Directive to develop system for distributing vehicle number plates

LAHORE: Punjab Ombudsman Major (R) Azam Suleman Khan has issued directions to the Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department (ET&NC) Punjab and the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) to develop a viable and structured system for distributing vehicle number plates to the general public at the district level.

The current process of issuing vehicle number plates is inadequate; therefore, an organised mechanism needs to be established. Additionally, he instructed the ET&NC Department to provide a monthly report about the issuance and supply of number plates to the general public.

A statement issued by the Ombudsman office stated that the complaints received regarding the problems faced by the people due to the delay in the issuance and delivery of vehicle number plates and taking own motion notice of the news items, the Ombudsman Punjab had sought a report from the secretary excise & taxation department that despite the payment of the fee, how the number plates were not being provided to the vehicle owners?

In this regard, the ET&NC Department informed that it entered into an agreement with the NRTC for the issuance of vehicle number plates in 2020, and initially, issued the purchase order for the supply of two million number plates to it. Later, two purchase orders were also issued for the issuance of three million more number plates. ET&NC Department informed that the own motion notice by Ombudsman Punjab has resulted in the provision of a schedule by the NRTC for the supply of more number plates. According to this, the supply of number plates was in progress and 152,086 number plates were prepared and supplied to the excise department between December 2022 and January 2023.