Faulty e-registration system inflicts losses on excise dept
Photo: file
The Excise Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has failed to upgrade its new online system for registration and transfer of public and private vehicles within a week, causing a financial loss of about Rs80 million to the Motor Vehicle Registration branch of the Rawalpindi region.
The new online vehicle registration system of the department was paralysed last Monday due to which the registration and transfer of vehicles as well as the collection of property, professional and luxury taxes were stopped across the province, including the Rawalpindi region.
According to an earlier announcement, this system was to be upgraded by September 10, it could not be upgraded by September 13 [Wednesday] due to which the registration and transfer of public and private vehicles and motorcycles in the offices is completely closed.
Sources in the excise department said all the staff of the motor vehicle registration branch were sitting completely idle all day long while the people coming for the registration and transfer of vehicles and motorcycles were facing difficulties for the last 10 days and the Rawalpindi region had sustained a financial loss of about Rs8-10 million.
“The Punjab Information Technology Board is upgrading this system and it will be upgraded in the next 48 hours,” the sources said. “This upgraded system will be checked on a trial basis for a day and afterwards, by September 18, this system will be made 100 per cent functional,” they added.
Due to the continuous closure of the online registration system, a large number of new vehicle owners have approached the Islamabad office for the registration of their vehicles and motorcycles, while the department's system for producing smart computerised cards and computerised number plates for registration of vehicles and motorcycles has also become non-functional.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2023.