LAHORE: The registration of new vehicles and motorcycles at the offices of 23 authorised licensed motor vehicle dealers has gained momentum since Jan 1 as the number has reached around 17,000 as of Feb 13.

The process was launched in August 2016 under the Dealer Vehicle Registration System (DVRS) in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Faisalabad. It offers applicants to submit necessary documents and service charges to authorised dealers for getting registration books without visiting the staff of Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department (ETNCD).

Official statistics available with Dawn show 12,463 applications have been processed in Lahore as of Feb 13, of which more than 10,000 are for motorcycle and the remaining are owners of three and four wheelers.

The number of motorcycle applicants in Rawalpindi has crossed 3,000 while applications processed in Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur districts are not more than 1,500. The dealers in Faisalabad have recently begun receiving applications from motorcyclists.

Officials say the dedicated staff in Lahore is currently receiving 250 files a day, adding that the licensed dealers are unable to meet the demand of choice numbers by applicants. Similarly, they say the registration of vehicles cannot be processed by dealers outside Lahore until and unless uniformed computerised number plates are not issued across the province.

The department has so far received not a single complaint of violation of terms and conditions by any licensed dealer, officials add.

Akram Ashraf Gondal, ETNCD director general, says the scope of DVRS is being expanded in terms of jurisdiction and policy ambit as the department is to launch other features.

He says the registration process remained slow in the first four and half months as not more than 3,500 applications involving motorcycles in majority cases were processed during the period. The ratio of vehicle registration is much more in numbers from Jan 1 onwards.

Mr Gondal says the department has shifted the key role of registration to dealers to eliminate to control corrupt practices.

He says the only problem the department is facing during the registration process is its inability to offer auction-led choice serial numbers in the first phase. He added the facility would available to applicants by June 2017.

He said the department had received 83 more applications from different cities for DVRS registration. The department wants the DVRS functioning in all major cities of the province.

He says though vehicle dealers from cities like Gujranwala and Multan have also showed their interest recently but issues like reputation, office and equipment capacity and bank guarantee are restricting the department to issue them licenses.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2017