Punjab excise department cancels bogus appointments

Appointment management system allowed agents to make multiple reservations

LAHORE: The Punjab Excise and Taxation Department has finally managed to fix a technical glitch, which choked its online Appointment Management System (AMS) with multiple bogus entries.

The fault in the system enabled agents to register several appointments using one Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

According to one official, agents, who charge citizens for processing their documents, booked over 3,000 appointments, which completely blocked the Excise and Taxation department’s pipeline, causing unnecessary delays.  Ordinary consumers, he said, had to rely on the agents to get their process started due to the booking overload.

Since its inauguration this month, the department has received more than 2,000 booking requests. It serves as a one-stop-shop for a wide range of services.  The automated booking system enabled citizens to make online reservations in each divisional headquarters, including three offices in Lahore.

According to Chaudhry Masoodul Haq, who serves as director-general Excise and Taxation, the online system had a technical fault.

“After multiple complaints from citizens, we found out that commission agents were taking advantage of a glitch in the system.

They were using the same CNIC details to register multiple appointments,” claimed Haq. These bogus appointments, according to Haq, caused delays for ordinary citizens. Some, he said, had to wait for more than three months for their turn.

While fixing the technical glitch, Haq claimed, the department, wiped all false bookings. “Now, only one booking will be allowed per CNIC,” the director-general said.  Haq revealed the system is working smoothly.

Each of the offices in Lahore, he said, serves 200 citizens per day.  Marred by several issues, the vehicle registration and taxation department in Punjab has received negative reviews from the citizens. Irked by the unnecessary delays, citizens have criticised the department for its inability to provide prompt services.

Complaints related to the department’s performance, the director-general, said are taken seriously.  According to the DG, the online appointment system has received positive reviews. “The online appointment management system is popular, and we plan to enhance it further,” said the DG.

At the three locations in Lahore, citizens can process vehicle registration, post-registration changes, and pay token taxes. For the convenience of the citizens, the appointment booking facility is available on the department’s online portal.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2020.