Stamp paper vendors fleecing customers

Rawalpindi: The stamp vendors are creating an artificial shortage of stamp paper of Rs50 and Rs100 and selling them in ‘black’ at rates of Rs200 and Rs300. The Rs50 or Rs100 stamp paper is the most used document in Nadra, police, property matters, and utility connections.

Interestingly, Rawalpindi Stamp Vendors Association (RSVA) admitted that stamp paper of Rs50 and Rs100 were being sold on higher prices.

There are more than 300 licensed vendors who can sell stamp paper to litigants. The shortage of the paper has forced thousands of people every day to buy an Rs200 paper in place of Rs50, which cost them up to Rs400 if drafting charges and stamps of the notary public and oath commissioner (lawyers) are also included.

Rawalpindi Stamp Vendors Association (RSVA) President Malik Waheed Awan admitting all facts and figures said that they were selling stamp paper at higher rates. “We are getting only 4 per cent commission on a stamp paper while we have demanded 40 per cent commission,” he said. The local administration is not providing us stationary therefore we are selling stamp paper at higher prices,” he claimed. We demand of Punjab government to increase the commission of stamp paper by 40 per cent against only 4 per cent on a paper, he said.

He also said that the district accounts office not issuing them stamp paper added also their commission amounts on non-judicial stamp paper and revenue tickets had been four percent of the total amount, on notary two per cent and on court fee tickets only 0.5 per cent since 1934 which was too small to fulfil their economic needs. He said they had written to the chief justice of Pakistan, the chief minister, the chief secretary, the revenue secretary and the senior member of the Board of Revenue but to no avail.

The vendors alleged that a large number of fake and unlicensed stamp vendors were practicing in the district courts but the deputy commissioner (DC) was not taking any action against them while the district accounts office was issuing stamp paper to them without checking their legal status.

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Captain (r) Anwar-ul-Haq told ‘The News’ that affected people should file a written complaint against stamp vendor and he will take action against them. He also assured to conduct an inquiry against this serious issue. “I will never spare corrupt officers who were backing stamp vendors,” he warned.