Records of 8.6 million vehicles have been uploaded for the service. PHOTO: FILE
The Excise and Taxation Department is preparing to launch an SMS service that will allow citizens to retrieve ownership and tax records of vehicles registered in the province.
The 9966 SMS code service is expected to be launched within this month.
Officials close to the development say a grand launch is planned to advertise the new facility. They say cellular telephone networks have been taken on board in this regard.
The service has been tested over the last two weeks.
Records of 8.6 million vehicles have been uploaded for the service. Nearly 3.5 million of the vehicles are from Lahore.
Officials say records of little over three million vehicles are yet to be uploaded.
A campaign against vehicle owners who haven’t cleared their tax liabilities will be initiated after the launch of the SMS service.
They say the police will now be able to check if a vehicle’s taxes have been paid by using the SMS service. They say the police can then paste red and black sticker on the vehicle in case of default. They say the police department will be able to check ownership history of the vehicle through the SMS service.
The Excise Department is also working on an automatic number plate recognition system with the Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL).
High resolution cameras will be installed on all entry and exit points of the city under the programme.
Details of the vehicles entering the city would be available to police officers on duty as the cameras scan the number plates.
Currently, the department is working on the system with the help of PRAL and is negotiating terms and conditions with National Bank of Pakistan and mobile networks.
Excise and Taxation Department Director General Naseem Sadiq says the SMS service will help people retrieve details of vehicles through their cell phones.
He said the service would also allow citizens to check if a car was stolen.
“If someone sees a suspicious vehicle, they can send an SMS to the service. The department will automatically be alerted if the car is stolen. We will then contact the police about it.”He said it would also facilitate sale and purchase of vehicles and minimise chances of fraud.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2014.
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