PESHAWAR, Dec 28: The excise and taxation department has drafted a law proposing penalty for those using unregistered or fake number-plates on their vehicles, say official sources.

The department took the initiative after it found a number of motorists using unregistered personalized number-plates and vanity numbers on their vehicles.

Talking to Dawn, the sources said that in the absence of a relevant law the authorities were helpless to take action against such vehicle-owners.

“Our inspectors can only confiscate the documents of the vehicle-owner as a penalty when they find vehicles with unregistered vanity numbers,” said excise and taxation acting Director-General Nasir Khan.

The legal wing of the department has prepared a draft ordinance which will soon be sent to the provincial law department. Under the proposed law, a violator will be fined as much as Rs25,000 along with seizure of the vehicle concerned, the sources said.

The eight personalised number-plates and vanity numbers were introduced in June 2004 in the province and vehicle-owners were allowed to apply for the vanity numbers on payment of Rs25,000 fee.

The department has issued some 550 personalized numbers so far. It earned a revenue of Rs10 million last year while this year Rs3.3 million has been generated so far.

Excise inspectors confiscate the documents of the vehicle-owners when they are found with unregistered vanity number.

The legal power to fine the violators is expected to stop misuse of vanity numbers and help generate the revenue, the sources said.