The new books have been designed and printed by Pakistan Security Printing Corporation (PSPC), the state-owned press that manufactures banknotes and government security papers. Department insiders say the first batch of the books will be in before Eid.
A three-year agreement was inked in June and it took the printing corporation only a little over two months to prepare the first consignment of 9,500 books. “Vehicles registered from April 2015 will have the new books,” said E&T DG Javed Marwat. He said the department is in advanced negotiations with Pakistan Post to deliver the batch from Karachi and a deal will most likely go through by Tuesday (today).
The number of pages has been doubled to 32 while the design will be similar to that of the Pakistani passport. “These books have nine security features, including a special hologram, embossed writing and tracking features. They are computer readable,” he said.
E&T has broken ties with M/S EHA Hoffman that was earlier manufacturing registration books, number plates and developing a computer database. “The same database will be used. We will send it to PSPC.”
“Earlier, a single company was doing all the work,” he said, adding now the department’s own staffers will scan and archive old records. “EHA Hoffman will issue papers to vehicle owners who filed for registration before April and have not yet received their books.”
Around 10,000 vehicles, including both four and three-wheelers, are registered with the department every 30 days. Henceforth, all data will be forwarded to PSPC which will prepare the books within a week. “They make books for all other provinces. We will recheck them for any errors,” a department official said. He added the new books will not be tampered with or duplicated easily.
The idea of outsourcing number plate manufacturing to another firm is also on the cards. “Earlier, a single company was preparing the number plates which caused delays in delivery and increased the backlog,” he said, adding department bigwigs are also considering the option of allowing private companies to open up franchises and issue plates directly.
“We will be monitoring these companies as they manufacture the number plates and issue them to vehicle owners,” said the official. “A home delivery service is also expected to be rolled out.” The official said the proposal was forwarded to the finance department and the chief secretary who attached their observations and responded. “The ball is now in the court of Senior Member, Board of Revenue office.” The official admitted people find it a painstaking ordeal to frequent government offices for the job and if the proposal works out, it will make things extremely easy for them.
