Colluding with touts: Five excise officials suspended

Complaint cell to be set up, staff to be shuffled to curb corrupt practices.

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad administration on Tuesday suspended five officials of the excise and taxation department after they were found to be involved in corruption in connivance with touts.

The development came after the administration had arrested several touts from inside and around the department during a raid on Feb 15.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mushtaq Ahmed visited the excise office on Tuesday to inspect the situation after last week’s arrests. He said five officials of the department, who were found involved in corrupt practices, had been suspected. However, he did not disclose their names of positions.

He announced several measures to check corrupt practices at the excise office and to end the tout culture.

A statement issued by the office of excise and taxation director on Tuesday said many agents impersonating as government officials and looting the public had been arrested from around the office since the start of the year.

It said an independent complaint cell would be set up at the deputy commissioner’s office to address public grievance related to excise and taxation office.

The DC also said that shuffling of the excise staff was also on the cards as a measure to check malpractices.

The statement said that presence of the applicant at the time of registration of a vehicle would be made mandatory. The department would also procure biometric record from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to check credentials of applicants.

It said more cameras would be installed at the one-window counters to monitor working of the staff at the counters.

Further, the administration said that the plan to make all the forms available online was also being worked out to facilitate the public.

Moreover, the statement said a token system would be introduced for registration of new vehicles and entrance to excise office would be restricted to staff and applicants only.

Ahmed said the steps were being taken on the directions of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2016.