Vehicle registration numbers put up for sale online

Numbers like 111, 786, 007 likely to fetch top bids in e-auction

RAWALPINDI:

The Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department has launched e-auction of the vehicle universal registration numbers to facilitate the citizens.

The department had started issuing universal numbers for vehicles and has claimed that the new system will be a revolutionary step that will be helpful in elimination of agent mafia and corruption.

Officials said that all-time favourite numbers like 786, 001, 111, and even 007 are likely to get high bids in the online auction on E&T website.

According to Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer, Rawalpindi Sohail Shahzad, the system would help bringing efficiency to the department and will improve public service. Instead of city codes, the universal number plate will be issued at the provincial level and the registration number in all the districts will have the same value, he added.

He said the universal number plates and their e-auction system had been inaugurated to facilitate the people.

The serial numbers of all the districts had been abolished, he said adding that the vehicles would be issued registration numbers starting from AAA1 to 999 while motorcycle serial numbers would be issued from 1001 to 9999 with AAA.

Similarly, the commercial vehicles would be assigned the serial CAA and issued numbers from 1 to 9999.

The serial number of the government vehicles would start from GAA with numbers from 1 to 998 while the SAA serial would be issued to semi-government vehicles with 1 to 998 numbers.

The excise department had adopted smart technology for the new project, he added.

The universal registration number system would benefit the people belonging to any city of the province. On the other hand, the burden on the big cities' registration offices would also reduce.

To a question he said, already issued number plates would not be changed.

With the e-auction, people would no longer have to go to any excise and taxation office to get their preferred number as the applicants would be able to deposit registration fee by pay order or online.

He said the department on the directives of Director General (DG) Excise Punjab Ch.

Masoodul Haq and Director Rawalpindi Region had made all the arrangements to facilitate the citizens.

He said, earlier the series of motor vehicle registration numbers was assigned in each category at the district level.

The year of registration was printed on the number plate and the alphanumeric scheme was repeated every year. In case of a road accident or crime, it was often difficult to note the number of vehicle completely.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2020.