KARACHI: Over four million number plates of cars and motorcycles have been pending in Sindh, officials told Sindh ombudsman.

Sources said the excise department officials had informed the ombudsman during a recent hearing that 4.364m number plates of motorbikes had been pending in Sindh.

The backlog of four-wheelers (commercial and non-commercial) number plates is 308,963, they said.

The same excise official had told the ombudsman on March 8 that the number of motorbikes and cars without official number plates in Sindh was 1.34m and 297,000, respectively.

The ombudsman had asked the excise department officials to come up with district-wise details and their plans to clear the huge backlog.

The sources said the excise department informed the ombudsman office that due to limited resources, the department could only cater to 53,000 number plates of four-wheelers and 207,000 for two-wheelers per annum. Funds for mobilisation of number plates had not been released by the finance department, they said.

On policy framework, the excise department said it was planned and decided at a recent cabinet meeting to raise the available funds to Rs1.17 billion in order to meet the requirements and end the backlog.

The department said the matter was pending with the finance department and as and when the payment was received, the production of number plates shall be started.

It may be recalled here the owners of motorbikes and cars have been waiting for number plates since 2016.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2022