April 5: The Survey Department has started giving Login user IDs to banks and financial institutions and local level for works related to mapping.

Banks and financial institutions (BFIs) can use the department’s map for banking work, while the local level can also give the map to the general public, says Janak Raj Joshi, director general of the Survey Department.

For this, the department had written a letter to Nepal Rastra Bank, the regulator of banks and financial institutions, last August and requested for making arrangements for the banks to provide this service.

This service has been subscribed by Nabil Bank Limited and NIC Asia Bank. The Survey Department’s Director and Information Officer Damodar Dhakal said that one and a half dozen other banks have approached the department to avail this service.

"Before this, any bank and financial institution had to go to the surveyor's office to get a map trace, but now the banks can look at the map themselves for banking operations such as keeping collateral," said Dahal, adding, “Banks have requested for separate user IDs for different branches. We are discussing about issuing one ID for one bank. For this, the department wants to give it to the central body of every financial institution for use within its network.”

He said that giving user IDs to all local levels and banks, the department might have problems in management. The department is using Subisu and Worldlink networks on lease for fiber connectivity of the server.

The department plans to start this service with the commercial banks and gradually expand it to the financial institutions of 'A', 'B' and 'C' category as well as cooperatives.

The Land Management and Records Department has already granted permission to banks and financial institutions for the purpose of releasing or withholding land transactions.

Balram Kafle, the computer officer of the Land Management Department, said that about 300 withholdings/releases have already been done by the banks.

According to him, login user IDs have been taken by all banks. Apart from category B and C, some cooperatives have also taken the permission for this service.