December 28, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 06, 1427

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FAISALABAD, Dec 27: A classic example of state within a state can be witnessed in the city district where a majority of the police officials have displayed unauthorised number plates on their vehicles in violation of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance.

Innumerable official vehicles of the police department are being used for months also without number plates and any registration documents as no-one is ready to check this violation.

The unregistered police vehicles have the number plates of FDB serial, though the excise and taxation department is going to introduce the FSP serial and there is no room for the previous category. In fact, the serial introduced by the police department had never been launched in Faisalabad.

Equally to be blamed are the police higher-ups as scores of vehicles escorting them during official duties are also without original number plates despite the clear-cut instructions that a vehicle must immediately be registered after it becomes the property of the federal or the provincial government.

According to the section 23 (Chapter 3) of the Registration of Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, “no person shall drive any motor vehicle and no owner of a motor vehicle shall cause or permit the vehicle to be driven in any place unless the vehicle is registered in accordance with this chapter and it carries a registration mark displayed in the prescribed manner.”

Ironically, the police launch campaigns and frequently warn the motorists against committing the offence of driving vehicles without displaying number plates and registration of their vehicles, but when it comes to the officials of the department they firmly believe that “laws are made to be broken”.

“I was detained and fined by the traffic police for driving the vehicle without number plate,” Tahir Najafi told Dawn. He said he was on way to hospital with his mother to see a patient, but the police action disturbed them a lot.

A couple of months ago the government had launched a drive to display engine and chassis number on the windscreen. This campaign forced citizens to bear additional expenses, but the police department’s vehicles remained without such numbers.

Vehicles of the police patrol officials too are being used in violation of the rules. A couple of months ago the district police had launched Mohafiz Squads to fight street crime. The squad personnel are patrolling the city area on the motorcycles having fake numbers or no number plates at all.

A police officer told this correspondent on the request of anonymity that lack of funds had forced the police to break rules. As far as the use of fake number plates was concerned, he said, “this is being done to maintain our own record of diesel filling and maintenance”.

The excise and taxation authorities also seem unwilling to proceed against the violators and the police take advantage of the situation marking their own numbers starting from 1 and onwards.

Muhammad Aslam Sukhera, an excise official, told Dawn that the officials didn’t dare challenge the police. “Although the department officials frequently check the unregistered vehicles of people from all walks of life, they don’t risk checking the police vehicles knowing that there will be no use of such an exercise.

“After all, who will impound such vehicles and which police station will keep these vehicles”? he asked.

Another official believed that a deputy commissioner could play an effective role in checking such an irregularity as he was considered to be a symbol of authority. But the new government system had divested the officials of such authorities.

DIG Muhammad Aslam Tareen said only 20 new vehicles were without registration and they would be got registered very soon as funds had been released for the purpose.

Excise and Taxation Minister Shamshad Ahmad Khan said: “I have just learnt about this irregularity and action will be taken against the department concerned.”