LAHORE: The Punjab government has given nod to launch a scheme titled ‘Driving Licence Issuance Management System Phase-II’ introducing a feature under which the applicants will get all kinds of driving licences from any Driving Licensing Authority across the province.

In the previous system, people had no provision to acquire the driving licence from other than their resident district. There was a large number of applicants who had shifted to other cities from their districts. To get licences, they had to travel back to their native districts.

With the help of centralised system of DLIMS, citizens can apply/renew their licence cards from any location or district of Punjab, a senior official told Dawn. In the new scheme, he said, the government had also introduced many features in the proposed driving licence card particularly to check forgery.

After implementation of DLIMS Phase-II, the applicant would get internationally renowned ‘Secured Card based driving license’. The new scheme, however, has put burden of Rs180 on each applicant as courier service fee in addition to other charges mentioned officially to get the driving licence.

Approved by the Punjab government in April 2014 at a revised cost of Rs168.3 million, the scheme got final nod when the Finance Department after two-month correspondence with the provincial police officer issued a prescribed procedure for its immediate implementation. The police authorities had started giving it final shape for its fast-track implementation.

In a letter addressed to the provincial police officer on March 13 last, the Finance Department informed matters had accordingly been reconsidered for the fast-track implementation of the new system.

“The Finance Department agrees to the opening of the 36 current bank accounts,” the letter said, adding that these accounts shall be established in the main branch of National Bank of Pakistan in each district as well as provincial headquarters at Lahore in terms of Rule 9 (1) of the Punjab Treasury Rules.

“The back account operated at Lahore shall be the main account for the consolidation of daily receipts accruing at other all district headquarters in the Punjab,” the Finance Department stated.

It said all the bank accounts shall be non-cheque accounts and no cash withdrawals shall be permissible from there.

The chief traffic police officer at Lahore and the superintendents of traffic police at the respective district headquarters shall be responsible for the daily monitoring of receipts, their reconciliation and credit to bank account at the local level, as well its transfer to the main bank account at Lahore, according to the department letter.

The official said the Punjab Information Technology Board had introduced the Centralized Driving License Issuance and Management System all over the province with a prime objective of facilitating the citizens through innovative approach. Another purpose of this system was to redefine the issuance process of all types of licences by using a centralised network.

He said one of the salient features of this system was to make centralised issuance and management of driving licences. Through this system, delivery of issued licences through courier to the addresses of the applicants had become easy and quick. It had also helped stop forgery and issuance of fake driving licences.

“The DLIMS is widely creating a data-hub of driving licences which will facilitate other agencies like Criminal Record Office (CRO), Motor Vehicle Examiner (MVE) Office, and Motor Registration Authority,” the official said. It will also help reduce vehicle-related crimes.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play