APROPOS the letter ‘Checking vehicles’ (Jan 30). I second the writer’s suggestion of the need for checking vehicles’ registration number plates.

Allow me to add that at the time of registration of a vehicle with the excise and taxation department, a temporary tin plate with the number painted on it is issued. From experience people have learnt that it will be many months before the department will issue an original number plate, so they get an exact replica of original looking number plate from the market for a paltry sum to replace the ugly, rusty tin number plate provided by the E&T department. These number plates, which are without embossed lettering, can only be detected only on close examination.

A large number of cars on the road have such number plates. The question begging an answer is why it takes the excise department so long to prepare the number plates. Since this is a regular part of their job description, shouldn’t original number plates be available within a week — or at most a fortnight — of registration of the vehicle?

I. A. Khwaja
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2019