According to The Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control (ET&NC), the launch of the vehicle registration smart card is entirely dependent on the decision of the excise minister. The most awaited vehicle registration smart card is expected to launch on 15th October 2018.
The long-delayed launch of smart card:
The news related to the launch of smart card has been circulating since last year, when it was expected to make its way in November 2017. After a long delay, it was announced to be issued in March 2018 but, resulted in another delay. According to the Director-General (ET&NC), the process was delayed due to some legal proceedings of the bidding parties. He added that the project of ARC is complete and the interim government was requested regarding the launch of the smart card but received a refusal. The approval of smart card came initially from the former Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif back in March 2015. The project is yet to be completed since then. Since all the work has been completed regarding the launch of the new service, the excise department is hopeful of the smart card launch by 15th October 2018.
The demand for registration books in Pakistan:
According to the stats of the excise department, nearly 2 million registration books are currently issued every year that includes the 1.6 million books for newly registered vehicles. The bidding parties were presented with a demand for printing 2 million cards every year to meet the current demand of the country. The parties were asked to make sure they have the capability of providing the durable cards that have the ability to store the important data for at least 5 years in a secure way.
Salient features of smart card:
The main goal behind the launch of the smart card is to digitize the vehicle registration process in Punjab. The smart card provides several benefits over the vehicle registration book.
- The smart card will be easy to carry due to its compact size as compared to the registration book.
- The smart card will have the information about the vehicle’s owner and the vehicle’s body.
- Unlike the registration book that has a disadvantage of wearing out after a certain amount of time, the smart card will be replaced after its expiry every 5 years.
- The smart card will expire after the transfer of the vehicle to a new owner and will require a new card to be issued.
- The cost of the smart card is expected to be around Rs.500
- The smart card is an automated card that features a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip technology.
- The NFC chip will assist in the verification of card details and information related to the expiry of the token tax.
- The smart card has physical anti-forgery security feature that protects the owner’s information.
What info will be carried by the smart card?
The smart card will hold the basic information of the vehicle and its owner as follows:
- Vehicle owner’s name
- CNIC/Passport details
- Vehicle’s chassis number
- Engine number
- Registration number
- Date of registration
- Previous registration (if any)
- The expiry date of the token tax
- Number of cylinders
- Type of vehicle’s body
- Vehicle’s color
- Maker’s name
- Class of vehicle
- Tyre size
- Year of Manufacturing
- Seating capacity
- Horsepower/CC
- Assessed annual tax
Any owner of a vehicle can get the smart card by paying the card fee of Rs.500 at the excise office. The delivery of smart cards is expected to be made with jackets and verification process will take place before the issuance. The launch of the smart card would facilitate the citizens to a great extent. It will also let the authorities keep a check on any alterations made to the vehicle.
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