KARACHI: Sindh’s Excise and Taxation Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, has said that the success of the Safe City Project depends on the full implementation of the new security-featured number plates for cars and motorcycles.
In an interview with a private newspaper, Chawla stressed that only the Excise Department is authorized to issue the new Ajrak-designed number plates. Plates purchased from outside agents or markets will not be considered valid.
“We have issued 2 million number plates for vehicles and motorcycles in Karachi so far,” he said.
The minister explained that these special plates were first introduced in 2011 through a tendering process that attracted both local and international companies. However, court stay orders obtained by some political parties delayed the process multiple times—first until 2013, and again between 2014 and 2018.
The matter was finally resolved in 2021. Instead of inviting new tenders, the Sindh government signed a direct agreement with the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), which has also provided number plates in Punjab, KP, and Balochistan.
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Chawla added that the Safe City Project was launched in 2018, and so far, 12,000 CCTV cameras have been installed across Karachi. He said proper vehicle registration and ownership transfer are necessary to control urban crime.
Plates Equipped with High-Tech Features
The new plates include built-in security features like background threads, 3D holograms, barcodes, and night-time camera readability. Plates made in the open market do not have these features and cannot be detected by surveillance cameras.
The Excise Department has introduced three plate colours:
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White for private vehicles and motorcycles
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Yellow for commercial vehicles
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Green for government vehicles
The cost of number plates is set at Rs2,450 for vehicles and Rs1,850 for motorcycles.
Chawla said that trucks and dumpers are also eligible for registration under the same system. The Excise Department’s records have been linked with the Police and Traffic Police to identify vehicles that have paid their taxes.
According to the department’s estimates, there are about 5 million vehicles and motorcycles in Karachi. Since 2023, around 2 million have been registered and issued new number plates. NRTC produced 800,000 plates in the first phase and 1.2 million in the second.
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The minister also announced that the Excise Department achieved a revenue target of Rs20 billion during the current fiscal year (2024–25).
Public Complaints and Agent Mafia
Chawla warned against using middlemen or agents, saying strict action would be taken against them. He urged citizens to use the one-window service at Excise offices for all their registration needs.
Despite these measures, citizens continue to report delays and difficulties. Car owner Muhammad Danish said he paid Rs10,000 to an agent to register his vehicle and received the plate within a month. In contrast, bike owner Sohail Khan said he applied for a plate three months ago but still hasn’t received it despite repeated visits.
Another motorcyclist, Muhammad Faiz Ahmed, said he got a duplicate plate from the market due to system delays. He expressed little faith in the process, saying deadlines keep changing and nothing improves.
Meanwhile, leaders of the All Pakistan Organisation of Small Traders and Cottage Industries Karachi have called on the Chief Justice of Sindh to take suo motu notice of what they described as an “Rs8 billion daylight robbery.” They claimed the number plate campaign has become a tool for bribery and police harassment under the guise of law enforcement.
“This campaign is being misused to extract money from citizens and traders,” the group said in a joint statement.
