PESHAWAR, Dec 12: Use of unregistered personalized number-plates on private vehicles is on the rise in the absence of a strict system of penalty for violators of the relevant rules.

“Inspectors of excise and taxation can only confiscate the documents of a vehicle carrying unregistered vanity number-plate,” an official said.

He said a fine should be imposed for violation of rules in this regard.

Vanity number-plates were introduced in the NWFP in June 2004 with a fee of Rs25,000.

The department of excise and taxation has issued 535 personalized numbers so far, earning Rs10 million last year and Rs3.3 million during the current year.

Many applicants were denied the desired numbers on various grounds, said an excise and taxation official, Akbar Shah.

“Number-plates showing religious, political or sectarian identity of a person were refused,” he said.

The department also rejected applications requesting registration of names like ‘charsi-1’ and ‘Mafia-1’.

“A man requesting Mafia-1 was refused thrice by the department,” the official said.

Vehicles with number-plates bearing tribes’ and localities’ names like Khattak-1, Afridi-1, Kakakhel-1 and Mohmand-1 are often seen on the road.

The use of vanity numbers, considered a status symbol, is on the rise and so is the misuse of such numbers.

Some people use unregistered personalized numbers and many don’t follow the rules requiring the display of the actual registration number.

Documents of about 15 vehicles were confiscated during recent checking when their vanity numbers were found unregistered, an official said.