Staff told to clear vehicle number plates backlog

Caretaker Minister Bilal Afzal has called for the elimination of the agent mafia from the premises of the excise and taxation offices across Punjab.

As he visited an excise office at Faridkot, citizens present there complained of unnecessary delay in the registration and transfer of vehicles.

The director concerned informed the caretaker minister that most of the problems in this regard were coming from the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). Afzal directed the PITB authorities to remove the hurdles in the automated system within a week so that the citizens' time and money were not wasted due to system malfunctions.

While visiting a section of the office, the caretaker minister ordered the immediate delivery of thousands of number plates lying there for a long time. He directed the officials to contact the owners if the registration plates were returned undelivered.

The provincial secretary said the implementation of the instructions would begin on Thursday.

While checking the arrival time of the employees through the recording of CCTV cameras, the caretaker minister said the presence of the staff at their seats should be ensured at the scheduled time.

He directed the excise inspectors to raise the property tax collection above 55 per cent in a week. The caretaker minister also directed the officials concerned to restore the departmental lock-up at the previous place.

Excise and Taxation DG Muhammad Ali said he was tightening the noose against defaulters in big plazas and commercial centres, for which was touring areas across Punjab.

He ordered disciplinary action against a reception clerk for negligence in duty.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2023.