KARACHI, Nov 3: In view of the heavy rush for a driving licence often seen at the single centre set up for the purpose, a proposal to establish four more centres in the metropolis has been sent to higher authorities in the police department, it is learnt.
It has also been proposed that printed application forms with all the relevant information on obtaining driving licence be placed at each and every post office so that an applicant could bring with him all the documents required to be submitted.
Well-placed sources said that the fresh proposal was not a new one as a similar proposal had been sent to the authorities in March 2000. The police department had decided to open five more branches one each in the five (now defunct) districts. The summary was sent to the provincial finance department for approval. However, the proposal was later turned down citing lack of funds.
The proposal put forward recently calls for the establishment of four driving licence branches — one each at (or near) Civic Centre, Orangi Town, Nazimabad and Quaidabad. It also stresses that all these branches should be computerized and connected with the main branch at Clifton and that the new branches should work under the supervision of the SSP of driving licence branch. The post of the SSP has been created in the recent past.
At present, only the main office at Clifton is authorized to issue driving licences and every applicant has to go to Clifton for the purpose. Officials at the office feel overburdened. They said that they had to cater to the needs of 13 million licence seekers in the metropolis.
The average number of licences being issued per day is more than 500, they said. They were of the opinion that the setting up of more branches in the city would not only help ease the burden on the main office but would also provide relief to the applicants.
The official sources said the major hitch in establishing a new branch was insufficient funds and the uncertainty over their timely release by the government. They observed that the police department was already running short of funds even for its routine affairs. They pointed out that several police vehicles were out of order, laying in the MT Police Workshop, but could not be repaired due to the non-availability of funds.
“We will establish one office first, and would go for more only when it starts functioning,” said an official.
The sources said the police would try to utilize its own land and would not make the land purchase an issue. However, funds wouldbe needed for construction, office equipment, etc.
They were of the view that due to the burden of issuing driving licences on one centre, there is a risk of corruption to begin. There should also be a practice of transfers of police officials to eliminate possibilities of their connivance with agents operating outside. At present, a number of the officials are posted at the centre for many years, they added.
The system of duties on rotation basis has not been introduced at the centre despite corruption cases coming to light in the past. In May 2001, police had arrested nine alleged forgers, including four police officials, and recovered from their possession thousands of fake driving licences, educational certificates, revenue tickets, stamps, etc.
Acting upon a tip off, a policeman disguising himself as an ordinary licence seeker had been sent to the forgers. He asked them for a fake driving licence and as he was provided the same, a raid was conducted. Three persons, Mirza Atif Beg, a police wireless operator, Anwar Kamal, an ex-official of post office, and Syed Saqib Raza, a computer graphic expert, were arrested in the raid. An FIR No. 149/2001 under sections 420/465/468/471/472 of the PPC was registered against them at Saeedabad police station. Later, three other suspects were also arrested.
Earlier, in November 1999, seven police officials, including DSP Zain Shaikh, inspector Chaudhary Ameer, sub-inspector Arshad and Inayat, of the driving licence office were booked for forgery and an FIR No. 405/99 under section 409 of the PPC was registered against them.
