Vehicles without computerised number plates banned

Following the M-Tag condition, motorway police have banned unregistered and vehicles without computerised number plates on motorways.

A 30-day respite had been given to those vehicles that have applied for registration and the computerised number plates with excise registration authorities.

The new restrictions and the Punjab excise and registration authority’s failure to issue computerised number plates has sent a wave of consternation among citizens and motorists using motorways.

Motorway police said that unregistered and vehicles without computerised number plates will not be allowed to use motorways.

It said that vehicles whose owners have applied for vehicle’s registration and computerised number plates will be given 30 days to use the motorway provided they produce the receipt of the registration authority.

The motorway police said that legal action would be taken unregistered vehicles and such vehicles would be diverted from the motorway.

On the other hand, citizens have expressed concern over the new travel restrictions following the M-tag requirement on motorways.

Karim Niaz, a local transporter, said that he has several passenger vehicles which have been registered with the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department but the computerised number plates of vehicles have not been issued for several years.

He said that such an abrupt ban would not only cause great inconvenience to the general public but also to owners of passenger vehicles.

Niazi said that the motorway police should have first sought information from the excise departments across the country before imposing the ban.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2021.