Non-customs paid: Operation against unregistered vehicles to be launched soon

Registration deadline ended on July 10, illegal rickshaws will also be impounded

MINGORA:

With the deadline of registering non-customs paid vehicles ending on July 10, Swat police and district administration are set to launch an operation against unregistered and non-customs paid vehicles in the valley.

Muhammad Rahman, spokesperson for Swat police, said the district government, police, and excise officials had agreed to allow the registration of these vehicles to continue until July 10. “It’s not clear how many vehicles were registered before the deadline,” he told The Express Tribune, adding the police will release official statistics soon.

The spokesperson said the district government and police officials are now chalking out a plan to formally launch an operation against the owners of unregistered vehicles. He said they will be booked under the law and the vehicles will be impounded.



“We had informed everyone about the deadline. Whoever failed to comply will now be responsible for the consequences,” he said.

He said that the operation will not only target imported vehicles, but also entail unregistered rickshaws that are assembled locally.

“There are more than 600 unregistered rickshaws in Mingora Bazaar and we will launch a crackdown against them as well,” he said.

Rahman said these rickshaws are illegal as they run on 600cc engines that are taken out from other vehicles. He said they neither have engine numbers nor have chassis numbers.

“They can be used by anyone intending harm.” Rahman said, “We want to put an end to these illegal ways adopted by people,”
he said.

He said these vehicles do not follow safety standards and have been involved in numerous accidents, resulting in losses of life. He added officials will not discriminate and will bring all such vehicle owners to justice. Rahman said the operation’s schedule has not been finalised yet but will be initiated soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2015.