1,993 vehicles checked in crackdown on unregistered vehicles

In collaboration with the Sindh Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department, the Karachi traffic police have initiated a crackdown against unregistered vehicles. Officials said the crackdown has been launched against unregistered and applied-for-registration vehicles.

They said that all those vehicles that are plying the roads of the city without original vehicle registration number plates would be impounded under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965.

As part of the excise & taxation department’s comprehensive campaign against unregistered vehicles and tax evaders, excise police have been checking vehicles on various highways and roads in the province, and collecting taxes on the spot. The campaign continues from 9am until evening without any breaks.

Many citizens have benefited from the facility provided by the excise department that allows people to link the tax system with Easypaisa and other branchless banking services providers, enabling them to pay their taxes on the spot.

The excise department has checked 1,993 vehicles in Karachi. Among them, the documents of 197 vehicles were seized, while the owners of 11 vehicles paid their tax arrears amounting to Rs138,000 on the spot.

In Karachi the excise department checked vehicles in the Teen Talwar, Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Sea View (DHA Phase VIII), Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, MA Jinnah Road and Toll Plaza areas.

Sindh Senior Minister for Transport & Mass Transit, Excise & Taxation, Narcotics Control and Information Sharjeel Inam Memon said that plying unregistered vehicles on the roads is illegal, and non-payment of taxes is a crime.

Memon said that the objective of the campaign is the effective implementation of the laws, emphasising that citizens should comply with the tax laws, warning that those who violate the registration or taxation laws would face penalties according to the legal framework.

He also emphasised that citizens should immediately pay their vehicle taxes and complete the process of vehicle registration renewal without any delay. He appealed to the public to cooperate with the government during the campaign to avoid any inconvenience.

On the Sindh police chief’s directives, the city traffic police chief held an important meeting that was attended by the SPs and the DSPs of his department.

The traffic police DIG said that one-way and signal violations are serious problems that require immediate steps to be taken for their prevention. He ordered deploying traffic cops where the rate of violations is high, and imposing fines by issuing the maximum challans to the rules’ violators.

He said that the traffic police’s focus is not to challan but to maintain traffic and provide convenience to the people, but in case of violation of traffic rules, challans would definitely be issued.

He also ordered that heavy traffic not be allowed to use the fast lane, saying that if they are found using the fast lane, FIRs must be registered against their drivers.

He said that if heavy vehicles use the second lane, they should only be issued challans. He ordered his subordinates to ensure that heavy traffic only uses the third lane.

The DIG said that patrolling officers should inform heavy traffic drivers through megaphones to avoid driving in the fast lane. He ordered putting up banners for traffic awareness on roads so that drivers can be made aware of this as much as possible.

He said that there is a complete ban on the operation of six-seater rickshaws on the main highways, as these rickshaws not only increase the traffic pressure but also affect the flow of traffic due to their frequent stops. He ordered ensuring these vehicles do not ply the main roads.