KARACHI, Feb 20: The motor vehicle registration (MVR) of the Sindh ministry of excise and taxation will issue computerised registration books to owners of new cars from March 1.

The new registration books will have all the data printed instead of the present manual inscription.

Over one million vehicle registration books are issued every year. The total number of vehicles presently registered with the department is over 0.7 million.

Shoaib Siddiqui, director MVR, told Dawn on Wednesday that the data of new registrations would be sent to the Security Printing Corporation of Pakistan for printing, which prints the books as well.

He said that computerisation of registration books would eliminate chances of bogus registration and attempts to tamper with the data of a registered vehicle.

It would also save a considerable time of the MVR department staff presently consumed in writing details of vehicles on registration books by hand.

Initially, the new scheme would be started for new registrations and will be gradually extended to the duplicate registration and for transfer of vehicles.

Chairman, All-Pakistan Motor Dealers Association, H. M. Shahzad, has welcomed the move, saying it will go a long way in eliminating chances of bogus registration.

“However, we look for the day when the MVR would have its own computerised printing set-up, like advanced countries of the world,” he remarked.

The MVR has also planned to issue standardised number plates to motorcycle owners who are presently allowed to get a number plate made from the market. The proposal is currently with the finance department for approval.

The scheme would not only help eliminate chances of bogus number plates but would also help the police in checking stolen bikes apart from raising revenue for the department.

The charges for a number plate to be issued by the department are not yet decided. It, however, charges Rs100 for a number plate issued on the registration of new vehicles.

The registration of bikes has increased tremendously since the advent of the Chinese bikes in the city, which are in easy reach of the common man’s pocket.

About 550 bikes are registered with the department every day.

The MVR earned Rs114 million more revenue from registration during the first seven months (July-January) of 2007-08, marking a 12 per cent increase. The raise in revenue is due to the measures taken to streamline collection of taxes by the department.

Meanwhile, in a major relief the MVR reduced the vehicle tax by 25 per cent for owners of cars older than ten years and 50 per cent for vehicles older than 15 years.