Crackdown against stolen, non-custom paid vehicles
Over 50 vehicles impounded in four days.
GILGIT:
The crackdown against stolen and non-custom paid (NCP) vehicles continued for the fourth consecutive day in Gilgit, with the police impounding more than 50 vehicles.
The operation, launched by the Excise and Taxation Department (ETD), is being backed by the local administration and the police.
“The crackdown will continue until all stolen and NCP vehicles are confiscated,” said Gilgit Assistant Commissioner Usman Ahmed. “The impounded vehicles will be verified through the ETD for their final disposal and serious action would be taken against those found guilty,” he added.
Following the launch of the crackdown, the capital city of the mountain region witnessed a sharp decrease in traffic on roads.
“There are two types of illegal cars on G-B roads: cars stolen elsewhere and brought to G-B, while the second type of vehicles are the NCP vehicles smuggled from abroad,” said an official of the local administration.
According to eyewitnesses, ETD and police officials have set up several check posts in different parts of the city and are inspecting the documents of all cars bearing registration number plates of other cities, such as Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore. The registration of NCP vehicles was declared mandatory in 2008 and these vehicles were allotted blue number plates.
The department later computerised the records of all such vehicles and issued computerised papers containing details of the vehicles. According to sources, this strategy didn’t bear any fruits either, as the influx of NCP vehicles to G-B continued unabated, with some putting the number of NCP vehicles in G-B to be more than 30,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2011.
The crackdown against stolen and non-custom paid (NCP) vehicles continued for the fourth consecutive day in Gilgit, with the police impounding more than 50 vehicles.
The operation, launched by the Excise and Taxation Department (ETD), is being backed by the local administration and the police.
“The crackdown will continue until all stolen and NCP vehicles are confiscated,” said Gilgit Assistant Commissioner Usman Ahmed. “The impounded vehicles will be verified through the ETD for their final disposal and serious action would be taken against those found guilty,” he added.
Following the launch of the crackdown, the capital city of the mountain region witnessed a sharp decrease in traffic on roads.
“There are two types of illegal cars on G-B roads: cars stolen elsewhere and brought to G-B, while the second type of vehicles are the NCP vehicles smuggled from abroad,” said an official of the local administration.
According to eyewitnesses, ETD and police officials have set up several check posts in different parts of the city and are inspecting the documents of all cars bearing registration number plates of other cities, such as Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore. The registration of NCP vehicles was declared mandatory in 2008 and these vehicles were allotted blue number plates.
The department later computerised the records of all such vehicles and issued computerised papers containing details of the vehicles. According to sources, this strategy didn’t bear any fruits either, as the influx of NCP vehicles to G-B continued unabated, with some putting the number of NCP vehicles in G-B to be more than 30,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2011.