KARACHI: Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that Sindh is set to enforce a policy of not allowing any unregistered vehicle on roads as the legislation in this regard is being introduced.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, he said that a bill had already been presented in the Sindh Assembly and it was currently under review by the house’s standing committee.

According to the bill, all new imported or locally manufactured motor vehicles would be liable to be registered within 15 days by the licensed motor dealer or showroom from the date of invoice. If an owner of vehicle or car dealer fails to register, the vehicle will be liable to a penalty. In case the default does not exceed 30 days, the penalty will be Rs20,000 and in case of default of over 150 days, the penalty will be Rs300,000. For motorcycles, scooters and rickshaws, a default penalty of Rs5,000 will be imposed in case of default exceeding 60 days.

The draft bill said that in case of non-compliance of the registration laws, the motor registration authority shall confiscate the motor vehicle which will be released after clearing the dues.

All vehicles will be required to be registered within 15 days from the date of purchase, says Sharjeel

As per the bill, there shall be no transaction on ‘open letters’ after the commencement of the Act.

The senior minister, who holds the portfolios of information, transport, excise, taxation, and narcotics control, said that the excise department was currently conducting a campaign to check unregistered and tax-defaulting vehicles across the province.

He said that as many as 22,103 vehicles were inspected and of them, 115 were found to be unregistered, while 1,304 were tax defaulters and were subsequently taken into custody. “A total of Rs10.565 million tax was collected from the tax-defaulter vehicles, along with fines amounting to Rs873,000, resulting in a total collection of Rs10.9m”, he added.

The senior minister said that the second auction of premium number plates, as a fundraising initiative, would be held on Dec 01. “This auction is open to participants from all over Pakistan, not just Sindh,” he announced and added that the proceeds from the auction would be dedicated to building houses for flood victims.

He mentioned that an online auction of premium number plates was also underway. “Anyone interested can register and participate by visiting the portal at premiumnumber.excise.gov.pk.”, he said.

The minister said that the provincial police also launched a crackdown on the display of illegal number plates, police lights, vehicles with tinted windows, and illegal weapons. “So far, 20 vehicles have been seized, and 18 individuals have been detained, while a fine of Rs1.563 million has been imposed on 1,520 vehicles”, he said, adding that 27 cases had been registered related to the illegal display of weapons, with 29 weapons confiscated and 34 suspects detained.

Anti-drug actions

Mr Memon said that the narcotics control wing of the excise department had intensified actions against drugs. “For the first time, this wing is being activated dynamically, preparing for a large-scale crackdown in Karachi and Hyderabad”, he said, adding that additional forces were being brought in from other districts to support the effort.

He warned that the situation was about to get tougher for drug dealers and users as the crackdown would intensify.

The minister said that operations against drug peddlers had already begun, starting with universities. “Some university employees involved in drug supply have been arrested,” he said.

In response to another question, the minister said that there were reports indicating that certain elements of imported drugs were now being manufactured locally.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2024