Fix your licence plate before it’s too late
CTAC join hands with CPLC, traffic police to enforce standardised number plates from Oct 1.
Traffic police in the city are notorious for taking bribes, especially from bus drivers, who are the biggest violators of traffic laws. From October 1, CTAC, traffic police and CPLC will start a drive to check all vehicles for original documents, standardised licence plates and tinted windows. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Everyone who owns a car should make sure they have a standardised licence plate, a valid driving licence and clear windows by October 1.
This campaign, which is a joint venture of NGO Citizens Trust Against Crime (CTAC), Sindh Police and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), will check registration documents, driving licences, vehicle fitness certificates, motor vehicle tax sticker on the wind screen and licence registration plates issued by the excise and taxation department.
The traffic policemen and CTAC volunteers will also be stopping cars with tinted windows and fancy, personalised or ‘AFR’ number plates. All drivers should also make sure there is no one displaying licensed or illegal weapons as well. However, if you fail to comply with any of these rules, be prepared to pay hefty fines and, in some cases, imprisonment.
An awareness campaign ahead of the traffic drive has already been initiated - with camps at Hotel Metropole, Avari Towers and PIDC - so the law enforcers clarified they will not accept the “I did not know about the drive” argument. “We have set up our awareness camps at three different places where we stopped people and informed them about our campaign,” said Traffic Police deputy inspector general Arif Hanif.
“We are displaying banners and giving advertisements in newspapers to inform people about our strategy and warn them about the actions we will take if someone is found breaking the law.” Hanif told The Express Tribune that they have taken the excise and taxation department, police personnel and CPLC men on board to check the legitimacy of documents on the spot.
“Right now, we are collecting data on the number of vehicles carrying government number plates,” he said, explaining that it will give them an idea of how many vehicles bearing government number plates are genuine and how many are fake.
The awareness camps were shut down on Monday to protest the blasts in Peshawar, said a traffic police sergeant, who was working at the Metropole camp. “Now our regular drive will start from October 1.”
In the initial phase of the campaign, an enforcement team of 25 traffic and regular policemen, and five CTAC volunteers will move from place to place in the city and check vehicles, said a CTAC team member Naeem Sadiq. “Our teams will assist the police verify vehicle documents with the excise and taxation department and the CPLC on the spot,” he said, adding that their volunteers are currently taking training with the traffic and regular police on their policy and procedure to launch the campaign. “Our volunteers would only help the police, who will be running the whole campaign.” Sadiq felt their volunteers will be helping mostly in running computer programmes.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2013.
Everyone who owns a car should make sure they have a standardised licence plate, a valid driving licence and clear windows by October 1.
This campaign, which is a joint venture of NGO Citizens Trust Against Crime (CTAC), Sindh Police and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), will check registration documents, driving licences, vehicle fitness certificates, motor vehicle tax sticker on the wind screen and licence registration plates issued by the excise and taxation department.
The traffic policemen and CTAC volunteers will also be stopping cars with tinted windows and fancy, personalised or ‘AFR’ number plates. All drivers should also make sure there is no one displaying licensed or illegal weapons as well. However, if you fail to comply with any of these rules, be prepared to pay hefty fines and, in some cases, imprisonment.
An awareness campaign ahead of the traffic drive has already been initiated - with camps at Hotel Metropole, Avari Towers and PIDC - so the law enforcers clarified they will not accept the “I did not know about the drive” argument. “We have set up our awareness camps at three different places where we stopped people and informed them about our campaign,” said Traffic Police deputy inspector general Arif Hanif.
“We are displaying banners and giving advertisements in newspapers to inform people about our strategy and warn them about the actions we will take if someone is found breaking the law.” Hanif told The Express Tribune that they have taken the excise and taxation department, police personnel and CPLC men on board to check the legitimacy of documents on the spot.
“Right now, we are collecting data on the number of vehicles carrying government number plates,” he said, explaining that it will give them an idea of how many vehicles bearing government number plates are genuine and how many are fake.
The awareness camps were shut down on Monday to protest the blasts in Peshawar, said a traffic police sergeant, who was working at the Metropole camp. “Now our regular drive will start from October 1.”
In the initial phase of the campaign, an enforcement team of 25 traffic and regular policemen, and five CTAC volunteers will move from place to place in the city and check vehicles, said a CTAC team member Naeem Sadiq. “Our teams will assist the police verify vehicle documents with the excise and taxation department and the CPLC on the spot,” he said, adding that their volunteers are currently taking training with the traffic and regular police on their policy and procedure to launch the campaign. “Our volunteers would only help the police, who will be running the whole campaign.” Sadiq felt their volunteers will be helping mostly in running computer programmes.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2013.