on Thursday afternoon with a smile, seeking help for his Nagarik App problem.

“I used the Nagarik App on my old mobile and verified my account through my driver’s license. Now, on my new phone, it won’t let me verify my license. I called the app’s contact number many times, but no one answered. I saw TechPana’s video about the Nagarik App, so I came here to see if I could get help,” he said. Upon inquiry, it became clear that the vendor managing the app’s operations had stopped work.

The vendor, Service Toward Technology Nepal, quit on Thursday after the government failed to renew its contract. While the agreement had officially ended in Asad, the company continued providing services for an extra month. Citing uncertainty over pay and the future of the contract, employees stopped reporting to work this week.

The company handled most of the app’s development, maintenance, and operations through outsourcing. But the Department of Information Technology under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology neither renewed the existing contract nor began selecting a new vendor.

As a result, all manual services, including the call center and photo verification, have been halted since Thursday. Sixteen employees assigned to the Nagarik App office in Singha Durbar have not returned.

When TechPana visited the locked Nagarik App office during working hours, the Department of Information Technology sent two staff members to open it.

“After the contract expired, about 16 employees stopped coming to work. This means all manual services have stopped, calls go unanswered, photo verifications are not being processed, and other tasks may soon halt. If this continues, the app could become inactive,” a source told TechPana.

Currently, calls to the app’s toll-free number (1101) and its landline (01-5970046) either go unanswered or disconnect after an automated message.

Department Director General Ramesh Sharma Paudyal confirmed the absence of vendor staff and said departmental employees had been deployed to continue operations. “They didn’t come to work today. As soon as we knew, we deployed manpower from the department. We won’t let services stop,” Paudyal said.

He admitted delays in renewing the contract or issuing a new tender but said discussions are underway to keep services running. “It takes two to three months to issue a new tender. Until then, we may renew the current company’s contract. We will decide soon and won’t allow disruptions in the Nagarik App service,” Paudyal added.

 

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन ३०, २०८२ १२:५१

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