LAHORE, Aug 8: Inordinate delay in issuing the computerised number plates -- retro-reflective registration plates -- to a large number of motorists has exposed the scale of mismanagement on the part of the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department authorities, it is learnt.

The plates were to be issued under a project Motor Transport Management Information System (MTMIS) kicked off initially in 2003 which later was introduced with some modifications as Central Facility (CFMTMIS) in 2007 at the cost of Rs517.236 million for implementation in all 36 districts of the province.

A source said the department did not issue number plates for newly registered vehicles all over the province since May 2011.

In Lahore alone, he said the excise department had registered 110,000 motorcycles and 40,000 cars since May 2011. It had also received fee to the tune of Rs44 million and Rs40 million respectively from owners against new number plates for these two major categories. The department had issued 11 series of motorcycles and four of cars and each series comprised 9,999 numbers since May 2011.

Similar is the case with the customers in rest of the province where 75 per cent of the total motorcycles and 65 per cent of the cars had applied for registration and were not allotted number plates since then.

One of the major factors behind the delay in issuing the plates was said to be the improper implementation of the CFMTMIS scheme and the other one was violation of contractual agreement by a multinational company which was awarded contract for manufacturing and procurement of the required stock of plates, the source claimed. The company was blacklisted on that violation, a senior department official told Dawn.

The source said a multination company- 3M Pakistan Limited- was awarded first contract of manufacturing standardised plates in 2006. Later the contract was renewed every year which continued till 2011.

The source said the Information

Technology (IT) department had initially executed ‘MTMIS’ for integrated computerisation of motor vehicle registration, motor vehicle examination, issuance of route permits and fitness certificates, issuance of driving licences, enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, automation of motor vehicle record and criminal record.

Later the project with some modifications was set up as Central Facility (CFMTMIS) which served as the central hub of information as well as provided facilities for embossing and hot-stamping of retro-reflective registration plates. The CFMTMIS was connected with all excise offices of Punjab through VPN connectivity. The vision behind the creation of the CFMTMIS was to provide a central management of the province-wide data, collected from each stakeholder department and to provide a central printing of retro-reflective registration plates.

However, the utter failure of this scheme in procurement of computerised plates for a period of one year or so has raised serious questions about its authenticity.

As the 3M firm had also failed to provide the required stock of the number plates, the department had categorically refused to give it further extension for another period in 2011.

In order to ease pressure put up by the customers who had paid for the number plates, the excise department had decided to award tender for the procurement of computerised plates to any other company. As no company could meet the conditions, the tender was cancelled.

The customers who bought vehicles and applied for registration plates were being forced to wait for too long.

On the other hand, the traffic police were not ready to spare the motorists when the latter told them that the fault was on the part of the excise department.

Punjab Excise and Taxation Secretary Zahid Saeed told Dawn that one of the factors behind the delay was violation of contract by the 3M firm. He said the department remained in contact with the company for the provision of plates which prolonged the matter and consequently the customers had to suffer.

After detailed deliberations, he said the department blacklisted the 3M firm.

He said the excise department also prepared a summary and forwarded it to the chief minister to facilitate the customers on the issues of registration of vehicles, books, number plates etc.

He said the chief minister had accorded approval to the summary but sent it back to the department on Aug 6 after raising objection to its certain portion.

Mr Zahid said the CM had directed the department to link up the department system with Nadra for the verification of computerised national identity cards of customers particularly before transferring the ownership rights of the vehicles.

He said online verification of CNICs would help minimise the risk of fake transfers of vehicles. The CM had directed the department to submit the revised summary within seven days, he said.

“We are also planning to add a new feature in system to link the computerised plates to the token fee,” he said.

Elaborating the new feature, he said the number plate would help the department whether or not the token fee was paid.

For this purpose the department was searching for the companies providing this particular service in any part of the country.

To a question, Zahid Saeed said Nespak was conducting third party audit of the MTMIS programe.